US official says terrorists lack Internet skills

WASHINGTON – A top counterterrorism official says terrorist groups do not yet have the technical skills to launch a major cyber attack against the United States.

State Department counterterrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin says such a threat is looming and one that insurgents are pursuing. But he says so far most big computer-based attacks are launched by other countries or small groups of hackers.

Benjamin says terror groups are mainly using the Internet for propaganda and as a recruiting tool. The No. 1 concern for U.S. officials is developing means to counter the insurgents in cyberspace.

U.S. government networks are probed and scanned millions of times a day by criminals and other countries, and hackers have breached the electrical grid and key defense department contractors.