Statement by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) on today's WSJ report about the Pentagon's assertion that cyber attacks can constitute an act of war:

"We've known for years that cyber attacks were the future of warfare. Attacks against our federal networks occur on a daily basis. Often they are espionage; stealing sensitive information. Some are aimed at shutting down critical infrastructure. Both are threats to national security that could be used by rogue nations as a means to cause major service disruptions, economic damage or potentially to harm Americans.

"Designating cyber attacks as an act of war is an important step to deter these attacks. However, determining what constitutes an act of war is still the fundamental question. Once we do, we still must clearly identify the source. I continue to urge the administration to prioritize cybersecurity as we recommended in our 2008 report. We need better coordination among agencies and, while the United States has great offensive capabilities, our ability to defend against such attacks remains inadequate."

McCaul was co-chair of the CSIS report to the 44th President in 2008 which made key cybersecurity recommendations.