Leon Panetta warns of 'cyber Pearl Harbour'

12 October 2012 Last updated at 05:28 ET Help

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that the threat from cyber-attacks on US interests is growing, in a speech to business leaders in New York.

He highlighted the virus unleashed this summer in the Gulf, which knocked out 30,000 computers, disrupting major oil and gas companies.

Simultaneous attacks on "critical infrastructure" in the future, he warned, could result in a "cyber Pearl Harbour".

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.