US increases threats against hackers

The US government has threatened trade and diplomatic action against China and other countries over mounting recorded examples of cyberattacks and commercial theft at some of the country’s biggest companies, The Wall Street Journal reported. Competitive disadvantages, job losses and impact on products are some of the effects of espionage described by top administration officials. “A hacker in China can acquire source code from a software company in Virginia without leaving his or her desk,” Attorney General Eric Holder said at a White House conference Wednesday. General Motors (GM.NYSE) and DuPont (DD.NYSE) are among the big-names hacked in the US.