Cyber-Threats Will Become Top Worry, Says FBI Director

The director of the FBI says the agency needs the help of private-sector cyber-security professionals to combat what he believes is becoming the nation's No. 1 threat.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said at a security conference in San Francisco that cyber-threats would surpass terrorism as the country's top concern.

The dangers posed by organized cyber-crime, rogue hacktivists and computer breaches backed by foreign governments have become a focus for the FBI.

Mueller testified to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in January that counterterrorism is still the agency's top priority, but in the future would likely take a backseat to cyber-threats.

Mueller told an annual gathering of high-tech security experts that companies often are the first to see such threats emerge.