Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that if the U.S. doesn’t respond to the recent cyberattacks on the federal government, it will cause digital adversaries to “get bolder and bolder.”

Pressure has been building on the Obama administration to retaliate or at least publicly accuse someone for the hacks at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). …

“I think that’s right,” he said when asked if not responding to the OPM hack would invite digital adversaries to continue targeting government networks.

Without established deterrents, foreign governments and cyber crime rings have gotten “bolder and bolder” with their attacks on the U.S., he said.