Intelligence director calls Sony attack most serious against U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday the recent cyber attack against Sony Pictures, which Washington has blamed on North Korea, is the most serious such attack ever against U.S. interests.

Clapper said the private sector needs to patch software holes and segment data to protect against further attacks. He also said the cyber threat from Russia is particularly sophisticated.

(Reporting by Emily Flitter and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)