Cyberspies can destroy, corrupt data as easily as they snoop.

* If hackers can steal a company's top-secret data, they can just as easily destroy a company's network, experts said recently.

Instances of cyber-espionage have been well documented throughout the world--hackers sneaking behind network barriers have stolen huge amounts of intellectual property from the private and public sectors alike. However, these intruders also have the capability to permanently erase data, said Richard Bejtlich, chief security officer for Mandiant, a Washington, D.C.-based cybersecurity company.

"Whenever you hear someone say, Don't worry, it's just espionage.' [It's important to realize that] espionage easily can escalate to destruction. It's just the prerogative of the intruder," Bejtlich said at the Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Once a hacker has breached a network, he has the ability to steal, spy or destroy data, he said.

"If we were to break into the network here and I just snooped around, I would have the same ability ... to destroy everything that's there. So it's just a question of intent at that point," said Bejtlich.

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Another issue Bejtlich highlighted was the corruption or manipulation of data, which he called a "middle ground" between espionage and destruction.

"In some ways, it's the toughest one to identify because most companies don't necessarily know what the data should be," he said.

In February, Mandiant released a report that blamed Unit 61398 of China's People's Liberation Army for numerous cyber-intrusions. The unit, which is based in Shanghai, curtailed its activities after the report's...