BANGALORE: Economic sanctions are an additional "tool in the toolbox" to address the challenge of overseas cyber-attacks, the U.S. has said amid reports that it was considering sanctions on Chinese firms and individuals involved in cyber-economic espionage.

"The only reason the President's policy team could potentially consider sanctions against those who have committed acts of cyber theft against the U.S. or U.S. institutions, or benefitted from cyber theft, is because the (U.S.) President signed an executive order earlier this year giving the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to use sanctions in that way," said Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary.

"This means that the United States government has an additional tool in the toolbox to confront this particular challenge," Earnest said.

He was responding to question about news reports that the Obama Administration was considering economic sanctions against China who were allegedly responsible for cyber-attacks and cyber theft in the U.S.

"When talking about economic sanctions, I've often noted that it would be strategically unwise for us to discuss potential sanctions targets because that would only give the potential targets of sanctions the opportunity to take steps that would allow them to evade those sanctions," he said.

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