The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that concern is growing over militant groups, foreign states and criminal organizations that target government and private computer networks, Reuters reported.

“Terrorists have shown a clear interest in pursuing hacking skills, and they will either train their own recruits or hire outsiders with an eye toward combining physical attacks with cyber attacks,” said Robert Mueller, noting that a cyber attack could have the same impact as a “well-placed bomb.”

Mueller’s speech to an Internet security conference came on the heels of a sophisticated online attack on Google Inc.’s systems in January.

At least 20 other companies were likely targeted as well, said Google, which operates the No. 1 search engine in the world.

“They seek our technology, our intelligence, our intellectual property, even our military weapons and strategies,” Mueller said of the so-called cyber terrorists.

Though attacks on corporations can be sensitive issues, Mueller urged the businesses that were targeted in the attacks to come forward.

“We will minimize the disruption to your business, we will safeguard your privacy and your data and where necessary we will seek protective orders to preserve trade secrets and business confidentiality,” he said.