President-elect Donald Trump says he is knowledgeable in the field of cyber-hacking and "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private.
Trump's statement to reporters during his annual New Year's Eve bash expressed new scepticism about the security of online communications his administration is set to use.
"You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way ... because I'll tell you what: no computer is safe," Trump stated.
The billionaire businessman has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking.
President Barack Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies last week, closed two Russian compounds, and expelled 35 diplomats the United States alleged were really spies. The Russian government has denied the allegations.
Trump plans to meet with intelligence officials in the coming days to learn more about the allegations. He said he wants US officials "to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge". He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the United States invasion.
And he declared himself well versed in the field of hacking.
"I know a lot about hacking," he said, "and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else."
He added cryptically that he also knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation".
Trump made the comments at his Mar-a-Lago club. Hundreds of guests gathered in its grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. Reporters were invited to watch as guests arrived.
Aljazeera