24,000 files were swiped from a US defence contractor

HACKERS HAVE STOLEN 24,000 files from a US defence contractor, according to Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III.

Lynn said that "foreign intruders" had penetrated the contractor in an attack earlier this Spring, according to the Washington Post. Lynn said hackers from "an unidentified foreign government" took the data files, but did not release any other information about the attackers or the files taken.

It is not the first time that this has happened and Lynn added that a range of data had been stolen. This could stretch from boring information, such as the Pentagon lunch menu, we imagine, to "our most sensitive systems, including aircraft avionics, surveillance technologies, satellite communications systems, and network security protocols".

"It is a significant concern that over the past decade, terabytes of data have been extracted by foreign intruders from corporate networks of defense companies," Lynn added, according to the Washington Post.

The admission came during an announcement of a cyber defence strategy that is the Pentagon's response to an increase in online activism (PDF), and security attacks in general. The document is coloured with threats of denial of service attacks and other threats posed by skilled security activists.

"Foreign cyberspace operations against U.S. public and private sector systems are increasing in number and sophistication. DoD (Department of Defense) networks are probed millions of times every day, and successful penetrations have led to the loss of thousands of files from U.S. networks and those of U.S. allies and industry partners," reads one part of the document, which we read while hiding behind a sofa.

"The potential for small groups to have an asymmetric impact in cyberspace creates very real incentives for malicious activity... Whether the goal is monetary, access to intellectual property, or the disruption of critical DoD systems, the rapidly evolving threat landscape presents a complex and vital challenge for national and economic security." µ