Hackers Get Into Pentagon E-Mail
The Pentagon yesterday revealed that hackers had
gotten
into an unclassified e-mail system in Defense Secretary Robert Gates' office.
Apparently, the break-in happened last spring, and the system went down for
three weeks after that. While the system is within Gates' office, the Pentagon
claims there was never a threat to classified systems.
Speculations were flying that the Chinese military was responsible for the
hack, although Washington made no official accusation and, naturally, Chinese
officials denied any involvement. Such ruffling of feathers on both sides comes
at a delicate time as China defends itself in the face of numerous product recalls.
Pentagon officials minimized the seriousness of the event, saying that hackers
try to penetrate the Pentagon's global network hundreds of times a day. Only
a few of the most serious attempts are investigated further.
Does this scare you as much as it does me? Do you think it was a domestic miscreant
or foreign nation? How do you go about securing your own e-mail infrastructure?
Send me a secure, non-hackable message at [email protected].
Posted by Lafe Low on September 05, 2007