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Pentagon Discloses Network Breach By Russian Hackers
An anonymous reader writes: The Pentagon has disclosed that Russian hackers were able to breach one of its secure networks earlier this year, and referred to the attack as a "worrisome" incident. "Earlier this year, the sensors that guard DOD's unclassified networks detected Russian hackers accessing one of our networks," said defense secretary Ash Carter yesterday during a speech at Stanford University. Carter warned Russia that the U.S. Department of Defense would retaliate with cyber campaigns should it see fit. "Adversaries should know that our preference for deterrence and our defensive posture don't diminish our willingness to use cyber options if necessary," said Carter. He added in a prepared statement that the Russian hackers had been able to gain access to an "unclassified network" but had been "quickly identified" by a team of cyberattack experts who managed to block the hackers "within 24 hours." The cybersecurity response team had quickly analyzed the hack patterns and code and identified the intruders as Russian, before "kicking them off the network."
Another 10 billion dollars.
Apparently their definition of "secure network" is different from what I thought it was.
If we "retaliated" every time some sergeant's Windows XP laptop got infected with crimeware and brought it on base, we'd be at war.
Without supporting details, this is just posturing.
Fortunately, the Russians didn't find the WOPR on those unclassified networks.
If you're know they're in, wouldn't it be better to turn the "breach" into a honeypot?
Let them into a secured system which looks useful, but in reality feeds them bad data.
Sounds like an R-rated 1990s film.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Russian hackers: we've successfully infiltrated the pentagons secret networks and have accessed their innermost classified projects. With this information we can plan accordingly our first strikes, retaliatory actions, and offensive as well as defensive capabilities in response to the scourge of american aggression
Russian political scientists: We've successfully modelled American capitalism over the last 40 years and have concluded that following two failed wars, two government shutdowns, rampant unemployment, gridlocked congress and senate, unsustainable student loan markets, widespread racism and fascism in local law enforcement, unfunded social security and public highways fund and an unchecked unenforceable labor and investment sector the united states will itself collapse into Mad Max style ruin after about 15 years.
Kremlin: Then it is decided. Cancel our hacking teams budget, slash defense, and clear my schedule for the next decade. Oh and get some popcorn.
Good people go to bed earlier.
Carter cited the newly declassified incident during an address at Stanford University, in which he also warned the Pentagon was ready to help defend America's networks and to use cyber weaponry, if needed.
so instead of hoarding exploits you are going to patch them? or will you hold companies liable for poorly written software? or maybe require CS students learn how to write secure software? or publish a free OS that is secure by default?
the Department of Defense was previously named the Department of War for a good reason.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Rocky: "Hey, what's the meaning of this?"
Agent: "Military intelligence. That phrase mean anything to you?"
Rocky: "It sounds like a contradiction of terms."
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
Come on, so tell us (small US biz) how we can also prevent these attacks. Between virus (expensive to clean up) and anti-virus (expensive to buy), small biz in the US are under a lot of pressure.
The U.S. Joint Cyber-Security Cyber-warfare Cyber Task Force Command Center recommends the following action:
Unplug your computer.
Sorry, but the Soviet Gulag found you.
And it's great that you finally came out of the closet. Now we all know, for sure, that Anonymous Coward is gay. Sure, we all just assumed it was true all along, but now we know.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
... is the root of all solutions.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
Until there are consequences in meatspace, this behavior is not going to stop. Whether this was by organized crime elements in Russia or ordered by Putin himself (although, today, what's really the difference?), cyber-for-cyber is simply not going to cut it.
de new pinko commie ruskies
while we make this out as unacceptable and hoping to draw ire towards the whole Russian people, we will just continue to attack the networks of every other country on the planet, as if it's our right.
Trademark of USG.
You mean within 24 hours of us doing something to purposely alert you to our presence so we could test your reaction? Yeah. That's what I thought.
"Carter said that sensors guarding the Pentagon's unclassified networks detected the intrusion by Russian hackers, who discovered an old vulnerability that had not been patched."
Maybe they were looking for evidence of the UFO coverup and the intrusion consisted of logging into a passwordless WindowsNT box. ref
"On Thursday, Carter stressed the U.S. military needed closer cooperation with California's Silicon Valley, particularly after high-profile attacks on companies like Sony Pictures Entertainment."
How is putting backdoors into 'computers' going to make them more secure from hacking?
Yawn, Pentagon gets hacked regularly I'm sure. This isn't news - it's been made news because some bigwig wants to demonise Russia, hence scary Russian hackers story.
NSA, CIA of course never hack anybody.
Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
So months ago Russian's penetrated secure pentagon computer systems which the pentagon identified the breach right away. But took months to come out and admit it? What were they waiting for? Everyone says the government is years behind in technology defense and offense. Another one of the US weaknesses as if we did not have enough of them. Obama probably needs more money for his worthless green projects because we know the worst threat is not ISIS, Russia, Iran but rather climate change. You think climate problems are bad now. Wait till Iran goes nuclear and drops a bomb somewhere because some nut head in Iran wants to wipe them off the map.
It seems to me that an unknown person(s) from Russia accessed a US honeypot. This would provide a perfect excuse for America to "respond" against any party in Russia and point to this if they get caught.