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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.
The point of the article is not the Pentagon saying that they need more money to thwart future attacks. It is to let people know that attacks like this do occur and are being handled swiftly.
"Maybe this world is another planet's hell"
Aldous Huxley
You're attributing far more skill and competence than they deserve.
If they couldn't keep them out, no way in hell they could come up with a working deception in a short amount of time.
Kicking them out in "less than 24 hours"? Wow, way to go there guys.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
It isn't what you think - as an isolated network.
There are thousands of connections between the secure net and the unclassified network due to the amount of data that must be transferred. Even where I worked 20 years ago, the amount of data being transferred by tapes was many GB per hour - and tape handling was too slow to keep up.
And the summary is incorrect. The penetration was of an unclassified network. From the article itself:
"The United States on Thursday disclosed a cyber intrusion this year by Russian hackers who accessed an unclassified U.S. military network, in a episode Defense Secretary Ash Carter said showed the growing threat and the improving U.S. ability to respond."
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.
No, no, they should be looking over fake plans to raise thebattleship Yamato and put her into space. Go big, or go home.
Or... maybe those are the real plans?
It had 18" guns, the biggest ones ever built for sea and in violation of international arms agreements. If you fire them from space, they're space guns!
It is to let people know that attacks like this do occur and are being handled swiftly.
In this cases handled swiftly measured in seconds, when it is measured in days it means that attackers had a chance to upload everything they had access to.
The fact that my network is seeing a 10 fold increased attacks from Russian IP's over the past 2-3 years is enough to lead me to believe what's being said here is true. Still doesn't beat China but Russia is very quickly gaining ground.
And how, exactly, those "attacks" look like?
...attacks from Russian IP's...
One should realize that there are a lot "pirated" Windows OS installations in Russia. I would guess more than 90%.
These PCs do not have Windows Update, since the OS is not authentic. And consequently hoards of different viruses, trojans and bot-networks run on them. The masters of these malicious networks could mount cyber activity from the IPs' of unsuspecting owners.
I would advise a Pentagon delegation to visit a Russian megalopolis for a cultural exchange trip and learn the real situation on the ground, before retaliating with cyber campaigns on poor people.
This may have an appearance of being updated. But by what and by whom? It is obvious that if a "Windows OS" costs USD 0.- it is not the Windows as we know it.