Hackers gained access to sensitive US military files
Baku, July 15 (AZERTAC). The Defence Department suffered one of its worst digital attacks in history in March, when a foreign intelligence service hacked into the computer system of a corporate contractor and obtained 24,000 Pentagon files during a single intrusion, senior officials said Thursday.
The disclosure came as the Pentagon released a strategy for military operations in cyberspace, embodying a belief that traditional passive programs for defending military and associated corporate data systems are insufficient in an era when espionage, crime, disruptions and outright attacks are increasingly carried out over the Internet.
In releasing the strategy, William J. Lynn III, the deputy defence secretary, disclosed that over the years, crucial files stolen from defence and industry data networks have included plans for missile tracking systems, satellite navigation devices, surveillance drones and top-of-the-line jet fighters.
"A great deal of it concerns our most sensitive systems, including aircraft avionics, surveillance technologies, satellite communications systems and network security protocols," Mr. Lynn said.
Officials declined to identify the military contractor whose data system was compromised in the March attack. They also refused to name the nation they suspected was the culprit, saying that any accusation was a matter of official, and perhaps confidential, diplomatic dialogue.
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