Most serious DOD information warfare attack may have happened two years ago in the Middle East
Posted by John Keller
We're just getting word of what may be the worst-ever breach of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) computers, in an information warfare attack which reportedly happened two years ago in the Middle East, according to a story breaking this afternoon in the Washington Post.
The Pentagon says a foreign spy agency was able to insert a flash drive into a DOD laptop computer, which spread a malicious code undetected on classified and unclassified Pentagon computer systems in what may be the worst information security problem ever reported, according to the Post report.
The story, entitled Pentagon computers attacked with flash drive, says the incident previously was kept secret, and was revealed in a magazine article by Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn and released by the Pentagon today.
The malicious code, the Post reports, established the capability to steal military secrets. We'll keep you informed as this story develops.
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
