Pentagon Hack Targets Fighter Plane Project
Hackers were able to infiltrate the Pentagon's network, gaining access to several terabytes of data on the F-35's design and electronics systems.
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(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Hackers have reportedly spied on the Pentagon's $300 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project, the US Department of Defense's costliest weapons program ever, potentially helping foreign powers defend against the fighter craft.
According to a Tuesday
Wall Street Journal report, citing "current and former government officials familiar with the attacks," intruders were able to access and copy several terabytes of data on the F-35's design and electronics systems. These sources say the attacks appear to have originated in China, but it is possible that the attacker's origins were masked.
A report from the Washington Post, however, reports that the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, the lead defense contractor for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, deny that the hacks posed a serious security threat to the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, although they do admit that some of the less sensitive systems have been compromised.
Yesterday's attack on the Pentagon echoes similar incidents that breached the Air Force's air-traffic-control system in recent months, as the battle against the US heats up over increasingly important data networks.
The attack also comes after the Pentagon
spent more than $100 million over six months to cleaning up after Internet attacks and network issues, helping prevent future attacks and breaches.