Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwon@kizmiaz.dis.org>
WASHINGTON (March 4, 1999 7:17 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com)
The Pentagon has launched a probe of efforts by computer hackers based in
Russia to access sensitive U.S. defense computers, ABC News reported
Thursday.
The report noted past attempts by outsiders to breach the computers but
said "this time the Pentagon believes there is something unusually serious
going on."
Quoting unnamed sources, ABC said investigators had determined that the
source of the hacking was Russia. They could not tell, however, if it was
a government effort or was being carried out by "freelancers."
"It is a major concern," U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre said on
the report.
Investigators "do not believe that this is just the work of teenage
hackers," ABC said, adding that they were now urgently investigating
whether the hackers were being assisted by someone inside the Pentagon.
No classified computer systems at the Defense Department had yet been
breached, the report said.
U.S.. Rep. Curt Weldon told ABC that the hacking effort "could be a
coordinated attack" on Pentagon computers aimed at acquiring classified
U.S. defense data.
-o-
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Received on Thu Mar 11 17:30:54 1999