Pentagon says computers invaded by hackers

February 25, 1998
Web posted at: 10:26 a.m. EST (1526 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Unidentified hackers penetrated unclassified U.S. military computers in a widespread cyber attack that hit all the military services, a top Pentagon official said Wednesday.

"Fairly heavy cyber attacks" occurred during the past two weeks, said John Hamre, deputy secretary of defense and the U.S. military's number two civilian official.

"It was the most organized and systematic" attack the Pentagon has seen to date, he said.

Hamre told defense reporters that the event had "all the appearances of a game" and apparently was perpetrated by "a small number of individuals."

The deputy defense secretary said he was constrained from divulging too many details about the attacks because the military was working in cooperation with the Justice Department in pursuing potential criminal activity.

The attacks did not appear to be connected with the ongoing crisis involving Iraq, he said.

According to Hamre, the attacks appear to be directed at unclassified information, such as personnel records or payroll matters. "Our classified networks were intact and not penetrated," he said.

He described the attacks as "widespread and modestly sophisticated," adding that all the military services "had penetration to some degree."

He said the department has been attempting in recent years to update its defenses against such attacks but that more must be done. "We have to do a good deal more in this area," he said.

Hamre said that the attacks appeared to be occurring at a time when a "hacker contest" was going on. But he did not say where such an event originated or offer a further explanation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Study: U.S. vulnerable to cyberterrorism - October 21, 1997
• Computer hacker plants porno on Air Force Web page - December 30, 1996
• Hackers vandalize CIA home page - September 19, 1996
• Cyberspace attacks threaten national security, CIA chief says - May 23, 1996
• 40 million potential spies - May 23, 1996

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