On February 7, CMA asked the agency to determine whether any of this information has been compromised by attacks on the agency's computer system. The agency has not responded to CMA's request. Under the circumstances, EPA had no other real alternative than to temporarily shut down the sites. Apparently, the agency has some big holes in its computer security system that must be plugged. The consequences of not doing so are potentially very high.
Economic espionage is a booming business-and a growing threat to America's economic security.
America is the No. 1 target of economic spies. Increasingly, economic spies, many of whom work directly for foreign governments, are using the Internet to gain access to American businesses' most valuable business data. The EPA, like other government agencies, is required by law to protect this data. There is growing concern about EPA's ability to manage information and ensure its security. Apparently, the General Accounting Office discovered the problems to be considerably more serious.