They broke into networks that direct 911 emergency response systems. They even got access to the Pentagon's National Military Command Center, the heart of America's war-fighting operation. The FBI-led inquiry found that real hackers apparently based in Russia have used the Internet to download essential defense technical research, including missile guidance programs, and other data from unclassified Defense Department and other government computers for more than a year. The FBI's inability to identify the covert intruders only highlights the danger in an increasingly wired world. We know other countries that are developing information technology and are doing reconnaissance of our computer networks.
Experts say the U.S. clearly leads the way in cyber-warfare technology.
But Russia, Israel, France, England and India also are seeking to develop cyber weapons, U.S. officials say. China is further behind but has demonstrated increasing sophistication. It takes fewer people and far less money. Last week the Pentagon made computer security a component of military strategy, giving the U.S. Space Command control of an interim joint task force that was formed to monitor and defend the Pentagon's global information networks. In addition, the Treasury Department opened the first Information Sharing and Assessment Center with a consortium of private banks, finance houses and insurance companies.