The DOD acknowledged, however, that 99 percent of these assaults succeeded due to known vulnerabilities, security gaps that have not yet been patched, and poor security practices in general. At the same time, some analysts worry that a burgeoning obsession with cybercrime is the latest permutation of classic American hysteria over issues ranging from the Salem Witch Trials of 1694 to the recent demonizing of pit bull dogs. Venzke told the NewsFactor Network that the DOD is probably one of the five most popular Web sites in cyberspace, a network that everyone from socially impaired preteens to international terrorists attempts to invade, and that most of these attacks originate from the former group without any malicious intent. Moreover, the Pentagon's findings, Venzke noted, may be a result of improved tracking devices within the DOD's networks, enabling systems administrators to spot more intrusions than in the past. And I couldn't tell you whether these attacks are a recent development or have gone on for years.
Hackers routinely hop through different systems before striking at a given target.
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