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alp227

(32,059 posts) Fri Mar 2, 2012, 05:48 PM Mar 2012

NASA says it was hacked 13 times last year

Source: Reuters

NASA said hackers broke into its computer systems 13 times last year, stealing employee credentials and gaining access to mission-critical projects in breaches that could compromise U.S. national security.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration spends only $58 million of its $1.5 billion annual IT budget on cyber security, Paul Martin, the agency's inspector general, told a Congressional panel on NASA security earlier this week.

"Some NASA systems house sensitive information which, if lost or stolen, could result in significant financial loss, adversely affect national security, or significantly impair our nation's competitive technological advantage," Martin said in testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, released on Wednesday. (bit.ly/yQFSB8)

He said the agency discovered in November that hackers working through a Chinese-based IP address broke into the network of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/02/us-nasa-cyberattack-idUSTRE8211G320120302

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NASA says it was hacked 13 times last year (Original Post) alp227 Mar 2012 OP

China, of course. nt onehandle Mar 2012 #1

Well, no, not just China. That's THIS OP's take on it saras Mar 2012 #2

onehandle

(51,122 posts)

1. China, of course. nt

Reply to alp227 (Original post)

Fri Mar 2, 2012, 10:36 PM

Mar 2012

saras

(6,670 posts)

2. Well, no, not just China. That's THIS OP's take on it

Reply to onehandle (Reply #1)

Sat Mar 3, 2012, 05:04 PM

Mar 2012

Mr Martin outlined how the agency suffered "5,408 computer security incidents" between 2010 and 2011.

Mr Martin said NASA was a "target-rich environment for cyber attacks".

He said that the motivation of the hackers ranged from "individuals testing their skill to break into NASA systems, to well-organized criminal enterprises hacking for profit, to intrusions that may have been sponsored by foreign intelligence services".

But while Mr Martin criticised aspects of NASA's cybersecurity he noted investigations had resulted in "arrests and convictions of foreign nationals in China, Great Britain, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and Estonia".

NASA said it was working to implement the security improvements Mr Martin suggested in his testimony.

The difference between 13 and 5408 is rather a large margin of error. I think that means 13 SUCCESSFUL attacks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17231695

from the dupe post at http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002374450

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