Homeland Security Computers Hacked

[Nomad559]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/homelandsecurity.computers/index.html

Hackers compromised dozens of Department of Homeland Security computers, moving sensitive information to Chinese-language Web sites, congressional investigators said Monday.

Investigators pointed a finger at a government contractor, saying the firm hired to protect DHS computers tried to hide the incidents from the department.

The FBI is investigating the incidents, a congressional staffer said, and two members of Congress have asked the department's inspector general to also launch an investigation.

"The results of our investigation suggest that the department is the victim not only of cyber attacks initiated by foreign entities, but of incompetent and possibly illegal activity by the contractor charged with maintaining security on its networks," Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and James Langevin of Rhode Island said in a written statement.

The lawmakers said committee investigators found dozens of DHS computers were compromised and the incidents "were not noticed until months after the initial attacks."

[gateley]

1. Anyone else enjoying the irony? nt

[Rene]

2. I would like to know the nationality of the 'consultant' and if it was an

outsource firm.....rather than good local employees. We didn't have all these 'laptop thefts' and hacking when companies kept employees on and didn't send access to OUR data overseas to who knows whom.

[MindPilot]

3. Our government is fucked up as a soup sandwich...

which is why I really don't get to too concerned about all the surveillance and data mining. They can't even keep track of the data they collect let alone put enough of it together to actually do anything with it.

[unpossibles]

4. but there's the rub

sure, our government lead by Bush couldn't find it's butt with a map and a mirror, but they're also careless and seem to "lose" a lot of data overseas to what are possibly more competent people. So much so, that it makes me wonder how much is lost, and how much is sold.

[bemildred]

5. Gosh, who could have predicted this? nt