Hack Attacks On Pentagon Sites Persist

Despite crying "uncle" and appealing to hackers to leave
their locales alone, US Defense Department officials said Tuesday
that mischief-making cyber vandals continue to target Pentagon Web
sites.

The ongoing acts, or "events," as described in a Reuters report,
include probes, scans, virus incidents and intrusions, and Pentagon
officials said the hacks make it more difficult to track cyber
threats possibly tied to foreign foes. The jump in reported attacks
is partly attributable to improved intrusion-detection procedures and
technology, along with increased awareness and reporting, but the
sophistication of attacks is also increasing and the often-present
"noise floor" from hackers "makes it a whole lot easier for (a
serious threat) to slip in," Reuters said.

The report also noted that last year, a total of 22,144 "attacks"
were detected on Defense Department networks, up from 5,844 in 1998.
This year, through Aug. 4, a total of 13,998 "events" have been
recorded. The report stated that attacks continue even though US
Assistant Secretary of Defense Art Money urged hackers at "DEF CON
8.0" in Las Vegas last month to join government or private industry
and get on the "defense side." The conference also saw
representatives of the armed services and federal law enforcement
authorities admit that hackers "had got our attention," and call on
cyber vandals to turn their talents toward national defense.

Reported By Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.