This just in from the Associated Press “(Washington) by Ted Bridis: The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.”
“Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords and implanted backdoors in unclassified government computers to allow them to return at will, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking. These people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the widespread intrusions and the resulting investigation.”
Every nation considers information warfare to be a cornerstone of warfighting. Take away the communications and you take away the ability to react quickly or tactically to something. In older conflicts it was cutting down telephone and telegraph wires. Today, the telephone technology is internet-based: Western Union doesn’t do telegrams anymore.
So Who Done It? The list is as long as your arm, but the two areas the hackers wanted to get into was the China and North Korea desks at the State Department. This makes me think it wasn’t the Jamaican National Security Service.
RoadDave 