Pentagon says cyber-attack nabbed sensitive military files

Foreign hackers obtained some 24,000 sensitive U.S. military files in a previously unrevealed March cyber-attack on a defense contractor, the Pentagon's number two official William Lynn told journalists today.

The New York Times' Elizabeth Bumiller and Thom Shannon report:

The Defense Department suffered one of its worst digital attacks in history in March, when foreign hackers broke into the computers of a corporate contractor and obtained 24,000 sensitive Pentagon files during a single intrusion, senior officials said on Thursday.[...]

In releasing the [new cyber] strategy, William J. Lynn III, the deputy defense secretary, disclosed that over the years "crucial" files stolen from defense industry data networks have included plans for missile tracking systems, satellite navigation devices, unmanned surveillance drones and top-of-the-line jet fighters.

Some of the stolen data was mundane, and included plans for small parts of tanks, airplanes and submarines, he said.

"But a great deal of it concerns our most sensitive systems, including aircraft avionics, surveillance technologies, satellite communications systems and network security protocols," Mr. Lynn disclosed.

Defense officials declined to identify the company that was hacked or the country from which the attack originated.