Lockheed Martin hit by computer attack

[cybertron]

Lockheed Martin hit by computer attack

Reporting from Washington— Lockheed Martin Corp., the world's largest aerospace company, said Saturday it detected and thwarted "a significant and tenacious attack" on its information systems a week ago.

"As a result of the swift and deliberate actions taken to protect the network and increase IT security, our systems remain secure," said Jennifer Whitlow, a Lockheed spokeswoman. "No customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised."

The Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department have offered to help gauge the scope of the incident involving the defense contractor.

A person with direct knowledge of the incident said Friday that unknown attackers had broken into sensitive networks of Lockheed Martin and several other U.S. military contractors.

The hackers breached security systems designed to keep out intruders by creating duplicate electronic keys, said the source, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The Defense Department said the effect of the Lockheed cyber attack on the Pentagon was "minimal," and it expected no harm to result.

Lockheed Martin: Aerospace company hit by computer breach - latimes.com

 

[cybertron]

Lockheed Martin Hit By Security Breach

Hackers may have infiltrated the networks of top U.S. weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp., according to a person with knowledge of the attacks.

The security disruptions, reported Thursday by Reuters, prompted the company to step up measures to protect its data. It wasn't immediately clear if any sensitive information was stolen or compromised.

Lockheed spokesman Jeffery Adams said the company, as a matter of policy, didn't discuss specific cyber threats or measures taken in response.

"However, to counter any threats, we regularly take actions to increase the security of our systems and to protect our employee, customer and program data," he said. "We have policies and procedures in place to mitigate the cyber threats to our business, and we remain confident in the integrity of our robust, multilayered information systems security."

Lockheed manufactures some of the most sophisticated U.S. military hardware, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor. It is also a major international supplier of military equipment.

According to the person familiar with the situation, many employees were required to change their "SecurID" passwords. The move may have been prompted by an attack from hackers who may have penetrated the company's cyber defenses by using duplicate SecurID electronic keys made by EMC Corp.'s RSA security division.

Remote access to some Lockheed systems was temporarily disabled as a result, this person said. Lockheed sent 90,000 replacement SecurIDs to employees, which is being paid for by RSA, this person said. Employees were also told to reset all of their passwords used throughout the entire companyas a precaution.

EMC in March disclosed that it had been hit by a sophisticated cyber attack on its SecurID products, which are widely used by corporate clients.

Network and computer-security issues have taken on heightened importance in recent weeks after a high-profile hack of several Sony Corp. systems led to a breach of personal information. The breach included the names and addresses associated with more than 100 million accounts.

The Japanese technology giant was forced to temporarily shut two of its gaming networks—PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment—damaging its reputation with customers.

The hack, which was discovered more than a month ago, was so sophisticated that Sony says it still doesn't know if credit-card information associated with the accounts was accessed.

The Sony hack has prompted requests from Congress for information about what information was breached and how quickly the company notified customers and law enforcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also been called in to help with the investigation.

Lockheed Martin Network Suffers Security Breach - WSJ.com

 

[Jinnah]

Any other update? two threads in parallel, please merge

http://www.defence.pk/forums/milita...ce-firm-lockheed-martin-hit-cyber-attack.html

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

2011 is a good year for the hackers, first Sony, now this.