Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwonat_private> WASHINGTON (March 4, 1999 7:17 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) The Pentagon has launched a probe of efforts by computer hackers based in Russia to access sensitive U.S. defense computers, ABC News reported Thursday. The report noted past attempts by outsiders to breach the computers but said "this time the Pentagon believes there is something unusually serious going on." Quoting unnamed sources, ABC said investigators had determined that the source of the hacking was Russia. They could not tell, however, if it was a government effort or was being carried out by "freelancers." "It is a major concern," U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre said on the report. Investigators "do not believe that this is just the work of teenage hackers," ABC said, adding that they were now urgently investigating whether the hackers were being assisted by someone inside the Pentagon. No classified computer systems at the Defense Department had yet been breached, the report said. U.S.. Rep. Curt Weldon told ABC that the hacking effort "could be a coordinated attack" on Pentagon computers aimed at acquiring classified U.S. defense data. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Internet Security Institute [www.isi-sec.com]
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