Hackers Break Into Pentagon Personnel Records Security Breach Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Military, Defense Secretary Says

Over the past two weeks, the Pentagon’s unclassified computer networks were hit by the “most organized and systematic” attack yet, apparently by hackers bent on peering into personnel records or payroll matters, the Defense Department said Wednesday.

No classified information appears to have been tampered with, but the matter remains “a very serious, long-term problem,” Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre said.

“We have organized ourselves much more aggressively and more closely with the Justice Department to get our hands around this,” he said.

Hamre said he was constrained from divulging too many details about the attacks because the military was working with Justice in pursuing potential criminal activity.

Hamre told a group of defense writers the onslaught should serve as a wake-up call for the military in particular and society overall, arguing that neither the government nor the private sector has done enough to protect sensitive networks from such attacks.