The US Department of Defence just revealed that they lost 24,000 files to “foreign intruders” in March. Though they wouldn’t specify on details, they acknowledged it was “one of the most damaging cyberattacks to date on the US military”.
The Pentagon did say that the files lost were taken from a defence contractor but wouldn’t get into any more detail than that. Deputy defence Secretary William J. Lynn III said:
“It is a significant concern that over the past decade, terabytes of data have been extracted by foreign intruders from corporate networks of defence companies.”
The Washington Post reports that in order for the US to combat cyberattacks in the future, the Pentagon is outlining a new cyber strategy that will, “treat cyberspace as an operational domain to organise, train and equip” and maybe even partner up with the private sector. Lynn explained:
“Rather than rely on the threat of retaliation alone to deter attacks in cyberspace, we aim to change our adversaries’ incentives in a more fundamental way. If an attack will not have its intended effect, those who wish us harm will have less reason to target us through cyberspace in the first place.”
We’ll see if it works. [The Washington Post]