Posted on 23.04.2009 at 11:39 in Tech News by Martin
Cyberspies have hacked into government computers and stolen sensitive information on a next-generation stealth fighter, according to an investigation published in The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. The hackers lifted terabytes of data on the Pentagon’s $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project, the Journal reports, including details about the aircraft’s design that could expose vulnerabilities. The hack is believed to have happened through a hole in a contractors’ network. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems are the primary contractors on the project. None of them has publicly commented.
While the details surrounding the reported Joint Strike Fighter breach are far from clear — how the intruders made off with such a massive amount of data, for example, has yet to be revealed — there’s no question the magnitude of the attack is alarming. Even worse, the unnamed officials cited in the story say hackers have worked their way into the U.S. Air Force air traffic control system recently as well. The F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive, complex and ambitious aircraft program. According to program estimates, the total investment required in the F-35 exceeds $1 trillion — more than $300 billion to buy 2,456 aircraft and $760 billion to keep them flying beyond their expected life cycle.