The Senate Armed Services Committee included
a provision in its markup of the Fiscal 2015 defense authorization bill that addresses
communication lapses in cyber and tightens cybersecurity
protocol. The move comes after the committee determined the Chinese government
successfully hacked into US Transportation Command contractors’ computer
systems numerous times without TRANSCOM detecting the intrusions, according to
a Sept. 17
release.
SASC reported 50 instances of compromise in the 12-month period beginning June
1, 2012. At least 20 of those, the report said, “were successful intrusions
attributed to an ‘advanced persistent threat,’” or a government-associated
threat. Contractor emails, documents, user passwords, computer code, flight details,
credentials, and encryption passwords were compromised, as well as multiple
systems onboard a commercial ship contracted by TRANSCOM. “We must ensure that cyber
intrusions cannot disrupt our mission readiness," said Sen. Jim Inhofe
(R-Okla.), the committee's ranking member. The committee also found that although
contractors, the FBI, and the Defense Department were aware of a number of
attacks, TRANSCOM was only informed of two. (
SASC
report on cyber intrusions; Caution, large-sized file)