Foreign spy agencies probe U.S. computer systems

A top Defense Department official has warned that the nation's computer networks are under regular, relentless and threatening attacks from more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations.

Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn III said the attacks threaten about 15,000 government networks connecting about seven million computers, representing a national security challenge unlike any other we've faced before.

"Once the province of nations, the ability to destroy via cyber means now also rests in the hands of small groups and individuals: from terrorist groups to organized crime, hackers to industrial spies to foreign intelligence services," Lynn said during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "If attacked in milliseconds, we can't take days to organize and coordinate our defenses."

Lynn said the threat is a serious concern to the military, which cannot operate its command, control and information systems without the computer networks. The Defense Department has been seeking to fortify its digital defenses, and may soon move toward creation of a cyber command to coordinate efforts.

For more on the cyber threats:
- see this govinfosecurity.com article