San Francisco (Obama.net)- With the recent WikiLeaks controversy, there has been much to question about the security of the computer programs within the United States government and the Pentagon. As nearly one hundred thousand private military documents have been leaked by the website, the Pentagon is now acknowledging former problems it has had as well.
In 2008, a sabotaged flash drive was inserted into a laptop used by the United States military. What happened after was described by Deputy Defense Secretary of the United States military, William J. Lynn the third as the “most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever.”
With the infected flash drive, a program was uploaded throughout the system and allowed foreign agencies to download and possess private American information.
Lynn said of the incident, “It was a network administrator’s worst fear. A rogue program operating silently, poised to deliver operational plans into the hands of an unknown adversary.”
Of the files lost, Lynn said that from both the United States and our allies, “weapons blueprints, operational plans, and surveillance data” were stolen.
No specific information was given on what exactly was taken and where it went.
The incident led to the Pentagon starting Operation Buckshot. The plan changed the way the computer systems of the United States government were run.
The new programs add depth to the security of the computer system and makes it extremely complicated to penetrate. The overall new cyber-defense system is in the process of being implanted throughout the entire military system of the United States of America.
After the initial steps taken by the United States military, the new defense systems are being shared with the rest of the United States government.
Lynn said, “The Pentagon is now working with the Department of Homeland Security to protect government networks and critical infrastructure and with the United States’ closest allies to expand these defenses internationally.”
President Barack Obama is sure to be pleased with the new improvements taking place within the military and the rest of the government after the disaster of the WikiLeaks situation that is still going on.
With the new programs in place, the hope is that no issue like this will ever occur in the new technological age.
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