Demo shows hackers could cripple military networks

DAILY BRIEFING

Demo shows hackers could cripple military networks

A group of National Security Agency officials stunned Pentagon leaders by demonstrating how easy it is for hackers to cripple U.S. military and civilian computer networks, The Washington Times has reported.

Using software obtained easily from hacker sites on the Internet, last June NSA officials conducted information warfare attacks, or "infowar," on computers used by military forces in the Pacific and the United States. The secret exercise, known as "Eligible Receiver," proved that hackers could easily shut down the U.S. electric-power grid within days and "render impotent" the command-and-control elements of the U.S. Pacific Command, NSA officials said.

Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said, "Eligible Receiver was an important and revealing exercise that taught us that we must be better organized to deal with potential attacks against our computer systems and information infrastructure."