Russian hackers target defense contractors to learn secrets

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — Russian cyberspies pursuing the secrets of military drones and other sensitive U.S. defense technology tricked key contract workers into exposing their email to theft, an Associated Press investigation has found.

What ultimately may have been stolen is uncertain, but the hackers clearly exploited a national vulnerability in cybersecurity: poorly protected email and barely any direct notification to victims.

The hackers known as Fancy Bear, who also intruded in the U.S. election, went after at least 87 people working on militarized drones, missiles, rockets, stealth fighter jets, cloud-computing platforms or other sensitive activities, the AP found.

Employees at both small companies and defense giants like Lockheed Martin Corp., Raytheon Co., Boeing Co., Airbus Group and General Atomics were targeted by the hackers. A handful of people in Fancy Bear’s sights also worked for trade groups, contractors in U.S.-allied countries or on corporate boards.

“The programs that they appear to target and the people who work on those programs are some of the most forward-leaning, advanced technologies,” said Charles Sowell, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, who reviewed the list of names for the AP. “And if those programs are compromised in any way, then our competitive advantage and our defense is compromised.”

http://www.heraldnet.com/business/russian-hackers-target-defense-contractors-to-learn-secrets/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=8f3531fc48-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-8f3531fc48-228635337

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Can see this being a fact.

All one needs to know is,how many Contractors and Sub Contractors are there,and in every case,data is easily moved back and forth.

The opportunity to break into e-mail accounts is laying right in from of everyone.

[zipplewrath]

2. My core problem at with our IT

I repeatedly mention this to our IT department to no avail.

There are people, because of their jobs, who are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Time and again when we are successfully attacked, it is through communications/public relations or through subcontracts. They communicate so much with entities they barely know, and often have to deal with "unsolicited" inquiries, that they are particularly at risk.

Further, we have little cross over in terms of what information needs to be shared with them. They need very little access to what we do, and likewise we need little to what they do. We should be on a completely different network and servers from them, with strict protocols on information sharing methods.