US Defense Secretary Ash Carter revealed that the Department of Defense suffered a cybersecurity breach after Russian hackers infiltrated an unclassified defense computer network earlier this year.
In remarks at Stanford University, Carter said the DOD was able to identify the intruders within 24 hours and kicked them out, but added,”I still worry about what we don’t know because this was only one attack.”
The revelation comes as a new Pentagon cybersecurity strategy, laid out for the first time publicly, will allow the U. S. military to use cyberwarfare as an option in conflicts with enemies.
The 33-page strategy says the Defense Department “should be able to use cyber operations to disrupt an adversary’s command and control networks, military-related critical infrastructure and weapons capabilities.”
Carter said the new cyber security strategy will lay out the goals and guidelines for how the Pentagon handles cyber issues, an issue which Pentagon leaders have been increasingly vocal about over the last year.
The new strategy will also “guide the development of DoD cyber forces and strengthen the US cyber defense.
