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IT contractors hired to fix federal computers were part of the Pentagon’s cyber security response that helped its bill run into the millions in six months. Top defence staff reportedly said more than $100m (£67m) was spent by federal departments in the last half-year to tackle online espionage and hackers, as well as fix infected networks. The money was mostly spent on manpower, computer technology and its contract workers, typically hired in haste to clean up systems after external probes and internal mistakes. Speaking from the Stratcom Cyberspace Symposium, Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of US cyber security, also said attacks on military systems were now a daily occurrence. Explaining the workload of his US Strategic Command, he told reporters it was fighting criminals ranging from the “bored teenager” to the “sophisticated nation-state”. No official word was given on how much of the $100m IT security budget went on outside attacks, as opposed to internal incidents, at the hands of disgruntled or hapless staff. For the future, military leaders told symposium delegates the US should invest more in the military's computer power, rather than spending millions more on repairs. But on Monday, US defence secretary Robert Gates unveiled a budget for the Pentagon to increase the number of computer experts to 250 a year by 2011, up from 80 a year today. Figures from a congressional panel imply a surge in IT hiring is vital, as the number of computers in the US hit by malicious attacks is rising - in 2007, victimised PCs rose to 43,880, up by almost a third on the previous year. A review of the cyber security threats facing the US, widely seen as emanating from China, was ordered by President Obama in January, the outcome of which is due to be published today. Apr 9, 2009 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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