Earlier today, the U.S. Defense Department took about 1,500 computers offline due to a cyber attack that happened Wednesday. Of course, few details were released about this attack and everything is expected to be back to normal momentarily.
Each day, the Pentagon’s computers are attacked hundreds of times, so they are somewhat used to it. According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, there are always “redundant systems in place.”
Employees impacted by this attack were still able to use other means of communication and so it appears to be little more than a bump in the road.
It should, however, point out to everyone that if an unscrupulous individual wants “in” to your computer and they have the necessary skills to pull it off, you WILL be hacked. If someone can “successfully” attack a system as secure as the U.S. Defense Department’s, your desktop computer sitting in your office is nothing.
Make sure you perform regular data backups and keep a low profile while online.
