US Military Networks

Gen. Kevin Chilton, the top U.S. commander in charge of cyberspace, said the nation's military networks are being targeted by an increasing number of attacks. Chilton said there is evidence that links China to many of the incidents, though he did not formally accuse the Chinese government of involvement. A recent Pentagon report said that China was expanding its military power into cyberspace, which angered the Chinese. Although the People's Liberation Army repeatedly denies being behind the hacker attacks, the U.S. government has linked China to several cyber attacks, including the hacking of a Pentagon email system used by the Secretary of Defense's office. A 2007 Government Accountability Office report warned that the nation's infrastructure, including water-treatment and power plans, are at risk of being targeted by a cyber threat. Chilton said the military is concerned that the increasing number of "mining" attempts could just be the beginning of a growing cyber threat. He said hackers could eventually attempt to knock out classified networks or slow down the nation's government, media, and financial Web sites. "You don't shut the system down completely, but you slow it down," Clinton says. "I would consider that an attack."