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| Great White North |
| Hackers breached Defence computers |
| 2004-07-15 |
| Determined computer hackers broke through federal firewalls several times last year, gaining access to Defence Department networks. A newly obtained report on security breaches at the department in 2003 also reveals dozens of internal lapses. This is makes the public feel protected. Computer security has become a high-profile concern in federal circles in light of cyber-terrorism, operations mounted by foreign intelligence services and, more often, the sloppy practices of employees. The Defence Department’s Computer Incident Response Team tracked a total of 160 events - from digital break-ins to dodgy e-mail procedures - last year. Located in Ottawa at the Canadian Forces network operations centre, the team defends department computers by monitoring intrusion detection systems, zeroing in on threats and issuing alerts. A declassified version of the team’s report was released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. It provides an indication of the difficulties faced by federal agencies such as the Defence Department in keeping their sprawling information holdings secure from interlopers. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |