The Pentagon is building a new system that will protect its computer networks and crack cyberattack attempts.
Air Force Lieutenant General Kevin McLaughlin says that an agreement regarding the framework of the system should be reached in the next few months. The system will be turned into an automated "scorecard" in the next few years.
The efforts by the U.S. Defense Department are aimed at identifying vulnerabilities in the weapons system, military network and other departments. McLaughlin also said that the original aim of the system was to identify weaknesses in the networks and weapons. However, the Pentagon wants to adopt the system for other branches of the military.
In January this year, Michael Gilmore, the director of operational test at Pentagon, revealed that nearly all American weapons projects tested were exposed to cyberattacks.
McLaughlin had announced that the Pentagon has also created around 50 percent of the planned 133 cyber response groups that consists of more than 6,000 staff to deal with cyberattacks. These teams are expected to become operational toward the end of 2016.
The new security system will also focus on weapon systems, which are around 30 years old and may have great vulnerability.
"There's probably not enough money in the world to fix all those things but the question is what's most important, where should we put our resources as we eat the elephant one bite at a time," says McLaughlin.
Cyber threats on computer systems have increased in the last few years and senior officers in the Pentagon are also aware of potential vulnerabilities to the confidential networks.
In early 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) confirmed that Chinese hackers attacked the agency's computer systems and data of over 22.1 million current and former U.S. government employees were affected as a result of the breach. Katherine Archuleta, the director of OPM, was forced to resign following the incident, which reflects at the seriousness of the breach.
The U.S. government cannot control cyberthreats on government or personal networks as hackers are often located in other countries. However, having a robust cybersecurity system may help the Pentagon to prevent any potential cyberattack and secure the confidential data of the country as well as its people.
Photo: Don Hankins | Flickr
