2008 cyberattack on the United States

The 2008 cyberattack on the United States was, according to William J. Lynn III in 2010, "the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever". According to Lynn (2010), the U.S. Department of Defense compromise of its classified military computer networks began with an "infected flash drive was inserted into a U.S. military laptop at a base in the Middle East". This was stated to be "one likely scenario" by Ellen Nakashima in 2011. In his statement to the House Committee on Armed Services on 23 September 2010, Keith B. Alexander declared that "what happened was that contaminated thumb drives were used by US military personnel in the Middle East who had no idea they were implanting malware created by one of the more than one hundred foreign intelligence services seeking to break into our systems" (6).

References

• Lynn, William J., III. "Defending a New Domain: The Pentagon's Cyberstrategy." Foreign Affairs 89.5 (2010): n. pag. Print.
• Nakashima, Ellen, and Julie Tate. "Cyber-intruder Sparks Massive Federal Response — and Debate over Dealing with Threats." Washington Post. Washington Post Company, 9 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 July 2015.
• "The Rise of Cyber Commands." Cyber Warfare: A Multidisciplinary Analysis. Ed. James A. Green. New York City: Routledge, 2015. N. pag. Print.
• "STATEMENT OF GENERAL KEITH B. ALEXANDER COMMANDER UNITED STATES CYBER COMMAND BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES." U.S. CYBER COMMAND: ORGANIZING FOR CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS. Washington, D.C. 23 Sept. 2010. Reading.
• Shachman, Noah. "Insiders Doubt 2008 Pentagon Hack Was Foreign Spy Attack (Updated)." WIRED. Condé Nast, 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 July 2015.
• Shachman, Noah. "Under Worm Assault, Military Bans Disks, USB Drives." WIRED. Condé Nast, 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 July 2015.
• Stewart, Phil. "Spies behind 2008 Cyber Attack, U.S. Official Says." Ed. Xavier Briand. Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 July 2015.
• United States. United States House of Representatives. United States House Committee on Armed Services. U.S. CYBER COMMAND: ORGANIZING FOR CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2010. Print.