Editor’s Note: In May 2011, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Pentagon: Cyber Attacks Can Count as Acts of War.” The article began, “The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force.”
Cybersecurity firms say that hackers who knocked out tens of thousands of South Korean computers earlier this year are now coming after U.S. and South Korean military firms.
The identities of the hackers have not been found but signs point to their being connected to North Korea. Researchers at McAfee Labs in California say the discovered code seeks out and uploads information referring to U.S. forces in South Korea, joint military exercises or even the word “secret”.
The malware is being called “Operation Troy” because there are references to the ancient city throughout the program. The same software was found in 2009 installed into a social media website used by South Korean military personnel.
“The Defense Department takes the threat of cyber espionage and cyber security very seriously, which is why we have taken steps to increase funding to strengthen capabilities and harden networks to mitigate against the risk of cyber espionage,” Army Lt. Col. James Gregory told FOX News.
