ars technica - A new report suggests that the Air Force's computer systems have been compromised, and that the Joint Strike Fighter program was among the victims. Once again, China is getting the blame.
Add top-secret plans for the expensive, much-delayed Joint Strike Fighter to the list of victims of alleged Chinese and Russian hack attacks, or so the Wall Street Journal reports. The paper cites "current and former government officials familiar with the attacks," and claims that the Air Force's air traffic control system has also been compromised. These reports follow allegations from earlier in the month that hackers have also been probing our electrical grid.
We've been reporting on the alleged Chinese hack attacks for at least two years now, but nobody is certain that China is actually behind them. Indeed, as is typical with these incidents, the Chinese government has denied any involvement in the latest intrusions. Still, China has been blamed for breaching everything from Pentagon e-mail to congressional PCs. And there are relatively frequent reports of "widespread" and "systematic" waves of China-based attacks on both the private and public sectors.
I have an alternate theory as to why the Chinese are engaged in a massive campaign to infiltrate every aspect of America's infrastructure, from the power grid to defense. Our largest creditor has already expressed serious concerns about the safety of their massive US assets, so they probably just want to make sure that, in the event that the country completely falls apart, they can take over our critical infrastructure and keep everything running for us so that we can get back on our feet and finish paying down our debts. And in the event that we go into default and they have to foreclose on us, they at least want to know how everything works so that they'll have an easier time moving in and getting things sorted.
Read More
