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F-35联合攻击机的自动故障检测系统受到黑客的破坏
The Internet intruders were able to gain access to datarelated to the design and electronics systems of the Joint Strike Fighterthrough computers of Pentagon contractors in charge of designing and buildingthe aircraft, according to the officials, who did not want to be identifiedbecause of the sensitivity of the issue.
In addition to files relating to the aircraft, hackers gained entry into theAir Force's air traffic control systems, according to the officials. Once theygot in, the Internet hackers were able to see such information as the locationsof U.S. military aircraft in flight.
The Joint Striker Fighter plane is the military's new F-35 Lightning II. Itdesigned to become the aircraft used by all of the branches of service.
Most of the files broken into focused on the design and performancestatistics of the fighter, as well as its electronic systems, officials said.The information could be used to make the plane easier to fight or defendagainst.
Additionally, the system used by the aircraft to conduct self-diagnosticsduring flight was compromised by the computer intrusions, according to theofficials.
However, the officials insisted that none of the information accessed washighly sensitive data.
The plane uses stealth and other highly sensitive electronic equipment, butit does not appear that information on those systems was compromised, becauseit is stored on computers that are not connected to the Internet, according tothe defense officials.
The JointStrike Fighter's main contractor is Lockheed Martin Corp., and NorthropGrumman Corp. and BAE Systems PLC are major subcontractors in the plane'sproduction.
Lockheed Martin's chief financial officer denied that there was any breachof classified information, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journalon Tuesday.
"The U.S. government doesn't talk a whole lot about this, and neitherdo we. But in response to the [Wall Street Journal] report, we think it'sincorrect," said Bruce Tanner of Lockheed Martin. "There's never beenany effective attack. We have measures in place, and there's never been asuccessful attack."
In a statement released later, the company reiterated its position that noclassified information had been accessed.
"To our knowledge, there has never been any classified informationbreach. Like the government, we have attacks on our systems continually andhave stringent measures in place to detect and stop attacks," thestatement said.
Representatives of BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman would not comment on thestory and referred all questions to Lockheed Martin.
Different variations of the Joint Strike Fighter will be produced for thedifferent branchesof service it will be used in. Many international partners are helpingbuild the plane, and it will be sold to U.S.-allied countries.
The involvement of multiple nations raises concern about the level ofcomputer security measures the partner countries have, officials said.
Companies contracting with the Department of Defense now have to prove thatthey are using the proper computer security before a contract can be awarded,Pentagon officials said. That measure was put into place within the past yearbecause of the increase in cyber intrusions, they said.
Asked whether sensitive technology for the Joint Strike Fighter had beenjeopardized, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "I am not aware of anyspecific concerns."
Whitman would not confirm the cyber-security breach on the Joint StrikeFighter program but said the number of attempted attacks on the U.S. military'snetwork has been on the rise.
"We have seen the number of intrusion attempts more than doublerecently," he said. He would not reveal a timeline.
He said the computer systems of the Department of Defense are scannedthousands of times a day by entities looking for ways inside U.S. militarycomputer networks.
Officials could not say who was behind the computer hacking, which hasoccurred numerous times since 2007. The intruders were able to cover theirtracks, making it look like the virtual break-ins were coming from variousparts of the world, according to officials.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the attacks appeared to originate inChina, citing "former U.S. officials."
Last month, a Pentagon annual report to Congress about China's militarypower said China has been making continued progress in developing cyber-warfaretechniques.
The report noted that U.S. government computers were the target of"intrusions that appear to have originated" in China, although theywere not confirmed to be from the Chinese military.
CNN requested a comment about the accusation from the Chinese Embassy inWashington. An embassy spokesman denied the allegations to the Wall StreetJournal.
The Air Force, the main program manager of the Joint Strike Fighter program,has a number of ongoing investigations into the multiple hackings, officialssaid.
The officials said that a number of safeguards have sincebeen put into place to protect that system
