WASHINGTON — Senior military leaders took the exceptional step of briefing President Bush this week on a severe and widespread electronic attack on Defense Department computers that might have originated in Russia, posing unusual concern among commanders and potential implications for national security.
Defense officials would not describe the extent of damage inflicted on military networks. But they said the attack struck hard at networks within U.S. Central Command, the headquarters that oversees U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and affected computers in combat zones. The attack also penetrated at least one highly protected classified network.
Military computers regularly are beset by outside hackers, computer viruses and worms. But defense officials said the most recent attack involves an intrusive piece of malicious software, or “malware,” apparently designed specifically to target military networks.
“This one was significant; this one got our attention,” said one defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing internal assessments.
