Hackers Broaden Their Attacks
Hacking incidents at defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and broadcaster PBS that surfaced over the past few days show how widespread corporate breaches have become and underline how any organization can become a victim.
Over the weekend, the website for the PBS show "NewsHour" was altered by hackers to include a fake article claiming that rapper Tupac Shakur, who was murdered 15 years ago, was alive in New Zealand. The hackers also posted login information that stations and other entities use to access PBS sites. The incident followed a recent breach at Lockheed, which said Saturday evening that it had detected a "significant and tenacious attack" against its computer networks on May 21. The company said it stopped the attack before data could be stolen.The attacks are the latest in a mushrooming of breaches world-wide. While hackers once generally had targeted companies that stored financial data or had classified government information, culprits today are expanding their sights to other corporate secrets or seeking information that can lead to valuable data down the line. Amateur hackers also are becoming increasingly brazen.