Chinese Hacked US Military Contractors, Senate Panel Says

Hackers linked to China's government broke into computer networks of private transportation companies working for the US military 20 times in one year, Senate investigators said. But the probe by the Senate Armed Services Committee found that officials of the US Transportation Command, responsible for moving troops and goods across the globe, were told about just two of those incidents.

If a system was compromised, military officers might not have known, the panel said. Transportation Command makes extensive use of passenger and cargo airlines as well as ship operators, and its leadership has acknowledged its communications with outside companies make it the part of the military most vulnerable to cyberattack. The committee's study covered June 2012 to June 2013 and highlights a complaint by many government and corporate leaders: Large organizations often aren't told about data breaches at suppliers and subcontractors. That means incidents that seem minor could prove crucial in a later cyberattack.