Navy intrusions on rise

Intrusions into Navy unclassified networks are increasing, and officials are blaming poor systems management and the availability of Web-based hacking tools.

In fiscal 2001, there have been 125 successful intrusions into the Navy's unclassified networks, up from 117 in 1999 and 89 in 2000, said Scott Henderson, the Navy Marine Corps Intranet information assurance division head at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. He spoke June 26 at an NMCI press conference.

If systems administrators had downloaded updates to the anti-virus products that the Navy uses, many intrusions would have been stopped, said Henderson, who called the poor systems management "alarming."

The good news for the Navy, according to Henderson, is that the service's participation in the $6.9 billion NMCI outsourcing procurement awarded to Electronic Data Systems Corp. should eliminate the systems administration problems.