2 Raids in N. California Linked to Hacker Attack on Pentagon
Federal agents raided two homes in Cloverdale, Calif., in their investigation of a hacker attack on a Pentagon computing system, a source said Thursday.
No arrests have been made in connection with the searches about 80 miles north of San Francisco. The targets of the Wednesday night searches were juveniles, said a source familiar with the case. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.
San Francisco FBI spokesman George Grotz would not comment on whether the searches were related to the series of electronic break-ins of non-classified Defense Department computers.
But he acknowledged that the bureau had executed the warrants in connection with a computer fraud case.
“We seized various hardware and software items. That’s all we’re saying,” Grotz said.
Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre told reporters Wednesday that the intruders appear to have entered systems with information on personnel and payrolls.
“It was the most organized and systematic attack the Pentagon has seen to date,” he said.
Hamre speculated the attacks have been aimed at inserting “trapdoors” into the system. In such an attack, hackers break in, cover their tracks and leave a way to return in the future.
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