WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A 2008 breach of a U.S. military computer network prompted a massive federal response and changed how the government approaches cybersecurity, officials said.
At the time, the government's top cybersecurity officials could not immediately determine who broke into the program or why, The Washington Post reported.
Pentagon officials said they consider the incident to be the most serious breach of the military's classified computer systems, as some part of the network accessed contained some of the military's most top secret information, including battle plans used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In response to the breach, the government has changed its approach to cybersecurity.
"The danger is not so much that cyber capabilities will be used without warning by some crazy general," said Stewart A. Baker, a former National Security Agency general counsel. "The real worry is they won't be used at all because the generals don't know what the rules are."
A new command design was created to strengthen cyberdefenses, as well as develop offensive capabilities.
