I know the tiles were made to blame. But what bothers me is there was also hacking in August 2002, a few months before Columbia took off in February 2003. If information can be downloaded....information can also be uploaded.
I have also been seeing a lot of information out on the Net about Electronic Warfare.
So this is just poking at me.
NASA Investigating Computer Data Breach
By Jay Lyman
NewsFactor Network
August 9, 2002 4:41PM
The information breach reportedly revealed detailed drawings and design data on a relaunchable space vehicle. These details are restricted for military reasons.
NASA investigators are looking into how sensitive information on next-generation launch vehicles was disclosed.
Officials would not confirm whether the space agency's computer systems had actually been penetrated, but did tell NewsFactor that the materials -- which reportedly included contractor data on a next-generation, reusable space vehicle -- were stored on a closed database.
"That would be very difficult to do," NASA spokesperson Bob Jacobs said of accessing the information. "We have multiple levels of security."
Hacked or Not?
Still, Jacobs confirmed that the information that reportedly came from a hacker did, in fact, include details of a next-generation launch vehicle.
"At this point, all we have confirmed is that the information is sensitive and is part of a closed database," Jacobs told NewsFactor. "It is not posted on the Web and it is not accessible to the public."
Jacobs said that NASA investigators were looking into how the information was exposed. While he said the agency would not comment on any material obtained illegally, he did say that the breach was not necessarily a hack.
"Although we got information from a hacker, it doesn't mean a hacker got into NASA systems to get it," Jacobs said. "People shouldn't be quick to assume hacking is how it was done, especially if it's a closed database."
Reusable Space Ship
Jacobs said the materials in question -- considered sensitive information -- centered on a second-generation launch vehicle. NASA inspector general Paul Shawcross told NewsFactor that his office is investigating the matter, but would not comment further.
Reports on the information breach indicate that it revealed detailed drawings and design data on a relaunchable space vehicle. These details are restricted for military, regulatory and competitive reasons. The documents reportedly came from government contracting companies such as Boeing , Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney.
Treason to Teens
While he called NASA a secure facility with "a very secure IT infrastructure," Jacobs said that the national space agency publishes more than four million public Web pages.
"NASA takes any intrusion into its IT infrastructure seriously, whether it's corporate espionage or a teenager with a phone modem," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said NASA's IT infrastructure -- spread across 10 field centers -- is protected by "multiple redundant systems that monitor access to all systems."
Spacious Target
NASA, like other U.S. government agencies, is a favorite target of hackers seeking to deface Internet sites or gain access to prove their skills.
For example, five teenagers were arrested in Israel this week and charged with unleashing the Goner virus, which damaged computers around the world, including some belonging to NASA.
Commenting on the rise in computer cracking and malicious attacks, such as powerful denial of service attacks that can bring down commerce-level servers, NASA computer crime investigator Stephen Nesbitt told NewsFactor, "They continue, but the methodologies for mitigating them have improved."