Moonlight Maze
Encyclopedia
The name Moonlight Maze refers to an incident in which U.S. officials accidentally discovered a pattern of probing of computer systems at The Pentagon
, NASA
, United States Department of Energy
, private universities, and research labs that had begun in March 1998 and had been going on for nearly two years. Sources report that the invaders were systematically marauding through tens of thousands of files -- including maps of military installations, troop configurations and military hardware designs. The United States Department of Defense
traced the trail back to a mainframe computer in the former Soviet Union but the sponsor of the attacks is unknown and Russia denies any involvement. Moonlight Maze is still being actively investigated by U.S. intelligence .
On September 20, 1999, Newsweek
printed a story on Moonlight Maze that was written by Gregory Vistica. It was entitled "'We're in the middle of a cyberwar'", based on a quote from then-Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre
. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-12-1999/0001019498&EDATE= However, this was refuted shortly thereafter in an article by Federal Computer Week
s Dan Verton http://www.fcw.com/article68553-09-27-99-Print.
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, private universities, and research labs that had begun in March 1998 and had been going on for nearly two years. Sources report that the invaders were systematically marauding through tens of thousands of files -- including maps of military installations, troop configurations and military hardware designs. The United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
traced the trail back to a mainframe computer in the former Soviet Union but the sponsor of the attacks is unknown and Russia denies any involvement. Moonlight Maze is still being actively investigated by U.S. intelligence .
On September 20, 1999, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
printed a story on Moonlight Maze that was written by Gregory Vistica. It was entitled "'We're in the middle of a cyberwar'", based on a quote from then-Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre
John Hamre
John J. Hamre is a specialist in international studies, a former Washington bureaucrat and the current president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a position he has held with that think tank since April 2000.-Education:Hamre is the son of Melvin Sanders and Ruth Lucile...
. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-12-1999/0001019498&EDATE= However, this was refuted shortly thereafter in an article by Federal Computer Week
Federal Computer Week
Federal Computer Week is a magazine covering technology mostly within the federal government, although coverage can also extend to state, local, tribal and international governments....
s Dan Verton http://www.fcw.com/article68553-09-27-99-Print.
External links
- Russians Seem To Be Hacking Into Pentagon
- Text of James Adams' testimony to the Committee on Governmental Affairs that includes a summary of Moonlight Maze
- Summary of Moonlight Maze by television series Frontline
- http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/chinese-attacks-byzantine-candor-penetrated-federal-agencies-says-leaked-ca/2010-12-06