US allies' lax computer security puts cyber info sharing at risk
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Apr 13, 2012
International initiatives aimed at developing better tools and methods to prevent cyberattacks is being undermined by poor computer security among U.S. allies, a senior Pentagon official said April 10, reports The Washington Post.
Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, director of intelligence at the U.S. Cyber Command, said sharing cybersecurity information with a friendly country that operates computer systems susceptible to penetration creates opportunities for adversaries to steal the data.
“[You] don’t go against the hard target," Cox said at a conference on cybersecurity held at Georgetown University, referring to how intelligence gathering works. "You go against the weak one and work your way in there.”