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The New National Threat . . .

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 20, 1998 / 1:37 PM EDT / CBS

The government is learning some hard lessons about national securityÂ—not from intelligence agencies or foreign governments, but from hackers. These computer whizzes most known for breaking into corporate computer networks are now showing that the government's computers are prime targets, too.

The Pentagon and Capitol have both been recent targets for hackers. The hackers say they've successfully breached these computers, and the evidence backs them up. In a recent attack on the Pentagon, government officials admit security breaches on as many as 750 military computers.

Breach Of Security

PART I Of A CBS News Special Report
A Hack In The Military's Armor

As the country prepared for war with Iraq, the Pentagon's computers came under an unprecedented attack by hackers. CBS News Correspondent David Martin reports on a security breach so serious that the President was briefed. Full Story

PART II Of A CBS News Special Report
Waging War With Computers

Most of them aren't old enough to drive, but hackers understand something that the rest of us are just beginning to learn: The United States relies on computers that are frighteningly vulnerable to a cyber-attack. CBS News Correspondent David Martin reports on the government's battle with hackers. Full Story

Beyond The Broadcast: Interview With MOD Hackers

An April 1995 Report On Cybercrime
The New Urban Terrorists

The threat posed by hackers isn't entirely new. In this April 1995 report, CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart discovers that when cybercriminals roam fre, little of your private life is actually private. Full Story

Interactive Timeline

The Computer Security Risk

The Pentagon Hacker

The FBI didn't find terrorists or spies allegedly breaking into the Pentagon's computers. They found a pair of California teens, and their 18-year-old Israeli mentor, known as 'The Analyzer.' The Analyzer is Ehud Tenebaum, and he's become a celebrity in Israel.

Israeli: I'm The Master Hacker

Is Hacker A Robin Hood?

Hacker Finds Fame

Computer Security In The News

May 22, 1998
Clinton Warns Of Cyber Threat

May 19, 1998
We Can Cripple The Internet

May 19, 1998
Pentagon Hacker Pleads Guilty