ALSO: Hackers target Pentagon computers

March 5, 1999
Web posted at: 3:35 p.m. EST (2035 GMT)

From Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty

MOSCOW (CNN) -- Somewhere in Russia, someone could be trying to break into the Pentagon's military computers. At least that's what the U.S. Defense Department believes.

Pentagon officials can't say for sure who is doing the hacking -- people inside Russia or people from another country who are channeling their computer attacks through Russia.

The attack is part of a "coordinated, organized attempt," the Pentagon says, to gain secret information from U.S. military computer systems.

"You can say we're basically at war," says one U.S. lawmaker who was briefed by the Pentagon.

Russian officials at various agencies said "no comment" when CNN asked for a response to the report. But Alexander Krupnov, the head of Russia's Communications Committee, calls hacking a serious international problem. "Hackers are a headache for most advanced countries, especially in such a sensitive area like national security and as for Russian hackers, they're the best, I'm afraid."

Russia may not be as computerized as many Western countries, but its hacker culture is widespread. On the streets of Moscow it's easy to find software made specifically for hackers.

"Superhacker '99" sells for just a little over $3. The software helps hackers create their own viruses or even generate credit card numbers.

Russian law enforcement is fighting back by preparing its security personnel to deal with hackers.

So far, the U.S. Defense Department insists it has stopped the hackers with newly developed Pentagon security systems. But there is fear that the hackers may have penetrated systems that could ultimately provide access to classified information.