Constant cyberattacks on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and its key weapons programs pose as great a threat as development of intercontinental ballistic missiles by Iran and North Korea, the admiral who heads the agency said Thursday.
Vice Adm. James Syring told a House Armed Services subcommittee that the agency has taken "inordinate" measures to defend its own networks, but he remains concerned about potential vulnerabilities among defense contractors.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency develops and runs a multilayered system of defenses against ballistic missile attacks by potential enemies. The system includes ground-based interceptor missiles in Alaska and California as well as high-end radar equipment to detect attacks.
North Korea failed in an attempt to launch an intermediate-range ballistic missile off its east coast on Friday morning, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The launch appeared to be of a Musudan missile with a range of more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles).
The U.S. military detected and tracked the launch, a Defense Department spokesman said, and it did not pose any threats to North America.
Syring said the agency carried out continuous monitoring of its classified and unclassified networks, but said cyberattacks have been increasingly directed against private contractors and unclassified, controlled technical information that they housed on their networks.
"What we've got to do is get them up to where we are in terms of our protection levels, and I view it as a very near-term, very real requirement across the (ballistic missile defense system)," he said.
U.S. defense officials have been increasingly vocal about escalating and constant cyberattacks originating from China, Russia and other countries.
Syring did not answer directly when asked about his knowledge of attacks on the agency's networks by China or the Chinese military, telling lawmakers he will provide more detailed answers during a classified hearing.
Syring told a similar Senate hearing Wednesday that the agency was working "hand-in-glove" with private contractors to ensure that future contracts contain the necessary cybersecurity requirements, protections and standards.
Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said this week that the Pentagon's CyberInvestment Management Board has prepared a list of top-priority weapons programs that require cybersecurity updates and investments.
He said the details are classified, but said some of those programs were launched years ago before cyberattacks became commonplace.
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