Lockheed Martin Network a Victim of Cyber Attack

By John Rossi :: 12:19 AM

Computer hackers have launched a “significant and tenacious” cyber attack on defense contractor Lockheed Martin, but its secrets remained safe, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Both the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have been made aware of the situation, and have offered their assistance to Lockheed, along with the U.S. Department of Defense. The government organizations are attempting to determine the extent of the breach, and offering recommendations for the company to reduce the risk of further attacks.

According to a Lockheed Martin spokesperson, the company’s information security team recognized the hacker attack almost as soon as it happened, and took “aggressive action” to protect company systems and data.

“As a result of the swift and deliberate actions taken to protect the network and increase IT security, our systems remain secure. No customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised,” Lockheed Martin stated.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people.  It focuses on development and manufacturing of advanced technology systems, including advanced weaponry. The company is one of the world’s largest defense contractors, with about three-quarters of its revenues coming from military sales.

At this point, the company has not yet released the suspected source of of the cyber attacks.