14 DAY TRIAL // Jerry Davis, a former chief information security officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has told Congress that the department’s systems have been targeted by at least eight foreign organizations, six of which are somehow connected to the Chinese Military.
According to the Associated Press, the attacks were first detected in March 2010, but they continue even today.
The veteran database contains the personal information of around 20 million individuals and the data is not encrypted.
Davis told Congress on Tuesday that the hackers successfully penetrated the organization’s systems and stole data, but it’s uncertain how they might have used it.
The former CISO left the VA in February 2013 and joined NASA. He says the information stolen by the cybercriminals includes social security numbers and dates of birth.
Stephen Warren, acting assistant secretary for information and technology at the VA, has revealed that foreign governments are not the only ones targeting the department’s systems. He says crime syndicates that seek financial gain have also been targeting the organization.