Lockheed reports sharp rise in cyberattacks on its networks

Lockheed Martin officials reported on Nov. 12 that the company is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number and sophistication of international cyberattacks on its networks and that it was contacting its suppliers to have them increase their security, reports Reuters.

About 20 percent of the threats aimed at the contractor's networks were considered "advanced persistent threats," that bear the marks of nation states or hostile actors trying to steal data or disrupt operations, Chandra McMahon, Lockheed vice president and chief information security officer, said in the story.

Rohan Amin, Lockheed program director for the Pentagon's Cyber Crime Center concurred, noting that internal analysis indicates the number of campaigns had clearly increased and that multiple campaigns that were often linked were being carried out, the story said.

The company is in the process of contacting its suppliers because it believes that the hostile actors are trying to breach supplier networks when they are thwarted getting into Lockheed Martin's heavily fortified networks, the story said. In a related move, the company is actively trying to expand sales of cybersecurity technology and services to commercial firms, including its suppliers, and foreign governments.

Major areas of continuing security concern for the company are social media, websites and malware introduced by e-mails, the story said.