But we've got plenty of cash for a WMD witch hunt in Iraq (and soon Iran), bombs for Libya, foreign aid, "green energy" Solyndra scams, trillion dollar failed porkulus packages, corporate/social welfare, bailouts, and other money pits. What the hell are those boneheads in DC thinking?

Hey, anything Leon Panetta says is good enough for me... The guy is like solid gold... a great moral person... a humanitarian and uh... proof that there is no difference between a law and order conservative and a police state liberal.

...which is also proof that I'm kind of a sarcastic smart as.

So... Who's up to lose a few more rights because of "the enemy"... Patriot Act, anyone? Indefinite Detention?

The whole free internet thing has got to go, you know... Ask China, Russia, the USA or any one party system.

The government gives free college to minorities to obtain Affirmitive Action goals. Other nations do not do that silliness. Our mediocre students go against other nation's truly gifted students.

So in our nation, we don't get the brightest graduates..... we get politically correct ones. How many truly genius students have been held back from an education here because of the rules and costs?

And our government is protecting private businesses' cyber-security? .....How much are THEY paying us for this protection?

@jw101 Just because a student is poor does not make him or her unintelligent, the same goes if he or she is an immigrate. For all you know one of those "mediocre students" could grow up to be the next Nicola Tesla or Albert Einstein, both of whom were immigrates by the way.

When a Party no longer serves at the pleasure of, or for that matter, the needs of the country...it is the responsibility of the people to ensure that Party never reaches power. We are supposedly "one nation", indivisible...

The Republican party has divided our nation. It's us, the 47%, who aren't rich, who are in need of our Unemployment Check, our Social Security, Medicaid, & Medicare that need the relief - that the Republican Party refuses fight for. Republicans view the 47% as leaches, beggers, degenerates you name it.

The Republican Party believe that if you reduce taxes on the wealthy, that they will use that money on creating jobs. Now using that theory...the DOW Jone Inustrial Average has seen steady gains since 2009....to the tune of approximately 7000 points. That's hundreds of billions to a trillion dollars earned in the last 3 years. So, all that money and one has to ask, how much it has the richest people in America used to create new jobs? Answer: One big goose egg!

You want to blame everything wrong on Republicans, but Democrats were just as bad--but the Obama administration has been the worst at lying and manipulation that I've ever seen in my life!!!

Could it be our friends and business partners, the Chinese ? No, wait, wait, maybe our other friends and allies in the "war on terror", the Saudis ? The suspense is killing me, LOL...

Want to protect America's cyber infra-structure? Stop putting everything on the open internet, use dedicated lines and stop trying trying to control everything from one central location.

Sometimes what appears as greater efficiency is not necessarily better or more productive.

searcher8 ....true, some poor minority student might be the next Einstein or Tesla, but the examples you gave are of white guys! Thank you for proving my point.

In Texas, the top 10% students from each school get admitted automatically into public universities, to ensure "fairness" The top 10% at some minority schools ( that the white students are afraid to attend ) would not even rank in the top 40% of the white kid's school. You end up with the "best of the worst" in the colleges.

Does Russia and China do this? I don't think so.

People, you ever notice that whenever "the money" supply becomes low, someone represented "us" find ways or causes for congress to approved funds for it? I wished they in congress can "find" "funds" to support the deficit!!

Agree RandogM. We need to have a "Star Wars" preventive attack, which sends their attacks back at them thru cyber stealth 1000 times and does more damage thru cyber space than they can imagine so they end their games.

culheth, I agree with you. Take mission critical systems off the Internet. Simple, cheap and very effective. Sounds like another ploy to control the Internet. I seem to remember that it was the USA that first used cyber attacks. Karma is rough. I also believe anything they attempt to put in place will be circumvented. You build it, they will come. Take them off the internet.

It may be logical but it still is physical. No road to get there you cannot get there.

U put sanctions on Iran using banks virtually turning them off. Control your state and its predators or we will turn you off.

Or return fire and wait for them to retaliate? Do we not learn from history?

You wouldn't be ending business. Business was just fine pre Internet.

Quit acting like ego maniacs turn the lights off.

Man o man could it be a wonderful thing for the AMERICAN economy.

The GOP is full of flat earth regressives. They'll give us another 9/11 the first chance they get.

Computer hardware that is used in the states is not built in the states. This is a HUGE concern for me.

Henry Ford had it right. Best products possible at the lowest cost possible paying the highest wages possible.

Economics is our problem, selling America piece by piece. Stop it NOW!
It may be good for YOU in the short run but bad for us and U in the long run.

We make good bombs; find out who's doing it and send one their way.

JW asks how much private industry pays to be protected against cyber attacks. I'd say about the same as what they pay to support the military, border and immigration, local police, FBI and FAA, FDA, the national laboratories, CDC, SEC, etc. The gubmint taxed the middle class out of existence building all this and the people who benefit most are in the top 10% of the income brackets. They sell the systems to the gubmint, or are the $100k plus gubmint employees handling these systems (yes, households with AGI of $100k are in the top 10%) and there are plenty of gubmint employees doing ordinary office work making $100k and up. The top 10% includes the professions (Docs, Lawyers, CPA's) who redistribute their clients money toward themselves everyday. Same for bankers, Insurance Execs and agents, Pharmco Execs and sales staff. To protect us all we send the poor kids and middle class kids off to Mr. Bush's and Obama's wars so the kids of the top 10% can go to law school, Warton and med schools so they'll have a nice life. But when asked to help pay for this we hear about how unfair it is that they should be asked such a thing.

Panetta: Cyber intruders have already infiltrated US systems

Apparently someone has been asleep at the wheel for a very long time. Watch out folks, another reason to tax the hell out of the Internet and your incomes. After all, it will be the people that will have to pay for all this security when MS Bill Gates should be the one held responsible for creating such an inferior product for the people and our government that use their software.

From what I understand!.....? The Internet is 100% controlled by the US.

No DNS no Internet. Have fun playing on your internal networks. Hack your neighbor.

There is no need for escalation our spies can use satellites. Lol.

There is no cure all for anything.

Could you imagine how history would treat President Roosevelt if he warned us of a "Pearl Habor" attack BEFORE the Pearl Habor attack?

LOL...It's your job Mr. Panetta, to STOP the "Pearl Habor" attack before it happens. Maybe they can blame it on a YouTube video...

Once the Men of War convinced the American people that terrorists are waging a cyber 'Pearl Harbor' attack against USA, no nation or individual with internet access will be safe from American stealthy drone attacks.

Essentially, the Men of War is seeking a 'blank check' to wage war against anyone who they believed is trying to hack into US government computers. The Men of War has been assassinating alleged terrorist in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen using remote control drones. Only the Men of War can decide which civilian is a terrorist worthy of the death sentence. No court or neutral tribunal is required. There is no opportunity to cross examine the evidence or appeal the process. The Hit-Men now wear a US military uniform.

The Men of War wants to brainwash the American people that a cyber 'Peal Harber' attack is the equivalent to the real Pearl Harber attack. Not having to prove actual destruction or even collateral damage, the decision of the Men of War to assassinate a person or invade a nation can be based on whimsical, caprious, and arbitrary notions. It is only a matter of time when Militarism control the entire fabric of American life. The Brave New World is about to arrive.

I have NO faith in our political system. It is ran by money hungry people and corporations.

Corporations HAVE a SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY to the working class and the communities they do business in.

The hiring of illegals has destroyed the motivation for Corporations to be involved with the community. Look at the squaler these illegals live in and bring with them from there country. They move into communities and turn them into 5hitholes like the ones they have come from in these 3rd world countries.

Illegals send home 25 - 29 billion dollars a year to Mexico. They dont spend that in the USA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/americas/02mexico.html?_r=1

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19882101

Illegals don't pay taxes on more than 62% of their earnings of which most is cash and not reported.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=68&gps=319_137_1680_829&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.itepnet.org/

NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO HELP THE MIDDLE CLASS IN 30 YEARS.

BIG BUSINESS NO LONGER HAS A DAMN CLUE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE ECONOMY ( AND REALLY DON'T CARE) EXCEPT PAY LOBBYIST TO INFLUENCE CONGRESS AND OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM. THEN REAP HUGH BONUSES AND PISS DOWN THE BACKS OF THE WORKING CLASS.

NOTHING IS DONE TO PROTECT THIS COUNTRY'S BORDERS NOR THE COMPUTER NETWORKS.

Panetta is right, we are on the verge of a major problem and ALL are asleep at the wheel.

Panetta makes several good points.

Technically, all any nation has to do (or figure out) is to take out all our satellites strategically and our Country would be dead in the water for years or until they can be replaced. Yes, highly unlikely since there are thousands but no impossible.

Think about it. No cell phones, no TV, no communications, no Drone control, no nothing. We'll be flying messages around with messenger pigeons.

More and more landlines are going obsolete and to the Cyber world. Even our military defense systems run by satellites.

Just think about it.

creek, its a scam.if they cared about our safety,they would set up some inpectors team to forcibly inspect all space programs the world over to try to make sure of intent and inspect the craft and program properties.you know they would spend and funnel money into such a "national security" measure.but they are not.space programs are going private.and space travel will just be for fun.deffinately a secrurity "issue". this is fear propaganda to gain more control of the internet and filter the content for mass control like all media does.

heres one for our brilliant ones running the cyber world....

TAKE VITAL SYSTEMS OFF THE INTERNET, stop running everything off a network ...duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

look at some of the knee jerk responces on here.fear is so easy to control.its why we still have religion.our faith in a "government" that cares about you is the most dangerous thing we can do.cheese in a maze,corrot before the horse.this is why polititians look down on us, they know the game and see our weakness. problem,reaction,solution.

WE ARE ALREADY AT CYBER WAR

You know, seriously, how ignorant do you have to be to have missed the headline news for the past few years that indicate we have ALREADY been attacked from locations in China and others. Yet we don't strike back? Okay, if you want to tell me because we have to wait for the damage to be done, then I'll just say, "Hey, good, hope you are first to get your life screwed up, because you asked for it."

We should already, and I hope we have, infiltrated systems in China, and Iran, at a minimum. If we weren't responsible for the Stux virus, we SHOULD have been, because it came after a long line of attacks against the US.

You better be prepared, and it isn't paranoid to say so. Life can be run without a computer....if you are ready for it. And it takes a lot less preparation than running around with something silly like 'Duct Tape' to protect yourself from a chemical weapon or dirty bomb attack, which is a lot less likely to happen.

Just sayin'

(Raises hand) I got a question... $3 billion a year? Umm, how about we just take those critical system "offline" and use that money to pay actual people to do the tasks like opening and closing valves for gas lines manually, switching switches at electrical depots, and such... which is why those systems are online in the first place? You know to shave a few bucks off the owning company's expenses of having to pay actual human workers and such... resulting in a larger bottom line... oh and a higher unemployment rate... Do the math... I just did... That adds up to a minimum of 60,000 jobs making $50k a year a piece (MIDDLE-CLASS-AMERICA BABY!)... All of which is taxable income that returns to the government in some way shape or form... if you take that $3 billion and invest it in the people instead. Oh, but what do I know? I'm sure offering better stock options instead of job opportunities to people works great... doesn't everyone feel it "trickling"? How can hackers mess with "critical infrastructure" then? (REMINDER entertainment sites, seller sites, and the like are NOT critical and can be replaced no harm no foul).

What are you waiting for? Send drones after these guys.

The level of misunderstanding here is absolutely mind boggling! Just because a network runs an IP protocol does not make it part of the public Internet. If you're going to carp on here at least have a clue what you are carping about!

Panetta must have been out to lunch as it has already been here.Clearly the federal government needs to make sure that their systems have the best securities in place and that they are managed by our brightest network Guru's.

@ DOUBLE JEPORDY Your not in the 47% your in the 7.8% you dont have a job like the 91.2 % that does. maybe if you were out looking for a job since obama has turned this economy around as you libs say their shouldnt be a problem finding one. Just saying

I hear walmart is looking for security guards for 8.00 dollars and hour. since most libs support walmart and their china crap im sure you can say hi to your friends that are shopping there. sure seemed like a great idea at the time huh. LMFAO

Those who give up freedom for security, deserve neither...

I hear they're looking for a new "President of the U.S.A."

Have a nice weekend...

Our inabilities, over the long term, to effectively DEAL with threats which come from nation states who threaten us continuously, IS the problem. The longer we continue to overlook the ever growing threats and "whistle past the cemetery" the more these enemies of ours become emboldened to do just as they please. And by enemies I specifically mean CHINA as the number ONE culprit followed closely by various others as mentioned in the article. And the reason we don't really confront China is the glaring fact that corporate American financial interests overshadow U.S. National interests overall. THAT....is the bottom line in this issue. I am afraid that that we will suffer a debilitating attack in the years to come and it will be because our politicians outright refuse to deal with with our enemies.

IReadyou, these IT network gurus they make over $100k a year too. My brother is one, he worked for the Army for 24 yrs. Now he is a communication director for an international co. in Atlanta. Plus he gets around 3k a month retirement from the Army. So I guess they are in your top 10% too.

Mikeo76

If it has an IP it's hackable.

STC1993: I personally know 3 Retired reserve officers who will receive the retirement package you mention. During their careers in the reserves we had Kosovo,Operation Desert Shield, Gulf War I, Gulf War II, Afghanistan. Plus we have ongoing military opns in about 90 countries. One guy spent 10 months in Kosovo. The other two never left the states in uniform. Never were activated -not even stateside. The unit for the one in Kosovo was able to cash in on a program arranged at that time where IF a reserve unit were "surprised "with activation the members would receive cash bonuses for being activated. I was at a party with the LTC and a few Captains and Majors having quite the enjoyable time talking about the $thousands in bonuses they received. The cherry on the cake was, almost all were State gubmint employees and their employer is and was very proud to show support for the troops by allowing them to come and go for their military duties as required and would hold their job open for them when they got back. They received their state pay, their military pay, their military retirement points and their "surprise" bonus, their old state job retirement points. There were almost no private sector members of this unit. Picture a private sector small business man/woman working 60 or 70 hours a week joining the reserves. While the law requires your job be held, if you go somewhere for 6 months to a year who will service your clients ? There is no job to comeback to, your clients are gone. There were almost no private sector people in the reserves during these times. IT seemed to be an opportunity for gubmint employees only. Remember the cities and county gubmints that prohibited employees form joining reserves ? There were small towns that lost all their EMT's, deputies and many firemen when a unit got called up. A great way for gubmint employees to get extra retirement cash if there was never a call up. The bonus program was killed after about 2 years because many commanders lobbied to be activiated as it is a promotion opportunity. IF they were successful in getting their unit called up, there really is no surprise and the word filters down and everyone gets months of notice they were going to be activated. It was a scam. Just some of why the gubmint is broke.

be afraid...be very afraid. No problem here, "itelligence sources" say all the cyber hackers are in Iran. We must bomb Iran! They have weapons of mass confusion, and we're so mad at china and russia, we must bomb iran. I like Mitt's new plan, run the country like a corporation, cut it up into smaller pieces, sell off the unprofitable welfare states, line the proper pockets, hire the appropriate military "consultants" and "no-bid contractors", and bomb the crap out of anybody that disagrees! Then we can lock up all the "haters" in our own country, then there will be plenty of cake crumbs to trickle down to the rest of us.

Inadaze, of course they know something we don't. And food for thought: Where was your computer made?? How about your phone or tablet? I'm sure this has been going on for a while.

middleofmyroad, you got it straight. Wonder why recent testing of virgin units, computers right off the factory floor, showed them loaded with malware already? Gosh, who could it be? Our friends in China, who are pouting because we don't want to let them into the telecom business here in the U.S.? Boy, that would really screw us good. Experts already warn that we can't detect the nastiest stuff on Chinese-made computers because it's built right into the hardware now.

Welcome to the 21st Century.

I assume you mean "dump" Obama ?

Dude.. This is not about cyber warfare... it's about cyber control.

The US tends to recruit them anyways. When they are caught a lot of them get the option of working for the Us Goverment or to be charged. But I agree that we should be actively recruiting them. Aside from Def Con of course.

Hey, I'm all for it...these guys and gals are the best at cyber-warfare and they are patriotic to boot...they just a need a purpose and some direction. Look at it this way, they can hack for us - (or you call it, fight a cyber war) or face the possibility of the Chinese or Russians sitting our back yard shooting hackers by the dozen! Having their computers taken away....etc, etc, etc...

wow...another big government conservative... are unicorns real too?

You can relax...the government is taking over the internet. No more chaos... no more Julian Assanges "endangering US lives"

Plus, China can censor Tibet news! Isn't that thrilling?

Rex, The US already has a bomb that does that fries the enemy power grid.

It's not about security...it is about control.

The Party needs control of the internet or another Julian Assange will surely appear with another list of prominent US citizens with Swiss bank accounts.

Let's see a show of hands... or maybe thumbs... who wants to lose the free internet so that Leon Panetta feels safe?

Shall we lose the free internet for Israel?

Well...we're gonna lose it... what noble idea shall it be for? Anybody?

its control and personality profiling.notice the start.name terror groups.big ones at first.then down the line.insane clown posse fans are now a group to to watch and fear.next protesters.than you. land of the free?

Will this turn into another TV Converter thing ?????? That was for security to remember . Just like cameras all over ????? Big brother won.

plus the home camera security systems offered by cable companies.get people use to cameras in their home.then eventually say the gov wants cameras in every home for security.we i was young if someone told me i would pay to carry around a tracking device or a satelite could tell me where my cars at i would have laght at that but.......

just willingly gives the world your security secrets

...such as? I mean, if you are claiming the world knows then you should be able to enlighten us about at one of those secrets, right?

How about when were leaving afganistan. LMAO

I think everyone knows that even are enimies. are you for real or were you just joking

you couldn't control your own bladder with both hands.

Bungleblue:::: Are you sitting on your brains???? The Chinese are building air craft carryers so they can do what the JAPS did ???? Keep buying imports and we will have no more manufacturig.

You wanna be my vice president?

Company's already have done that,were have you been?????

Sir, if it helps my country, you bet. My families go back to the 1600s and early 1700s.

we suffered abuse as Quakers. we ran the underground railroad. we fought built and farmed and

taught. we pioneered and survived. Just like millions of other fine Americans. We are at your service daily. Be honored, but not sure I wouldn't tweak under pressure. thanks for the offer, JJ

They hit are government all they will find is porn and more porn.

Scientology? Or is it Schizophrenia? I mean really, what are you on and how much does it cost. Cosmic wars to fight? Do you even know what the word cosmic means, and if so, What alien species? I would wager that life definitely exist's somewhere in the universe, in fact even if the odds for life evolving on a planet were 1 in a billion, judging by what we know about the cosmos, there would be about a billion life producing planets. We should be modestly optomistic that there is life out there, but there's not a single bit of tangible evidence that we have been visited; all we have is a few false claims backed up by no evidence. Step away from the E-meter, it's not doing you any favors.

if aliens were observing us, they would never be made. far to advanced to be discovered by our small brains. Aliens could crack any system. they could create humans to crack our systems. we have 0 control over what they would do. (if they are really present).. they obviously will test us with challenges to see our responses to use in statistical data. We should work hard, advance as a species, and rool with the punches.

very opinionated, just my small brain.

if alien life has made it to our planet, they are brilliant. humans cant even make it to mars yet... If they are here, we'd never find them. if they wanted to stay hidden, they would. if they wanted to make themselves known, they would. We have 0 control. (this is all theoretical). They could hack anything in an instant. They could create a human being, and have them hack us. their power would be greater than You or I could understand. To completly discount the notion they are here is naive.

we need not worry about them either. (if they exist here). we need to role with the punches, and advance as a species without knowing of their existance. Thats best for us and them.

God Bless America, Earth...

Kevin speaks the truth. listen up listen inners. JJ

Second the motion.

'cept it could be the Chinese, Russians, assorted Eastern European, North Korean, or some warped little dude in Brazil.... The EMP is what we want.... w/ out the radiation or death.... in fact, didn't we spend some tax money on those units? Our corporate handlers would like replacing all the electronics.. why kill all the consumers? just fry the goods. whatta deal.

EMP right there in Pop Sci BMD lead shields for operatives... JJ

bomb them??

lets make them more angry.

all hackers need are really good computers.

bombing would create more unhappy people, willing to hack.

would not solve the problems in my opinion.

Your percentages are wrong. Ideal Affirmative Action would use the percentages of the groups you use as an example in proportion to how they appear in the population. And even so, that's not at all how it happens....not to mention that AA has zero to do with the cyber attack topic.

China and NK have really good government programmers because they basically press-gang the best ones right out of school.

Whereas the U.S. government says "Hey, we know you can make 10 times what we'll pay you in the civilian sector, but it's your patriotic duty!"

midnight, A lot of the positions are filled by H1B visas so most are not American to begin with.

Thanks BRTCARGUY,

My kids iPad just melted.

LOL. That was pretty ynnuf.