Computer attacks against the federal government continue to rise, according to new figures released by the Office of Management and Budget. Last year, federal agencies reported 41,776 cyber incidents, compared to about 30,000 attacks in 2009. The numbers for 2010, representing a 39% increase over the prior year, averaged out to 114 cyberattacks a day or one every 12½ minutes. This increase occurred despite an overall decrease in cyberattacks against non-federal government sites. Malicious codes, such as those involving phishing and viruses, were the most widely used forms of attack.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Cyberattacks Against Federal Networks Were Up 40 Percent in 2010 (by Aliya Sternstein, NextGov)

Fiscal Year 2010 Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Office of Management and Budget) (pages 12-14) (pdf)

Wanted: More Computer Security and Cyber Attack Students (by David Wallechinsky and Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)