A Washington, D.C.-based news outlet exaggerated the significance of a recent spam attack that targeted the White House. It seems someone in the government has decided to underscore the importance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month by leaking news of an attack against the White House. Or maybe the leak had something to do with the long-promised and/or threatened Executive Order on protecting our vital bodily networks from online attack. Either way, the leaked attack isn’t all that impressive when you get right down to it. The Washington Free Beacon* was first with the news (which may be something of a first for it): “Hackers linked to China’s government broke into one of the U.S. government’s most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for nuclear commands, according to defense and intelligence officials familiar with the incident.” It then went on to say: “One official said the cyber breach was one of Beijing’s most brazen cyber attacks against the United States and highlights a failure of the Obama administration to press China on its persistent cyber attacks.” I’ll have an order of brazen cyber attacks with a side of partisan silliness, please. The White House was quick to downplay the significance of the attack. Yes, the attack was aimed at the White House Military Office (WHMO), the folks in charge of sensitive communications, including systems that can send and authenticate nuclear strike commands. Several unidentified sources assured several very identified news outlets that the spear phishing attack was unsuccessful, and it was aimed at an “unclassified system.” Oh, and BTW, the attack took place a month ago and the Beacon and Fox News are the only ones claiming it was of Chinese origin. (Not that anyone would be surprised if it was.) Apparently the White House fell victim to the powerful, cutting-edge email-with-a-malicious-attachment attack. Someone forgot to update their anti-malware program, probably. “Targeted email scams are not new,” says Jason Lewis, chief scientist at Lookingglass. “The timing is interesting considering the cybersecurity executive order that is circulating.” Why is this attack unlike any of the others that target the WH every day? I’ll let Sophos’s Paul Ducklin answer that: “Fox dedicated over 660 words to the Chinese hacking story, but after careful reading it seems pretty clear that the incident, and the story, can be simplified quite significantly. Here it is in 40 words, for a compression ratio of over 94%: * A malicious spam from a computer in China reached a single unclassified computer in the White House Communications Agency. * The computer may or may not have become infected as a result. * Protection against malware and hackers is a good idea. You may stand down from any coloured, or even lightly tinted, type of alert.” And now the weather, with Shep Smith. *Joking aside, I give massive kudos to the Beacon for covering an issue that actually matters and that no one else except maybe the Army and/or Navy Times is paying attention to: The astonishing and insulting increase in health care costs for Armed service retirees and their families. That is truly obscene. Related content opinion Why Bitcoins are Just as Viable as Any Other Currency The true value of any currency is a reflection of how much people believe it's worth, according to CIO blogger Constantine von Hoffman. But it's wise to remember just how fast beliefs can change. By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 15, 2013 4 mins Government Technology Industry opinion No Surprise: Docs Show Obama Administration Lying About Drones President Obama has repeatedly said drones would only be used against members of al Qaida and allied groups. However, leaked intelligence documents show the administration has been using them to settle political and tribal feuds for at least four yea By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 10, 2013 3 mins Regulation Government opinion How Big Data Can Quickly Become Big Garbage The bigger the data the bigger the chance of mistakes or inaccuracies. In that vein, a large database used by retailers to screen people accused of stealing from employers is identifying innocent people and could result in major lawsuits, according t By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 04, 2013 2 mins Big Data opinion Why Crazy Trumps Logic on the Internet The earth is flat. Vaccines cause autism. 9/11 was a government conspiracy. These are just a few of the many ideas that continue to find adherents online despite overwhelming proof that they're not based on fact. CIO.com blogger Constantine von By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 02, 2013 3 mins Government Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe