"NASA Identified Over 6,000 Cyber Incidents in Past 4 Years"

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) identified over 6,000 cyber incidents in the last four years. NASA has institutional systems, including data centers, web services, computers, and networks that are used for daily work activities. The agency also has mission systems, such as those used to control spacecraft and process scientific data in support of aeronautics, space exploration, and science programs. NASA consists of over 4,400 applications, more than 15,000 mobile devices, about 13,000 software licenses, almost 50,000 computers, and 39,000 TB of data. An audit conducted by NASA's inspector general revealed an increase in the complexity and severity of cyber incidents aimed at stealing critical information. The audit also revealed the limitation of the agency's ability to detect, prevent, and mitigate attacks. In 2020, most incidents faced by NASA were related to improper usage, which includes installing unapproved software or accessing inappropriate materials. Such incidents increased from 249 in 2017 to 1,103 in 2020. NASA also believes that the increase in the number of detected incidents is a result of better network visibility. This article continues to discuss some key findings from a report published this month by NASA's Office of Inspector General pertaining to cyber incidents faced by the agency. 

Security Week reports "NASA Identified Over 6,000 Cyber Incidents in Past 4 Years"