House Panel: NASA Could Be Hackers' Next Target

Could hackers attack the International Space Station?

That’s what the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight wants to know.

The panel will hear from NASA’s chief information officer and its inspector general at a hearing on Wednesday.

Besides basic operations like e-mail, NASA uses computer systems to control space missions like the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. And the potential for cyberattacks on those systems is growing, according to a subcommittee briefing document.

“The threat of cyberattack to agency satellite operations, mission support, and technology research is increasing in sophistication and frequency,” the document said.

In addition, NASA represents a major trove of scientific and technical knowledge that could be targeted by cyberthieves. In 2009 and 2010 the agency reported more than 5,000 incidents of malicious software or unauthorized access in its computers, according to the House panel.

“Because of NASA’s stature as an agency on the vanguard of technological progress, the tampering or corruption of scientific data from unauthorized intruders is a serious concern,” the briefing document concluded.

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