Russian Hackers Duped US Defense Contractors Into Exposing Secret Military Tech

Russian hackers may have stolen years' worth of competitive advantage by swiping secrets of United States' drone and other military technology after an Associated Press (AP) investigation revealed they targeted key contract workers into exposing their emails. It is uncertain what exactly may have been stolen, but Fancy Bear (the hackers who interfered in the U.S. election) targeted at least 87 people working on militarized drones, cloud-computing platforms, stealth fighter jets, rockets, missiles, and other sensitive technology, for companies like Lockheed Martin Corp., Raytheon Co., Boeing Co., Airbus Group and General Atomics. Charles Sowell, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and one of Fancy Bear's targets, told the AP: "The programs that they appear to target and the people who work on those programs are some of the most forward-leaning, advanced technologies." "And if those programs are compromised in any way, then our competitive advantage and our defense is compromised. That's what's really scary," Sowell, who reviewed the list for AP, added.