Cyber attacks on U.S. government rise.

• Position: CYBER CRIME

The U.S. government has been the target of numerous cyber attacks over the past six months.

For example, a recent report in The Wall Street Journal said cyber criminals hacked into the U.S. electrical grid. Intelligence officials indicated the attacks came from China and Russia and were an attempt to gather information about U.S. infrastructure.

In April, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton revealed that the Department of Defense (DoD) had spent more than $100 million in the last six months fighting off daily cyber attacks against DoD computer systems. The motivation behind these attacks ranges from espionage to teen hackers needing a challenge, according to Chilton, who leads U.S. Strategic Command.

In another instance, cyber invaders thought to be in China hacked into the computer network in U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-FL) office, the senator's office reported. Nelson said his office computers had been hacked into three times during one month, one of which was thought to be a serious breach. But the hackers didn't steal any classified information because it isn't kept on office computers, a Nelson spokesman said.

Nelson is a member of the Senate's Intelligence, Armed Services, and Finance committees, and he heads a Senate subcommittee that oversees NASA. Similar attacks on Capitol Hill computer networks have risen significantly this year, according to various information systems offices on Capitol...