RSA SecurID hack claims first victim

Lockheed Martin reveals attack on IT network is linked to recent RSA hack

The recent RSA SecurID hack has led to its first known victim in the shape of US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed suffered a "significant and tenacious attack" on its IT network on 21 May and has now confirmed the hackers used the data that was stolen from RSA in March.

At the time, RSA said the hack would not enable a direct attack of its SecurID customers, but warned that the information gained could be used as part of a broader attack, sparking fears in its channel.

Those fears now appear to be justified, although Lockheed stressed it had taken swift action and that no customer, program or employee personal data was compromised.

According to market watcher Infonetics, awareness of threats among end users has reached an all-time high thanks to the recent spate of high-profile attacks - including the one on RSA.

According to the New York Times, RSA officials said they accepted Lockheed's findings and are working to offset the risks through other measures.

Although some experts believe the episode has knocked RSA's reputation, the EMC-owned vendor emphasised that Lockheed said it plans to maintain its use of the SecurID tokens.