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US government steps up battle against data security threats

The American government is recruiting thousands of "hacker soldiers" from among the ranks of the brightest data security experts, it has been reported.

With many young professionals in the field turning to the public sector rather than the struggling 'Silicon Valley' for opportunities, a report in the New York Times has revealed that many will be tasked with beefing up the country's data security capabilities.

As well as working to protect military and government computers, these specialists will also concentrate on keeping business networks free from threats such as phishing, trojans and other viruses

Citing one intelligence veteran, the newspaper reported that many online security specialists are now setting up "honey pots" with which to lure hackers into fake government websites, which can be used to gather information on the kinds of codes being used by the criminals and thereby take action against them.

According to historian Daniel T Kuehel from the National Defense University, attention to data security issues has now reached a "religious intensity" within the Pentagon, with businesses and home users likely to follow suit in increasing their focus on staying safe online.

Just last week, MessageLabs reported that more than 90 per cent of all emails being sent around the world are now spam.

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