VOA慢速英语--五角大楼面临网络攻击考验

AS IT IS 2016-06-17 Pentagon Battles Cyber Attacks 五角大楼面临网络攻击考验

The United States Department of Defense¹ developed some of the technology that led to the internet.

Defense department workers built what they say was the first workable model for the internet many years ago. The goal was for U.S. universities and researchers to share information. Later, the goal became data sharing between the U.S. and other countries.

Because of that work, and others, the world is now more connected than ever. There is more information stored online than any of the internet’s creators could have imagined. But that also means it is harder than ever to keep important data safe from criminals.

Steve Welby is the Defense Department’s Chief Technology Officer. He spoke² with VOA about some of the issues the department faces in protecting its information from cyber attacks.

Welby says the growth of data available on computer systems is “both an opportunity and a challenge.”

Almost everything the Department of Defense does involves some kind of software, he notes. And if a hacker³ attacks a small weakness in a program, it can bring down an entire wall of cyber defense. That is why he believes that defending cyberspace⁴ may be just as important as defending air, land, sea and space.

But that kind of work is not always easy.

James Lewis is Strategic⁵ Technologies Program Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He says the tradition of using simple “Band-Aid” solutions to correct small problems in cyber defense is a mistake.

Lewis says there are other militaries with computer experts that are as good as those in the United States. He says hackers⁶ will eventually find ways through virtual⁷ walls if they have time and resources.

“It’s not so much that our defenses are weak,” Lewis says. “It's just that they are hard to defend against.”

Welby says the Defense Department is trying to develop systems that are easy to defend, instead of turning to products from the marketplace.

Lewis says one problem the department faces is that some of its computer systems are very old. And old systems are hard to protect.

He says, “within three years, five years, they [opponents] know every bug⁸, they know every opening, they know every vulnerability⁹...”

But help could be on the way.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is working with technology developers who may be able to improve defenses in the U.S. Carter met last week with Elon Musk¹⁰, the founder¹¹ of SpaceX and product developer of Tesla Motors.

Words in This Story

bug – n. a problem that prevents a computer program or system from working properly

cyber – adj. related to work with computers

virtual – adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet

Band-Aid – adj. related to the brand name of small bandage; able to help or improve something only for a short period of time

network – n. a system of computers and other devices (such as printers) that are connected to each other

data – n. information that is produced or stored by a computer

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem; something that is hard to do

hacker – n. a person who secretly gets access to a computer system in order to get information or cause damage; a person who hacks into a computer system

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 hacker   

n.能盗用或偷改电脑中信息的人，电脑黑客

参考例句：

• The computer hacker wrote that he was from Russia.这个计算机黑客自称他来自俄罗斯。
• This site was attacked by a hacker last week.上周这个网站被黑客攻击了。

4 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

5 strategic   

adj.战略（上）的，战略上重要的

参考例句：

• The army moved for strategic reasons.军队作了战略转移。
• The bridge is of strategic importance to us.这座桥对我们至关重要。

6 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网

7 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

8 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

9 vulnerability   

n.脆弱(性)

参考例句：

• A baby is the embodiment of vulnerability. 婴儿极为脆弱。
• Saudi Arabia obscures its vulnerability by opaqueness. 沙特阿拉伯人以其神秘莫测来掩饰其脆弱。

10 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

11 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。