Large enterprises have long sought more information from the U.S. government about cyber threats, and those in the defense contracting business are getting more. The Department of Defense said last week that it launched a program to share classified, threat-related information with defense contractors and their Internet Service Providers, reports Tim Greene at Network World.

The Defense Industrial Base Cyber Pilot program was initiated last month, according to Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn. The aim is to help contractors protect strategic data that they maintain in their networks, Greene reports.

Speaking at a conference in Paris in the wake of attacks on Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and other major defense contractors, Lynn encouraged other countries to establish similar information-sharing programs with their allies. Countries also need to better fortify their military networks, cooperate with allies to better monitor network intrusions and partner with critical infrastructure operators, he said.

The Defense Department plans to put its Cyber Incident Response Center into full operation by next year, Lynn said.

For more:
- see Tim Greene's article at Network World

Related Articles:
LulzSec's latest exploit underscores danger of reusing passwords
FBI ramping up efforts to fight hackers and cybercrime
IMF hack blamed on state-sponsored phishing
Phishers go after White House officials' Gmail accounts