Internet Security Firm Chief Accused Of Hacking Military Networks

Brett Edward O'Keefe, 36, was arrested and indicted Monday on six counts of conspiracy to access military, government and private computers.

The indictment accuses O'Keefe of sharing military files with news media to generate favorable publicity for his San Diego company, ForensicTec Solutions Inc. O'Keefe allegedly had unauthorized possession of files from NASA, the Army, the Navy, the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health.

The FBI raided ForensicTec's offices shortly after an August 2002 story in The Washington Post said ForensicTec claimed to have identified 34 military sites where network security and confidential files were easily compromised, including Army computers at Fort Hood, Texas; NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and Navy facilities in Maryland and Virginia.

O'Keefe said at the time that the company's goal was to call attention to the need for better security and "get some positive exposure" for his fledgling firm.

No phone listing could be found for O'Keefe or the company this week.

Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.