Think U.S. military computer networks are secure? Think again. A panel of computer security experts from across the U.S. government told a U.S. Senate committee yesterday that computer networks operated by the U.S. Department of Defense are so thoroughly compromised by spies from other nations that there’s almost no point in trying to keep them out.

At a meeting in Washington, the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities heard testimony from experts that, essentially summarized, goes like this: The attackers already have access to the systems, so rather than try to lock them out, it’s now a matter of managing them, now that they’re in. Just as in the real world, spies are going to get into the country whether you want them to or not. So, knowing that they’re there, it makes more sense to make their day-to-day spying activities as difficult and costly as you can. DOD security practices currently focus on trying to keep intruders out.

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