defense firms see opportunity in cyber attacks

from baltimore sun: A spate of high-profile online break-ins has given defense firms at the Paris Air Show a new sales pitch: cyber security. Targeted by hackers looking to steal source codes, R&D information and trade secrets, aerospace and defense firms are turning the tables on the pirates and are making security a key sales argument. "We see huge potential to do deals this week because interest in cyber security has soared given recent events," Paul MacGregor, general manager of Finmeccanica's UK security arm, Vega Consulting Services, told Reuters. He added that cyber security was now an "arms race," with defense firms battling to stay one step ahead of the hackers. "Information is now used as a weapon and companies need to defend it at all costs or they themselves could lose out on contracts if they are seen as having weak defenses," he said.