Cyber Attack Hits Federal Websites

A widespread and unusually resilient computer attack that began July 4 knocked out the websites of several government agencies, including some responsible for fighting cyber crime. The Treasury Department, Secret Service, FTC, and Transportation Department sites were down at varying points, and some were still experiencing problems this evening. It's not clear who's behind the attacks.

"This is very strange. You don't see this," said the director of a company that monitors federal sites. "Having something 100 percent down for a 24-hour-plus period is a pretty significant event." Homeland Security officials confirmed that they had received reports of "malicious web activity" and were investigating. (More cyberattack stories.)