E-Spionage

This week's (4-21-08):BuisnessWeek magazine front cover:

"The US military created the Internet. Now the Web may be turning against its maker. As America fights to protect itself, we uncover startling new instances of cyper spies targeting the government..."

Questions:
Is this really a new problem or one the government is only just now allowing the public to have knowledge of? And, is it really surprising considering America's general disregard for basic privacy rights (RE: Patriot Act)? Or, to think about it on an even broader scale - should the government have been more aware of the large-scale societal implications and indicators when the general public began displaying all aspects of their individual lives on the internet (via email, chat rooms, blogs, MySpace/Facebook etc)?