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| All hands on deck: Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet |
| 2011-10-07 |
| A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America's Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots' every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones. The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military's Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech's computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the U.S. military's most important weapons system. |
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| #11 You will only hear about our failures not our successes. |
| Posted by: rammer 2011-10-07 23:13 |
| #10 IMO "Viruses" can only be Minimized, not Eliminated. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-10-07 21:00 |
| #9 john, I like to think Linux is more secure than Microsoft. But if a virus is well crafted for Linux it could be just as devastating. Now, if the virus resists attempts to remove it I have to wonder if it was embedded in the firmware or even in the CPU which brings me back to my earlier question: Where were the computers made? I've said it before, it is a grave security blunder to allow importation of computers into this country from hostile foreign powers. I have no idea if that is the situation at Creech but I believe we have lost a lot of our capacity to manufacture computers simply by relying so heavily on imported computers. A computer is not a plastic toy or a shirt or a pair of shoes. In the hands of our military it is a weapon. Would you buy tanks, war planes, missiles and ships from the ChiComs? But it isn't just the military. Our entire economic system is now dependent on computers and almost all of them are all interconnected on the Internet. I'm no security expert but it seems a little worrisome to me. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2011-10-07 18:02 |
| #8 OS X? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-10-07 17:58 |
| #7 Would a different operating system prevent these sorts of attacks? |
| Posted by: john frum 2011-10-07 17:35 |
| #6 Still have some Viper I's laying about? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-10-07 16:36 |
| #5 #4 我們聽你的。 |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-10-07 15:56 |
| #4 How long can we pretend that China and Russia and their surrogates are not subjecting the US to the most overwhelming, effective, massive theft of public and private information in the history of the world? Single handedly we have given the Chinese economy and technological skill centers a multi-generational leap across the entire spectrum. Wake the f*** up people, war is coming with these guys, and at this rate, we lose. |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2011-10-07 15:49 |
| #3 Where were the computers made? Just asking... |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2011-10-07 15:43 |
| #2 "...logging pilots' every keystroke..." keystrokes really? |
| Posted by: Lord Garth 2011-10-07 15:05 |
| #1 I don't recall seeing this related topic on the 'Burg, from Rooters 6/11/11: Old worm won't die after 2008 attack on military Three years after what the Pentagon called the most significant breach of U.S. military networks ever, new versions of the malware blamed for the attack are still roiling U.S. networks, Reuters has learned. The malware at issue, known as "agent.btz," in 2008 infiltrated the computer systems of U.S. Central Command. U.S. officials have said a foreign spy agency was responsible for the 2008 attack, which occurred when an infected flash drive was inserted into a U.S. military laptop at a base in the Middle East. But they have never publicly named which one. Reuters has learned that experts inside and outside of the U.S. government strongly suspect that the original attack was crafted by Russian intelligence. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-10-07 14:56 |