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Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

arstechnica.com

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Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#161

Post by dattaway »

lucasjung wrote: post #156
ArbitraryLimits wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UAV itself will have a computer running a commercial RTOS. The computer on the ground which the operator sits and and uses to interact with the UAV is almost certainly a Windows box. And as someone else said, the military's way of securing Windows machines like those has traditionally been not to hook them up to a network in the first place, instead of installing anti-virus software. That actually worked really w…

USB flash drives are banned DOD-wide. Most DOD computers are setup up to not even mount them when they are plugged in.

Unfortunately, most cell phones charge from a USB port.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#162

Post by nikcub »

JonnieCache wrote: post #11

Like hugh says, this doesn't add up at all. “We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with the network infection, one of three that told Danger Room about the virus. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know.” C'mon. You're the military. "It just keeps coming back?" So you decide to do a press release about it? Please. I wouldn't have whined like that when I was de-malwareing neigh…

> So you decide to do a press release about it?

The military deny this is happening, the info is from somebody leaking to the media - probably frustrated with what is going on.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#163

Post by drzaiusapelord »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #143
drzaiusapelord wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no virus on the ISS. It was on the laptops the crew carries around. Big difference. The control systems of the ISS aren't windows.

To refute your statement that the control systems of the ISS aren't windows, there was a story in wired [1] where it talked about Windows problems on the station's on board computers. They linked to the commander's log [2] which mentions the NT problems. Generally infrastructure issues with specific software and such is redacted from this log for national security reasons but this tidbit survived apparently. The spec…

I still disagree. 'Mail files' could be anything. Local mail clients on those laptops they carry on the ISS. It sounds like they have a local LAN which is not any type of control system. Most likely the ISS is run by some RTOS. Its typical in aircraft and ships and power plants to have a unsecure network for things like workstations and completely separate and often incompatible network for control systems. All the mail servers could crash and every laptop infected, but the ISS control systems would be fine.

Yes, we all know they use Windows on their workstations and it was assumed they had a file/mail server too. Why wouldn't they?

You can use differing definitions for "what the ISS runs" but a mail server is not a control server and its disingenuous to keep insisting it is. Its purposeful misdirection like this that leads Joe Sixpack into thinking the spaceships get viruses a la Independence Day and hacker kiddies can whistle a virus that'll send the ISS crashing into the Earth.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#164

Post by JonnieCache »

sadfasdfads wrote: post #44
JonnieCache wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I'm ever in charge of a PC capable of firing guns at people, then at a bare minimum I would disable the USB bus entirely, I probably wouldn't fit a NIC either. I'd also definitely install some of that software that makes the HDD read only and transparently passes through all writes to RAM. Fuckit, if I'm the US military I'd develop such a device in hardware. Send the recorded video/telemetry data to a write-only v…

The difference between the military and the neighborhood computers you used to assist with are the military has to deal with a plethora of entry points for viruses, and can't scrub every USB thumb drive that is at home rather than at the office. I get the feeling that you've not been doing this for 10-12 years yet. Am I right?

The hospital my dad works at, and all other hospitals in this area of the UK, all the machines have the USB ports disabled. All laptops issued by the local Health Authority have the USB ports/bus disabled. They had issues with worms, twice back in the early 00s, and after that all removable storage was banned.

If it's good enough for the NHS, it's good enough for uncle sam.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#165

Post by mkr-hn »

dattaway wrote: post #161
lucasjung wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USB flash drives are banned DOD-wide. Most DOD computers are setup up to not even mount them when they are plugged in.

Unfortunately, most cell phones charge from a USB port.

I thought that was only common among smartphones.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#166

Post by JonnieCache »

khafra wrote: post #60
JonnieCache wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I'm ever in charge of a PC capable of firing guns at people, then at a bare minimum I would disable the USB bus entirely, I probably wouldn't fit a NIC either. I'd also definitely install some of that software that makes the HDD read only and transparently passes through all writes to RAM. Fuckit, if I'm the US military I'd develop such a device in hardware. Send the recorded video/telemetry data to a write-only v…

How does the PC make the drone 10,000 miles away fire the missiles once you take the NIC out?

I'd phone up the people who'd designed me my multimillion dollar bespoke unmanned laser-accurate weapons delivery platform, and ask them if they fancied whipping me up a quick encrypted serial protocol for a couple of extra million dollars on top.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#168

Post by user9756 »

sliverstorm wrote: post #43
mindstab wrote: post #27

next up: "Virus ridden US attack drones strafe US cities" "Iran strikes back for virus that temporarily crippled nuclear infrastructure" Though really the drones probably live in middle east so it'd be more like drones would go berserk in a US military bases in middle east and kill troops or attack innocent foreign civilians drumming up more anti American sentiment "Americans use drone to assassinate Afgan president"

No, the headline would be "Americans use drone to murder hundreds of civillians". It would make us look even worse, and judging by the history of suicide bombers, the Taliban or whoever would not hesitate. Edit: This may be a bit of a cynical view, but if you believe I'm actually wrong , I'd like to hear why

Eh, guys. I may be off here but isn't the problem that the US use of drones is killing civilians ("collateral damage"). And that is what is currently making people living there very sad and angry.

Re: Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

#169

Post by shabble »

From Rule 34[1]:

Ever since Filipino Jemaah Islamiyah hackers pwned an MQ-9 Reaper and zapped the governor of Palawan with USAF-owned Hellfire missiles, the Americans have gone back to keeping a human finger on the trigger: not because a state governor from a foreign country was killed, but because of who was in the armoured limousine right behind him. (The prospect of having to utter the term collateral damage in the same sentence as President of the United States before a congressional enquiry had focussed a few minds.)

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Rule-34-Charles-Stross/dp/0441020348/c... (his referral tag, not mine)

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