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Military on Alert for Killer Coke Cans
DigitalLogic writes "There's a new security threat at some of the nation's military bases -- and it looks uncannily like a can of Coke.
All I can think of is that a furby with a coke can must be the military's worse nightmare."
As usual, the post kind of misrepresents what the article is about... but that's just standard /.
I think they are being reasonable, if a bit silly. The contest-winning Coke cans (which are clearly visually distinct from a standard Coke can) have an integrated cell phone and GPS device. About this, the spokesperson was quoted as saying "In the remote possibility a can were found in one of these [secured] areas, we'd make sure the can wasn't activated, try to return it to its original owner and ask that they activate it at home..."
Why is this unreasonable? It's funny, sure... but not the example of misguided paranoia that it's made out to be.
jrjBlog
When was the last time anyone saw Furby, really? I thought the military already neutralized that threat.
*tinfoilhat*
What's to keep some other spy agency/group from disguising a coke can that looks just like the innocent 'outgoing call only + gps' with a 'bi-directional + gps + other nasty goodies' can?
*/tinfoilhat*
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
I don't really find this funny. I mean it's funny, but in the back of my mind
I just know that this is the tip of a big scary iceberg.
In the future I bet almost all devices, maybe even ALL soda cans, will contain
miniature computers with wireless capabilities. And troublemakers (evildoers?)
will be able to hack into them.
You chuckle now but did you think 10 years ago that there would be such a
thing as a smartphone? Bluejacking? Nokia phone viruses? MP3s, PDFs, or PNGs
that could exploit your computer?
So yeah, like TFA says, it's just common sense, nothing to get excited about,
but definitely something to think about.
Do you believe Coke when they say "it can only call us" and "there's no way to hijack it"? I sure don't.
"You can win, but you can't hide" as their promo stand ups in grocery stores read. Items tracking you, just a hint of waht is to come with RFID. Be afraid.
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This is the new marketing strategy for Pepsi.
Disagreeing with me does not mean you get to mod me troll.
Sometimes, the military doesn't like the location of troops being revealed to anybody. They ban all cell phones and GPS devices that they don't control from being with such groups.
So, should a "winning" can be brought on such a mission, you've got a security hole... sure, the message is encrypted so that only Coca-Cola Prize Patrol knows where you are and hears what you say to them, but Coca-Cola Prize Patrol doesn't have security clearance now, do they?
GPS systems are intergrated into new celphones. Are those banned on military bases as well? The military is going to have to deal with a brave new world in electronics. What about car GPS systems? Are they banned from bases? It's a knee jerk reaction on the GPS front. As to it having a celphone for spying, are celphones banned from all meetings? My guess is most Generals are armed with a celphone. Celphone jammers are realitively cheap and availible. It might be a smarter and more pratical thing to simply use them in conference rooms and not sweat the Majors new lapel phone let alone coke can.
This was on FoxNews.com days ago.
Give it a day or two, and it will be on /. again too.
For those outside of the USA... today's not a business day here because the "4th of July" proper fell on a Sunday, so today is effectively running on a weekend schedule for most things. That's most of the reason why there's not much news coming out today...
Considering the number of times I've seen someone's cell phone go off in a classified meeting, I don't think this is that serious a problem. Hell, I've seen the deputy CIO's phone go off.
I do security
There are certain military facilities I visit where I have to surrender my calculator "because it has memory and you might use it to remove classified communications." Meanwhile, the local support staff is wheeling entire desks and filing cabinets in and out without the guards looking at them twice.
Don't think about it, it'll just make you crazy.
The real problem is that guards don't have any way of knowing what a device does, when it's in disguise. Forget these cans, and think about someone intentionally trying to sneak a device in... It might look real, but have electronics sealed inside.
The answer is pretty obvious though... Everything should be x-rayed, or MRI-scanned to verify that it is what it's supposed to be. Or, perhaps microwaving everything that is not supposed to be an electronic device would be adequate.
These prize cans are just a symptom of the problem.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
There are many government agencies that have a zero tolerance for wireless devices, devices with data ports, microphones, cameras, or whatever being taken into secure areas that deal with classified material. When you're talking about something regarding national security, you can never be to safe about what is allowed in a secure area.
And how would one automatically know that an unopened 12 pack case of soda had one of these devices in it? They wouldn't which is why the Military simply wants people to be aware of this. And who is to trust coke anyway?
Here's a scenerio: let's say some people were having a top secret conference and they had a 12 pack of sodas sitting in the back somewhere for refreshments aftwards. What if the device is accidently activated during this time and it starts recording the conference? What then happens if some unscrupulous employeee at Coke thinks it's an interesting conversation and releases it on the internet? Sure, all this could be very, very, rare, but given the nature of some information it's absolutely not worth the risk.
I hate anything linking to CNN.. so here's the Wired article : Paranoia Goes Better With Coke
I can imagine being majorly ticked if I spent my last 75 cents on a Coke only to get a cell phone + GPS receiver in a can.
In related news, Cokes' Hommies -
a one Pepsi,
a one Barqs,
and a one Mr Pepper Ph.D.
have been bought in for questioning.
Yes! I listen to NYC Speedcore and do math at 3AM. I suggest you try it too.
Basic infromation warfare...
- You want to know what the enemy knows.
- You want to make sure the enemy doesn't know what you know.
It's all about intercepting the enemy's communications, and making sure that can't intercept yours.
Sounds like the usual post 9/11 stuff on TV news:
"What you don't know about Coke cans could KILL you! Coming up next...on FOX News!"
It would be cool if it didn't suck.
Duran Duran
-Too Much Information
It's pumpin down the cable
Like never seen before
A cola manufacturer is sponsoring the war
SLASHDOT IN TWO WEEKS:
"Hacking the coke can. Part 1."
Come on, seriously think about it.
When you open a can of Coke (I don't drink Coke, so it's all you), you throw that can away as soon as you are done. What use is there to put any electronics into every soda can?
It'd be a huge waste of money. I doubt Coke cares to know where every single can of theirs is going.
The greatest experience we can have is the mysterious.
- Albert Einstein
Coca Cola is speaking here for civilians, but probably the army knows best about the capabilities of their military people... ;-)
Yes, it seems ridiculous to outlaw Furbys and Coke cans on base--but it's less ridiculous than having to say, "Well, no sir, General, we hadn't considered that possibility. Yes, sir, I agree that I am grossly incompetent. Sir, I will get that regulation promulgated right away, sir." Even worse is the outside chance that there could be a breach and having to answer to the press.
I smashed it and threw it away. I wanted soda, not some darn cell phone!
Just like that bag or all purple M&M's I got, or the chipless Chip O' Ohoys bag I got. Quality control for these companies must really stink?
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Drink beer.
There you are, staring at me again.
I really don't see if this could be a problem. If someone is in a sensitive area and they are aware of what the can contained, then they should have the common sense to wait until later to open the can.
OK, sorry to have to post this as an AC, but kinda forced to...
The job of a security manager is to be paranoid. Pure and simple.
I'm not allowed to have a cellphone at work... or a pager ( not just a 2-way pager, ANY pager). No writable media permitted, under any circumstance.
( Yeah, that's right-- I can get arrested for forgetting to leave my USB keydrive in my car in the morning. )
Is it paranoia? No. It's 'heightened operational security'. Clearances only go so far-- look at the $%$%tards like Ames and Hanssen.
Obviously, they've missed a significant chunk of people with any ad campaign for this contest-- I go thru 2 cases of Coke a week, and I only heard about the contest last week.
Without knowing what the GPScans looked like, how would you keep them out of a 'secure' facility???
Pre-verts and communists have created a new device made to infiltrate the NorthAm-complex.
But, Anonymous Coward, if that is your real name, if you shoot it you'll have to answer to the Coca-Cola company.
KFG
Urban legends. About the only thing coke is good for besides drinking is cleaning chrome. Some places do clean their floors with seltzer water from a tap in the back of the soda fountain, but no syrup, that'd get everything all sticky. Link. Also try to find episode 5 of Discovery Channels Mythbusters. Probably avalible on p2p, or check the listings.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Get a grip, folks. The sort of environment they're talking about is extremely sensitive: like, the definition is "revelaing this information could lead to critical danger to the US and its citizens."
This isn't a joke. A few years ago, some member of Congress (Orrin Hatch is what I recall) proved how much an Insider he was, and what Good Stuff He Knew, by telling a reporter that we were intercepting Usama bin Laden's satphone calls. The reporter, also being a moron, reported this. Soon enough, UbL stopped making open satphone calls.
Some time later, 9/11/2001.
Quibble if you like about the absurdities to which this leads -- like the books I wrote twenty years ago which I can no longer legally read -- but if you look into the history of bugs, subversions, and general espionage, you'll find that worrying about someone bringing an unexamined cellphone into a classified facility is pretty reasonable.
That someone at Area 51 will open the damn thing, and Coke's prize patrol will have to report there with the giant check!
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
Speaking of transmitting Coke cans, how hard would it be to develop a GPS-coordinate-transmitting device that could be issued to anyone who could be potentially kidnapped and beheaded in the middle east? Of course it'd have to be held in their "compartment" since the terrorist assholes kidnapping them would probably be on the lookout for such a thing. But really, if it came down to sticking a coke-can-sized transmitter up your ass most of the day versus potentially getting kidnapped and beheaded, I think most people would go for the coke can, no?
Anyone patenting an ass-transciever based on this post damn well better give me credit for the idea...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Pepsi is always a few cents cheaper. I never buy Coke above $3/12-pack and this 4th of July, they were at $3.29 (with the yellow "Save!" price label to boot). If I have to have soda pop and Coke prices itself out, I usually fall back on Dr. Pepper or 7-Up.
At $2.79 for a real fridge friendly 12-pack, I decided to give Pepsi a go this weekend. Now, I'm sitting here sipping one and wondering why I never bothered all this time.
Fanboyism definitely has its limitations.
This is a typical sarcastic reaction from non-military people. In the military a policy is a policy and must be followed strictly. Classified information is no joke. If a policy states that you will not have any device that transmits or receives information within x meters of where classified information is being processed or discussed then that must be strictly followed whether its a cell phone, blackberry, pager, walkie talkie, or in this case a promotional coke can. There are no exceptions, not even for generals. They can check their devices at the door, but even they are not exempt. Generals should not be staying up worrying at night about these coke cans, thats why they delegate such matters to us security people. But now I've said too much....Now look directly into the beam of light.
Has anybody considered that stories about what appear to be farcical exercises in military paranoia could be planted to make people believe the military is foolish, thus lulling the enemy into a false sense of security. And/or distract people actively trying to access classified and sensitive materials away from the true focus of the group that says. "Check you Coke cans" and "No Furbies". That way the enemy doesn't dig deeper for the "Hostile Intent Brain Wave Reader."
Anyway, these suggestions need to be made (at least to military personnel). Sure regulation states no recording or communications devices beyond this point. But this is a stuffed animal or just a can of Coke. Sometimes these thinmgs aren't necessarily obvious.
Thanks to the internet, we can now all die alone together! -SomeWoman
They're worried about these overly conspicuous non-standard-looking Coke cans when wrist watch cell phones exist? Now THAT is military intelligence for you! *rolls eyes*
I think this is a valid reaction. Think about it: its internal cell phone could be hacked to call some other phone and possibly even send all audio from the user - in whatever sensitive area - to wherever it is programmed to call. Of course, this could be integrated into normal Coke cans, but this is a good disguise for such an act, as ridiculous as it sounds.
A blog like any other.
I had heard an advertisement on the radio for this coca cola contest. Apparently they are putting a phone and gps locator inside some coke cans. If you find one you win a car. Of course phones and gps locators are not allowed in the secure areas ("behind the fence") in Los Alamos. Check this out.
1 0_ americas_gps_promotion.html
---------- Forwarded message ----------
You might get a chuckle out of this one (shades of Maxwell Smart), but apparently it's for real. If you work behind or near the fence please remove and report any coke cans found to contain a phone and GPS locator.
----- Begin Included Message -----
Might be careful before bringing Cokes into the security area.....
Subject:FW: Security Alert: Coke cans w/phone & GPS locator
It's a Coke - No, it's a phone with GPS locator!
This is NOT a HOAX, it is a legitimate contest being run by Coca-Cola!
Coca-Cola Cans With GPS Locators
1. Between May 17th and July 12th, approximately 120 cans of Coca-Cola with GPS locators will be hidden in specially marked 12, 18, 20, or 24 packs. While the advertisement states they could be hidden in Coke Classic, caffeine Free Coke, Cherry Coke; or Vanilla Coke, a phone call to Coke Customer Service found the locators will be hidden in packs of Coke Classic only.
2. The hi-tech Coke "Unexpected Summer" can is equipped with SIM card, keypad and GPS locator. On the outside of each can are a button, microphone, and a tiny speaker. Pressing the larger red button starts the game in process, thus activating the GPS signal and a cell phone used by the customer to call a special hotline.
3. Coca-Cola packages should be opened and inspected before entering the SCIF. Obviously, if one is found, it should not be activated within the SCIF; nor, should it be carried into the SCIF once activated. If one is discovered in the SCIF, either in a snack fund or from a vending machine, immediately report it to your Division Security Officer.
http://www2.coca-cola.com/presscenter/nr_200405
I thought that rigged "Pepsi challenge" was bad, but this type of hysteria is a new low. Shame on you, Pepsi, for trying to share our brave troops from drinking Coke!
but the caffeine in it is a diruretic.
Coke cans that disguised as cell phones distributed to crack dealers with bonus samples of cocaine. (Oh. Wait... didn't it already, I mean..)
Faith: n. -- That human impulse that drives them to steal appliances when the power goes out
The cans do not even look like coke bottles.
:)
This emphasizes how insidious the plot is
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
is there a similar restriction on bringing cell phones to military bases or "sensitive" areas? It seems a regular cell phone would be more dangerous in this light than the killer coke cans, since, as Coke says in the article, the cans only call Coke and that's it. A cell phone could be programmed to call anywhere and function as a monitoring device, and spies could find your location based on a cell phone even without GPS. Hell, someone could install one of these in a can of 7-Up to really throw them off. But all that presumes the intent to spy.... the article is about preventing the accidental security risk of a Coke contest winner bringing this device to a meeting and accidentally sending the meeting details and private location to Coke. Again, that's fine, but it doesn't say in the article whether they'll prevent normal cell phones from coming in, which would pose the same threat.
No, there's a complete cel-phone handset built into the can.
As far as the military's concerned, though, whether it's two-way or not doesn't matter. The problem from their perspective is that it can transmit. If it can transmit, it can in theory transmit anything. You can see the obvious problem with a device in a sensitive area transmitting a wide-angle video and audio feed of all the documents and discussions about the latest tweaks to the Sidewinder target-seeker algorithms, for example. Given the state of cryptography and steganography, the only way to prevent this is to go to the source and stop all transmissions out of sensitive areas. No exceptions, because as soon as you make an exception you just know one of the bad guys will start working on a way to sneak his stuff into that exception in a hard-to-detect way.
on Independence Day, didn't they have to bring down the alien shields with a computer virus? As Jeff Goldblum demonstrated, a Coke can behind the shield of a no-longer-defunct alien spaceship in Area 51 is just as dangerous a threat to worldwide security as the shield of a no-longer-defunct alien spaceship.
There is a standing rule that ANY electronic brought into one of these secured areas requires prior permission. They do not deny entry to everything - only those things which people could either intentionally or unintentionally use to "easedrop" or spy.
Everyone seems to think that they worry too much about simple things, but here's why... The military performs testing on zillions of electronic devices to determine their weaknesses. They have determined that many communication devices can be hacked or easedropped on without the user's permission - and in a few cases, even when the phone is "off" but battery is still installed. Now, I drag a 12-pack of Coke into my cubicle and set it right next to my classified phone. There's a possibility that someone taps in and intercepts my Coke-phone and listens in on all my classified discussions. No matter how remote the chance, the government will NOt allow this possibility - hence all the fuss about the cans.
Now, just imagine how that cell phone can be used against you by your unscrupulous employer...
A top-secret government program involving instantaneous travel to other solar systems by means of a device known as a st
sorry if this is redundant, but I have to mention it :
(US Army Ranger sergeant being ordered by Peter Sellers to use his gun to blow a Coke dispenser apart to get some coins in order to avoid total nuclear war)
"if you do not get the President of the United States on that phone, you will be responsible to the Coca-Cola Company".
Google passes Turing test : see my journal
Excuse me, you're not talking about "some security firm" here, you're talking about The RAND Corporation.
RAND was formed by the Air Force back during the cold war. Did a lot of development of game theory. John Nash ('A beautiful mind') worked there.
Infamous back in the 60's for their game-theoretical approach to nuclear war scenarios.
Giving rise to the following satirical ditty by Malvina Reynolds:
More on RAND.
I suppose you get the picture. Like them or not, RAND is and has been the most influential defense think-tank in the world, and shaped a large part of US defense policy.
Calling them "some security firm" is a bit of an understatement in that light.