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."

Comments

Is this really that bad?

[jrj102]

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.

Re:Is this really that bad?

[gl4ss]

and then again, you took just the most sensible part of the article.

"We've taken measures to make sure everyone's aware of this contest and to make sure devices are cleared before they're taken in" to restricted areas, she said."

so they're telling to people that should know not to bring a phone into the areas that don't bring coke cans before you have made sure that it's just a coke can.

it's a potential eavesdropping device, in the sense that it's a phone, but a quite much less than anything intentional could be. basically they're creating a big fuss over something that didn't need the pr(because now it's easier to intentionally smuggle something in, just put a can of coke next to it..).

and further:
**
"But Bruce Don, a senior analyst at the Rand Corp. said the military's concern is rational and appropriate.

"There's a lot of reason to worry about how that technology could be taken advantage of by a third party without Coke's knowledge," he said.""**

so what it boils down to is some security firm pumping once again money from the gov(and paving the way for future pumping)...

Re:Is this really that bad?

[ZBM-2]

We received this 'alert'. Actually,it was only an advisory to inspect cases of Coke to see if they contained a winning can. The can contains both a cell phone and a GPS beacon,neither of which can be brought into secure areas. The Furby scare was based on FUD,this is based on security regs. When you enter a secure area,you leave your cell,pager,PDA,laptop,etc,at the door.

CNN pumped this up. There's zero panic about this.

Re:Is this really that bad?

[Rufus88]

This is not at all paranoia. A camera-phone is a camera. There are secure buildings, or buildings with secure rooms (like where I work), where you have to have a secret or top-secret clearance to get in. Bringing a camera in there is forbidden and a security violation. Anybody who works in such an environment, who is too stupid to realize what a no-no this would be, does not belong working there.

Re:Is this really that bad?

[NecroPuppy]

Exactly.

When I went shopping for a new phone recently, it took 2 worker bees and a manager to figure out that when I said I didn't want a camera phone, that I really meant I didn't want a camera phone.

One of those damn things would get me fired. And, if I were lucky, I wouldn't have federal charges filed against me.

Re:Is this really that bad?

[NanoGator]

"What about a Dubya mouthpiece mod???"

I wasn't defending Bush. Frankly, I'm just plain sick and tired of the Bush vs. Kerry debates here in thinly disguised on-topic babble.

There's a radio station I listen to that's conservative in the evening, and liberal in the morning. I drove home after work listening to badmouthing of Michael Moore's movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I could tell that they were being so slimey about it. Instead of saying "Here is where it lied, and why he should have known better", they took a single quote and blew it way out of proportion. "Michael Moore says that the United States spreads misery, have they forgotten how we beat back the Nazis?" Uh okay.

So the following day I was driving to work, and the big news story was that the US handed over control to Iraq. I listened to 10 minutes of "How can they call it sovereign when we still have troops there? Why is it called sovereign when the US troops don't have to obey their laws despite the obvious reasonable reasons why that law would be in place?" Blah blah blah. The democrats can't see the good in anything, and it is very fucking tiring to listen to.

I'm so tired of the uneducated mudslinging being fired from both sides. I'm so tired of both sides being so extreme. (I like how somebody can be comfortable in their extremism without knowing anything about the other side's views.) And I'm getting really tired that I can't get away from it, even on Slashdot. Instead of modding somebody insightful because they have a point, instead it's the Moderator's way of saying "I agree".

I'm half tempted to just go into hibernation until this dumb election's over. The only reason I don't is I'm quite sure that because half the country feels one way, and the other half feels another, that half the country will end up bitching over frivilous issues and, in some cases, pure fiction.

Furby has been dealt with

[Sartak]

When was the last time anyone saw Furby, really? I thought the military already neutralized that threat.

Re:Furby has been dealt with

[Anonymous Coward]

nah, he's just hiding in the back of some cave behind a pile of WMD's laughing histerically to himself.

Re:Furby has been dealt with

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear that the US military killed everyone at Ken and Barbie's wedding during the Furby War ... and Elmo doesn't like being tickled any more.

Their complaints are justified. . . .

[OverlordQ]

*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*

Re:Their complaints are justified. . . .

[Cecil]

disguising a coke can that looks just like the innocent 'outgoing call only + gps' with a 'bi-directional + gps + other nasty goodies' can

"Uh, sir. Your coke can is ringing."

"Hello? Oh, hi Osama. No, I'm sorry, I can't tell you any of our secret plans. Thanks for calling, though." ... I think you meant a phone that can connect to numbers other than Coke's prize center, not bi-directional.

Re:Their complaints are justified. . . .

[lpp]

"Uh, sir, is there a hiss coming from your Coke can?"

- as a near (but not quite) inaudible hiss becomes the only tell tale trace of a Sarin attack.

I think a remotely triggered attack hidden within an otherwise innocuous looking can of Coke is *exactly* what would be meant by bi-directional.

Not *that* funny

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:Not *that* funny

[s20451]

There was a promotion a few years ago involving an Ontario dairy. A few personal-sized cartons of milk were wired with a speaker and electronics, that were supposed to make a "moo" sound when opened (thereby indicating that you had won a prize).

Somebody apparently got one of these at a food court in downtown Toronto, and left it behind (I guess the prize wasn't that impressive). Somebody else saw this carton of milk with wires and electronics and called the bomb squad. The building was evacuated, much to the amusement of the local news media (once they found out what happened).

Re:Not *that* funny

[pyrrhonist]

the countdown timer in the back of my mind starts going "10-9-8-7-6...".

You'll never be allowed on a military base with one of those in your head.

Big Soda is watching

[UnCivil Liberty]

"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.

There really is a problem here...

[LostCluster]

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?

What's so different

[Dark Bard]

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.

Re:What's so different

[LostCluster]

In a "restricted area", usually the military doesn't want any electronics device that they don't control going in. Cans of Coke are tolerated, but cell phone links to the civilian world aren't...

Besides, even if you had a winning can on a military base, it's not like Coca-Cola's Prize Patrol is going to be able to deliver your SUV to you on the base... they most likely won't be allowed in.

Re:What's so different

[john82]

As to it having a celphone for spying, are celphones banned from all meetings? My guess is most Generals are armed with a celphone.

Yes cellphones are banned from secured areas. That's all cellphones. So if one were to show-up on a military installation carrying a new generation phone with camera, where there are big freakin' "NO cameras, or recording devices allowed" signs, then you are a dumbf*ck idiot who needs to spend some time in the brig.

Note that few such places allow a PDA these days either. Unless of course you want them to significantly disable it for you.

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.

Then again, you're in the military. Might be a hell of a lot smarter to follow some simple orders and save the taxpayers on several fronts.

Re:What's so different

[Goldenhawk]

GPS plus a cellphone is no big deal - we already know where all the bases are anyway. However, I work at a military facility that strictly bans camera-phones from the flight line (where the planes are parked) - because there's quite a bit of sensitive material there - designs we don't want our enemies to see, or even our allies.

Cell phones are NOT banned from all meetings. Far from it. See, quite a bit of the stuff that gets discussed is completely banal - "Okay, have your secretary call mine and set up a meeting to discuss this issue further" - but you can bet they're strictly banned from any conversation that is at all sensitive.

Now, about the Coke cans. The real issue is NOT the GPS receiver, or the cell phone technology - I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with not wanting some Coke reps in a big white van full of interesting gadgets to try crashing the gates at a sensitive military facility. You want to get visited at home, no problem - leave the can there. Just don't invite them HERE, thank you very much. Again, it's common sense.

And yeah, I suspect there are some latent concerns about nefarious uses. But I doubt that's any more of a concern than for any other cell phone, or Blackberry two-way pager, or whatever.

It's common sense, people. Contrary to Hollywood's view, the US military is neither incompetent nor full of powermongers. It's mostly a lot of very dedicated, very intelligent people trying their best to defend and strengthen the good 'ol USofA, and that includes defense against reasonably possible intelligence-gathering hardware. Because face it, it's a lot cheaper to steal a good design than create it from scratch.

Re:Argh....

[Anonymous Coward]

This was on FoxNews.com days ago.

Give it a day or two, and it will be on /. again too.

Overreacting is SOP

[John Jorsett]

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.

Re:Pepsi

[UnCivil Liberty]

I believe Dave Barry has prior art on this, Year in Review.

JUNE:
17 -- True Item: A consumer in Seattle reports finding a hypodermic syringe in a can of Diet Pepsi.

JULY:
1 -- A consumer in Detroit reports finding a switchblade knife in a can of Diet Pepsi.

AUGUST
3 -- A consumer in Baton Rouge reports finding a machete in a can of Diet Pepsi.

SEPTEMBER
1 -- A consumer in Boston reports finding an AK-47 assault rifle in a can of Diet Pepsi.
5 -- In a move strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association, the California State Legislature passes a law requiring a five-day "cooling-off" period on purchases of Diet Pepsi.

OCTOBER
1 -- A consumer in Phoenix reports finding a nuclear submarine in a can of Diet Pepsi.

NOVEMBER
1 -- A consumer in Detroit reports finding a full combat division of the Iraqi army in a can of Diet Pepsi.

DECEMBER
1 -- A consumer in Orlando reports finding the Ark of the Covenant in a can of Diet Pepsi.

yes, this is a security concern

[Doppler00]

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 had one of those cans

[Orion Blastar]

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?

We're Paranoid By Profession.

[Anonymous Coward]

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???

Nope...

[Cyno01]

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.

Dolts

[crmartin]

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.