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Air Force Aims for Control of 'Any and All' Computers
Noah Shachtman on Wired.com's Danger Room reports that Monday, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB introduced a two-year, $11 million effort to put together hardware and software tools for 'Dominant Cyber Offensive Engagement.' 'Of interest are any and all techniques to enable user and/or root level access,' a request for proposals notes, 'to both fixed (PC) or mobile computing platforms ... any and all operating systems, patch levels, applications and hardware.' This isn't just some computer science study, mind you; 'research efforts under this program are expected to result in complete functional capabilities.' The Air Force has already announced their desire to manage an offensive BotNet, comprised of unwitting participatory computers. How long before they slip a root kit on you?
While I don't like our currently Nazi regime in the U.S., I am nevertheless A U.S. citizen and it is paramount for our defenses to strive for such capabilities.. Even more paramount to defend from such capabilities as they have already been developed by other countries and are being used against us.
I do wonder, however, how a growing awareness of these issues will drive adoption of open source operating software.. and, what tricky techniques will be used to trojan it? We must be able to take throw punches but we must be able to take them, too. We are behind in this area (except for the fact that the NSA very likely already has access to all networked Windows machines in the world).
The parent comment is NOT flamebait. It is insightful as hell.
The fact that the USAF is considering this illegal and immoral outrage is flamebait. I guess some air force lifer has mod points today. When I metamoderate him he won't.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
They might as well wish they could read minds, teleport, and find Carmen Sandiego. Or at least Osama.
I don't believe they're looking for Osama. If you have a boogeyman that's scary enough to make the populace give up their rights and quench your thirst for power, you would be insane to do away with the boogeyman.
Thanks to Bin Laden, my cowardly countrymen are begging government to take their rights away.
Don't hgold your breath waiting for Bin Laden to be found. They found Saddam soon enough, he's dead because of what he knew.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
So if a President felt like shooting you in the head because he thinks you're ugly, you're okay with him continuing to run our country?
Please tell me our country has not stooped to the level where average citizens are willing to suffer fascist/communist leaders.
You spit in the faces of the signers of the Constitution of the United States with such ignorant comments. Or did you forget about Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and, most notably, Richard Nixon?
Moderators: please forgive the outburst, but ignorance, especially ignorance of political freedoms, very quickly boils my blood. I'd even say it makes plasma of my plasma... because, yes... I am that much of a nerd. :)
Resistance is futile. Your technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. You will become one with the morgue
Naivety? LOL.
You *might* have some grounds to claims that there would be constitutional violations if the USAF actually took control of your machine.
However:
1. They haven't.
2. They're not planning on it.
If you and and 90% of the other fear-mongering dipshits posting here would use common sense, and read, you'd realize (and you shouldn't have to read this as it should be obvious) that the USAF is trying to stay up on these technologies in case they need to use it against ENEMIES, not their own people.
So next time, think a bit before calling someone naive.
And save your *sigh* for when you can make a point. Comments like that and your attempted insult by calling me "naive" due to you own inability to read means nothing. Make a point or don't. But don't bother throwing insults out with nothing else.
3rd admendment? HAHA. Do you call the police every time the Amry conducts a training excercise because they're trying to kill you and violating your right to live? That's just funny.
OMG the USAF is spending money to take over machines. They're coming for me. Call me when we get to the book burnings, k bud?