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?

Comments

Mod parent up

[sm62704]

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.

Re:The big problem with this...

[sm62704]

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.