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$26 of Software Defeats American Military

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the cheap-at-twice-the-price dept.

reporter writes "A computer program that can be easily purchased for $25.95 off the Internet can read and store the data transmitted on an unsecured channel by an unmanned drone. Drones are crucial to American military operations, for these aerial vehicles enable Washington to conduct war with a reduced number of soldiers. '... the intercepts could give America's enemies battlefield advantages by removing the element of surprise from certain missions and making it easier for insurgents to determine which roads and buildings are under US surveillance.'"

3 of 534 comments (clear)

  1. my favorite part: by circletimessquare · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The militants use programs such as SkyGrabber, from Russian company SkySoftware. Andrew Solonikov, one of the software's developers, said he was unaware that his software could be used to intercept drone feeds. "It was developed to intercept music, photos, video, programs and other content that other users download from the Internet -- no military data or other commercial data, only free legal content," he said by email from Russia.

    can you hear the RIAA licking its chops? "see? we told you: media piracy software directly supports terrorism!" be on the lookout for media company fearmongering after this fiasco

    otherwise, it looks like cyberpunk science fiction is now reality: insurgents hacking airbourne military robots. those 5 words are straight out of 1980s science fiction. skynet indeed

    and thats some awesome security you have on those video feeds there mr. pentagon! what kind of military intelligence does it require to conclude that gee, i dunno, maybe those feeds should be encrypted? pffffft

    A senior defense official said that James Clapper, the Pentagon's intelligence chief, assessed the Iraq intercepts at the direction of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and concluded they represented a shortcoming to the security of the drone network.

    you guys are fucking brilliant. you concluded unencrypted live video feeds of battlefields represented a shortcoming? your enemy now knows where you are looking, and where you aren't. what your concerns and priorities are, and what you may know about what the enemy is doing. in real time. you morons are truly a credit to the union. i wonder how many soldiers on the ground have had their lives put in danger by this stunning demonstration of cunning military intelligence?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  2. Re:This is bullshit, guys. by flosofl · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Ethereal(wireshark was renamed ages ago you know)...

    You have that backward. It hasn't gone by Ethereal for quite a few years. The official, current name is Wireshark.

    --
    "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
  3. Re:This is bullshit, guys. by bsDaemon · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Wireshark is the new name for what started out as Ethereal, not the other way around.