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Apple Mobile Devices Cleared For Use On US Military Networks
puddingebola writes with this excerpt from a Bloomberg report: "The Pentagon cleared Apple Inc. (AAPL) devices for use on its networks, setting the stage for the maker of iPhones and iPads to compete with Samsung Electronics Co. and BlackBerry for military sales. The Defense Department said in a statement [Friday] that it has approved the use of Cupertino, California-based Apple's products running a version of the iOS 6 mobile platform. The decision eventually may spur a three-way fight for a market long dominated by Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry.'" Also, Apple devices are best for uploading viruses to alien craft.
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so what does IOS 6 military have over the main IOS?
Can you side load easily with it?
"We have a go for ICBM strike to impact 30 miles west of Moscow."
"This should compensate enough, right?"
Translation: Using a custom version of iOS theyre reasonably sure theres no backdoors they dont have access too.
Will this matter once somebody make an easy to use PGP--like app for phones that encrypts outgoing voice, decrypts incoming voice?
Almost everyone will have access to military level secure communications that renders interception useless. This obviously excludes
devices that have interception capabilities built-in.
Plan: Skynet Expansion right on schedule.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
"a peace symbol sir"
a peace symbol? but dont you sell to the military?
"yes sir"
what are you trying to say soldier?
"something about the duality of man sir"
networks, setting the stage for the maker of iPhones and iPads to compete with Samsung Electronics Co. and BlackBerry for military sales
How did Samsung even get there?
Can you side load easily with it?
Enterprises could always "side load" (bypass the Apple App Store) their own apps on their own devices.
iOS 6 is most likely specified simply because its the current version. To keep things simple. Want onto the network, then be running the current os version. That and the internal developers needs a min iOS target.
This represents a serious change in Apple's direction. They have avoided the business/enterprise market because they haven't been interested in competing in other, existing markets and certainly never wanted to be held to the same standards as the likes of Dell. But now the government/military market? This is a long way from trying to tie everything together with iTunes.
So, they have lost of Blackberries today, they work, they are secure and they are proven secure.
(With BB10 they might have to do all the testing over again)
Apparently somehow Samsung and Android have managed to be approved or at least in the running.
And now iPhones running iOS6 have also been approved.
So now, they will spend millions and more of tax payer money, to create a special store with iOS applications,
presumably a special store with Android applications, while still maintaining all of their Blackberry infrastructure.
This adds many levels of complexity for the infrastructure,and the hiring and training of support personal
for all sorts of devices. Why? What benefit does Pentagon bet from maintaing 3 different platforms
instead of one?
The only reason I see for this clusterf. is that vendors have greaser enough hands, to get into this lucrative
market, again leaving our forces to deal with the implications.
My wish, as an Apple device user and a military member, is that DISA would simply fork DoD versions of Linux and Android, have our own software repositories for both and be done with it.
This adds many levels of complexity for the infrastructure,and the hiring and training of support personal
for all sorts of devices. Why? What benefit does Pentagon bet from maintaing 3 different platforms
instead of one?
Short term its true, long term its simply stupid. Dependence on a single vendor...whoever they are is simply bad for any business. It keeps the vendors honest (massive cost saving), and better supply chain(another cost saving).
Now whether a closed ecosystem like apple should be considered at all is a different matter.
How did Samsung even get there?
Ironically while Apple executives laugh at the president at the suggestion of iphone manufacture in the states, Samsung make their chips in the US. Really its a mystery why Apple is being considered at all they are as anti American as they come. If I was cynical I would suggest its part of the deal to bring back the some imac mini manufacturing to the states...although we have seen very little actual manufacture as yet.
Some may be wondering how this could be possible when almost all Apple devices have built-in cameras. The military employs a skilled third party to remove them completely instead of just disabling them. Here is some of his work (a Mac with the iSight taken out): http://i40.tinypic.com/2yvs9ki.jpg .
Are we talking about FIPS or a Common Criteria EAL level? Or something else?
Is there any information about the specifics?
Are we talking about FIPS or a Common Criteria EAL level? Or something else?
Is there any information about the specifics?
To reply to my own question: the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) released a Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for iOS 6:
http://www.disa.mil/News/PressResources/2013/STIG-Apple
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=120073
FIPS certification for the crypto module was actually issued earlier this year. STIGs are available at the link below, with BlackBerry 10 S and Samsung Knox currently available, but it looks like iOS 6 hasn't yet been posted at the moment (Sunday, May 19):
http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/
I don't believe iOS has received a Common Criteria rating, which BlackBerry has.
I'm glad the end of "don't ask, don't tell" let's all smartphones serve their country proudly.
US military networks must have an awful lot of RAM and power CPUs then because dropping an Apple bomb on them is quite the system resources burden, lol.
It should be required that ALL of these devices be made in western nations. Otherwise, you can be certain that there will be backdoors in the hardware.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
The sooner they accept this, the better. They had a good run, but they're now the dinosaurs of the cellular market.
Alpine
----- In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream...
Wouldn't this be yet another avenue for the Chinese government to put in back doors on the chips to shut down the phones or make clandestine connections and report military secrets back to home base? I get suspicious whenever the USA buys chips made outside our country for use in electronics that are used for killing and holding national secrets.
Pinch of Death vs. BlackBerry Thumb. Fight!
Pie is guaranteed.
There were lots of reports on the brilliant performance. I like to read
As the industrialization is taken into the solid waste management projects, a lot of companies take part into the projects, the management of the projects become more complex.
Apple is going to find out the hard way that 'fast development/aquisition' means something entirely different to Apple than it does to the military. Apple probably thinks that half a year is a long time, while the military thinks that five/ten years is quite average.
Apple is mistaken if it thinks it's going to play a role above level 'Restricted'. Well, unless it's pilots. But pilots get whatever they want anyway.
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
so bb, goog, and ios are all approved? in the short term, there will be a department of redundant phone platforms department that will waste a lot of money. in the long term, having competitors in the mix will be good for the military and cheaper.
Since iOS apps can share each other's data with no way to keep it partitioned, this is just begging for a Wikileaks app to sit there and collect everything...
when Steve Jobs was CEO, there was. i cant remember exactly which section, but i remember it. might have been the 'student' section.