Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Britain's Newest Warship Runs Windows XP, Raising Cyber Attack Fears (telegraph.co.uk)

Posted by BeauHD on from the outdated-operating-systems dept.

Chrisq shares a report from The Telegraph: Fears have been raised that Britain's largest ever warship could be vulnerable to cyber attacks after it emerged it appears to be running the outdated Microsoft Windows XP. A defense source told The telegraph that some of the on-board hardware and software "would have been good in 2004" when the carrier was designed, "but now seems rather antiquated." However, he added that HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to be given a computer refit within a decade. And senior officers said they will have cyber specialists on board to defend the carrier from such attacks.

6 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. Cyber specialists by manu0601 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they will have cyber specialists on board to defend the carrier from such attacks

    They are supposed to defend unsupported proprietary software. The right name is not cyber specialist, but rather priest.

    1. Re: Cyber specialists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The systems are very likely DoD (or at least) connected for remote maintenance. There will be a minimum of 3 encryption black boxes before satellite uplink. Switching OS is nice. But the US government pays for Windows XP support and updates. I'm far more concerned about software which actually requires XP. The entire ship should be running NSA Secure Host Baseline (https://github.com/iadgov/secure-host-baseline).

      Why would we want the Americans to control the software?
      Did you read the article? Do you think we trust your president?

    2. Re:Cyber specialists by Darinbob · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's outright scary that they would consider using a Windows of any version. Can you see them on Windows 10 and just as they engage with the enemy all the computer screens say "Restarting to Install Advertising Update. Please Do Not Power Off Your Computer."

    3. Re:Cyber specialists by Jamu · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sure you're mistaken, Michael Fallon, Conservative MP, drunk driver, and graduate in Classics and Ancient History, says they're properly protected.

      --
      Who ordered that?
  2. As opposed to... by xlsior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... Windows for Warships? (Seriously, that exists) Anyway: despite windows XP's age Microsoft will still actively support it for organizations willing to send them a boatload of money, and the rates only go up the more time passes. But when you're talking about the operating costs of a large warship, the cost for continued xp support is only a rounding error in the total.

  3. Is there even a word for this level of stupidity? by JustNiz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The die-cision to use anything from Microsoft in a mission-critical environment, let alone a 16+ year old OS with a giant list of known exploits goes so far beyond amazingly stupid I can't even find the words.