Iraqi resistance hacks into US drones

[GenMarshall]

Metal Gear is a video game gentlemen. The real world does not opperate like a video game.

What do you expect in a forum on a TBS game .

 

[Patroklos]

Exactly what I am getting, but I figured after years of pointing this out it might stick

 

[RedRalph]

Exactly what I am getting, but I figured after years of pointing this out it might stick

Every time someone criticises the military you say its because they think its a computer game. Sometimes the military makes stupid errors, and this is a stupid error. If I had asked you two weeks ago if leaving a drone on an unsecured network was a good idea you would have said 'no'. If the Russians did this you would cite is as further proof of the deterioration of their military and their ineptness.

 

[Patroklos]

Listen, if you want to start installing world class encryption on every grunts ipod/camera/electric razor be my guest. In the real world things don't run off of ore collection, we have to allocate resources, it a fact even the American has to live with (and needs to do a better job of).

We have identified an enemy tactic and will adapt accordingly. However we probably operated like this for years with no problems saving probably tens of thousands of man hours is CSM management in doing so. God only knows what those man hourse were used for and the benefits derived from them. Its a shame we can't continue doing so. This is not the last vector our enemy will discover, and its not the last time we will change accordingly.

 

[MobBoss]

Guys - It's not very hard to find...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8419147.stm

Its even easier to cut and paste it in when making a thread.

So they can see us blowing hell out of them too. Kewl.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Listen, if you want to start installing world class encryption on every grunts ipod/camera/electric razor be my guest.

Do you honestly think that's what we are discussing here? Strawman arguments, I mean really...

 

[Patroklos]

It is exactly what we are discussing, the incessent nitpicking of every little thing the US military does and classifying it as an abject failure because our enemies dared look for advantages.

Next people will be complaining that there were not laser beams available to shoot down morter rounds. Actually, scratch that, the are ALREADY complaining about that.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR BULLETS DON'T HAVE HOMING CAPABILITY!!!

 

[Ecofarm]

Look, every radio transmitting from a human in the US military, whether grunt, tank, heli or airplane has state-of-the-art freq-hop and encryption. We just don't want to put that on drones because:

1. It will cost.
2. They can be captured. Putting this gear on them makes them high-value targets regarding intelligence.

But obviously, we are going to have to put some gear/encryption on them, of some sort.

 

[Patroklos]

Nah, RRW&co would be whining about how we could have possible let encryption data in the hands of our enemies.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

It is exactly what we are discussing, the incessent nitpicking of everyth little thing the US military does and classifying it as an abject failure because our enemies dared look for advantages.

Well, that's just the usual suspects, I guess.

 

[warpus]

Listen, if you want to start installing world class encryption on every grunts ipod/camera/electric razor be my guest. In the real world things don't run off of ore collection, we have to allocate resources, it a fact even the American has to live with (and needs to do a better job of).

We have identified an enemy tactic and will adapt accordingly. However we probably operated like this for years with no problems saving probably tens of thousands of man hours is CSM management in doing so. God only knows what those man hourse were used for and the benefits derived from them. Its a shame we can't continue doing so. This is not the last vector our enemy will discover, and its not the last time we will change accordingly.

You obviously know nothing about encryption.

"vector"

hilarious

 

[Patroklos]

I was speaking of a threat vector which is term describing a way in which an enemy can harm you, it has nothing to do with encryption specifically.

Cleverness fail on your part

 

[J-man]

According to wired, militants can 'hack' into most US warplanes.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/12/not-just-drones-militants-can-snoop-on-most-us-warplanes/

 

[Babbler]

It nice to know that people are waging the Iraq War in the same manner as it had been decided and and planned, even after all these years.

 

[innonimatu]

Every time someone criticises the military you say its because they think its a computer game. Sometimes the military makes stupid errors, and this is a stupid error. If I had asked you two weeks ago if leaving a drone on an unsecured network was a good idea you would have said 'no'. If the Russians did this you would cite is as further proof of the deterioration of their military and their ineptness.

You see, the military is like a video game: some people's roles are like "bots", with scripts to read. Once you know that you will no longer be surprised by seeing the same arguments repeated over and over in defense of any given country's institutions.

 

[warpus]

I was speaking of a threat vector which is term describing a way in which an enemy can harm you, it has nothing to do with encryption specifically.

Cleverness fail on your part

Yes, I know what you meant, but I was laughing because..

well, imagine this scenario

Soldier: "Sir! Our camp has been compromised!"
General: "What? How??"
Soldier: "They just walked in!"
General: "Dammit! I knew we should have built a fence!"
Soldier: "I told you they would have figured out this vector eventually"
General: "SILENCE"

Not encrypting something like that is as stupid as leaving your front door open while going on vacation.

 

[bhsup]

I am a little confused. Where does the "hacking" come into play? From the use of the word, I expected to be reading about Iraqis actually accessing the hardware on the drone itself and gaining control of some function.

This is just more like me tuning in Channel 4 with an aerial.

EDIT: Which hey, I'll be honest, I think the military shouldn't be allowing these signals to be in the clear unencrypted and I'm shocked that they are, but this isn't "hacking".

 

[warpus]

I am a little confused. Where does the "hacking" come into play? From the use of the word, I expected to be reading about Iraqis actually accessing the hardware on the drone itself and gaining control of some function.

This is just more like me tuning in Channel 4 with an aerial.

It's not, they're just saying 'hacking' to make the story sound cooler and more exciting.

 

[xchen08]

Not encrypting something like that is as stupid as leaving your front door open while going on vacation.

Except according to all sources, this problem was well known, the security implications were judged to be minimal because of the very specific circumstances necessary for insurgents to make use of it, and doing without encryption both saved costs and more importantly time to get the system deployed, which has undeniably saved many lives.

It's a case of a calculated risk where the downsides have now come to pass, not of stupid military officers suddenly realizing it was unencrypted.

 

[Babbler]

Except according to all sources, this problem was well known, the security implications were judged to be minimal because of the very specific circumstances necessary for insurgents to make use of it, and doing without encryption both saved costs and more importantly time to get the system deployed, which has undeniably saved many lives.

It's a case of a calculated risk where the downsides have now come to pass, not of stupid military officers suddenly realizing it was unencrypted.

I thought the point of the drones - like the military itself - is to undeniably kill many lives [of combatants].