The Cyberwar Thread

[bugwar]

From the article -
$250m-a-year covert US program inserted secret vulnerabilities – known as backdoors or trapdoors – into commercial encryption software.

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security

 

[Glassfan]

...Fear of this, even if it is a rare occurrence, could hinder the development and sale of self-driving/parking vehicles, not to mention the idea of a centrally-controlled grid.

I suppose this speaks to the issue of public apathy over the issue. Software is still being written for public sale with little reguard for cybersecurity. One wonders if someday we'll be reading about a suicide terrorist who brings down a plane by hacking into it's nav computer during the flight...

 

[Azurian]

I wonder when the first catastrophic smartphone virus is going to attack. Most people beleive smartphones are invulnerable to viruses and malware.

 

[Glassfan]

Stephen King has a version of that called Cell.

 

[bugwar]

I suppose this speaks to the issue of public apathy over the issue. Software is still being written for public sale with little reguard for cybersecurity. One wonders if someday we'll be reading about a suicide terrorist who brings down a plane by hacking into it's nav computer during the flight...

Hacking should be a lot easier with the NSA providing back doors into encryption software.

 

[Glassfan]

Hacking should be a lot easier with the NSA providing back doors into encryption software.

So extremely apathetic, that allowing backdoors is acceptable to programmers.

 

[bugwar]

So extremely apathetic, that allowing backdoors is acceptable to programmers.

I suspect that the project programmers would mentioned the issue, but that NSA management overruled them.

 

[Glassfan]

In a real democracy, they'll always be a Snowden who takes talk of "transparency" seriously.

 

[r16]

ı kinda remember the European demands for a list of backdoors in Windows in itself , just about in 2007 or so . Nobody can sell anything without backdoors .

 

[civ_king]

I suppose this speaks to the issue of public apathy over the issue. Software is still being written for public sale with little reguard for cybersecurity. One wonders if someday we'll be reading about a suicide terrorist who brings down a plane by hacking into it's nav computer during the flight...

Dick Clarke pointed out a security hole like that in the Boeing Dreamliner, only it could have been done remotely...

 

[bugwar]

Dragon Dome links ISR, air operations and missile defense systems at the battle management level, according to a company (Lockheed Martin) press release.


Dragon Shield module pictured.

Source: http://www.c4isrnet.com/article/201.../Dragon-Dome-ties-ISR-air-ops-missile-defense

 

[Glassfan]

Alexander: Cybercom Activates National Mission Force HQ

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2013 – U.S. Cyber Command has activated the headquarters for its Cyber National Mission Force, the one of its three forces that would react to a cyber attack on the nation, Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, Cybercom’s commander, said at the National Press Club today.

The other two forces are the Cyber Combat Mission Force that is assigned to the operational control of individual combatant commanders, and the Cyber Protection Force that helps operate and defend the Defense Department’s information environment.

 

[Glassfan]

GEN Keith Alexander addresses media leaks and cybersecurity...

 

[Glassfan]

James Lyne: Everyday cybercrime -- and what you can do about it

Actually products and services on the Internet promoting virus and malware, including yechnical support.

 

[bugwar]

If it ain't broken, better fix it.

Despite the record low number of friendly fire casualties in recent years, a lot of firms are scrambling to make it even lower.

Source: http://www.cassidian.com/en_US/web/...provide-combat-aircraft-with-a-new-capability

 

[Ajidica]

While not exactly cyberwar, the following article is interesting in how the FBI tracked down the suspected operator of the drug selling site 'Silk Road'.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24371894

Moral of the Story: If you are going to run an illegal website, don't stick your real name or email address anywhere on the internet whatsoever.

 

[bugwar]

The U.S. Army issued a manual (ATP 2-22.9) for using the Internets as an Intel source.

Source: http://www.oceanuslive.org/main/viewnews.aspx?uid=00000520

 

[trader/warrior]

badBIOS, ugh, malware and viruses just keep getting scarier and scarier.

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...erious-mac-and-pc-malware-that-jumps-airgaps/

Some choice quotes:

A computer running the Open BSD operating system also began to modify its settings and delete its data without explanation or prompting. His network transmitted data specific to the Internet's next-generation IPv6 networking protocol, even from computers that were supposed to have IPv6 completely disabled. Strangest of all was the ability of infected machines to transmit small amounts of network data with other infected machines even when their power cords and Ethernet cables were unplugged and their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards were removed. Further investigation soon showed that the list of affected operating systems also included multiple variants of Windows and Linux.

Within hours or weeks of wiping an infected computer clean, the odd behavior would return. The most visible sign of contamination is a machine's inability to boot off a CD, but other, more subtle behaviors can be observed when using tools such as Process Monitor, which is designed for troubleshooting and forensic investigations.

Another intriguing characteristic: in addition to jumping "airgaps" designed to isolate infected or sensitive machines from all other networked computers, the malware seems to have self-healing capabilities.

"At one point, we were editing some of the components and our registry editor got disabled. It was like: wait a minute, how can that happen? How can the machine react and attack the software that we're using to attack it? This is an air-gapped machine and all of a sudden the search function in the registry editor stopped working when we were using it to search for their keys."

 

[Glassfan]

American Blackout National Geographic

 

[Gary Childress]

badBIOS, ugh, malware and viruses just keep getting scarier and scarier.

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...erious-mac-and-pc-malware-that-jumps-airgaps/

Some choice quotes:

Wow! Amazing story! There's got to be a rational explanation. It seems impossible that PCs can communicate with each other while all the standard connections between them are removed. Unless we want to start speculating about alien forces or self aware machines or something.

I think there is a lot of paranoia over computers, that they control us as much as we think we control them. I would think ultimately humans are the ones who do the programming. I would think a lot of the paranoia probably comes from not knowing how computers operate, like there are magic fairy pixies involved or something. It does seem amazing to the novice that computers can do what they currently do. I would be seriously surprised if our current computers have conscious awareness for example.

Of course it makes for sensational news and TV stories that attract consumers to invest in products or news sources. Stories of AI "singularities" probably compete pretty fierce with Bigfoot sightings and alien abductions for public attention. I'm surprised National Geographic has jumped on the bandwagon of scaring the public. I guess it's getting harder and harder to sell pictures of naked pigmy tribes-people?