Exclusive: Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet

[thundley4]

A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech’s computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the U.S. military’s most important weapons system.

“We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with the network infection, one of three that told Danger Room about the virus. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know.”

Military network security specialists aren’t sure whether the virus and its so-called “keylogger” payload were introduced intentionally or by accident; it may be a common piece of malware that just happened to make its way into these sensitive networks. The specialists don’t know exactly how far the virus has spread. But they’re sure that the infection has hit both classified and unclassified machines at Creech. That raises the possibility, at least, that secret data may have been captured by the keylogger, and then transmitted over the public internet to someone outside the military chain of command.

  Wired: Danger Room

This can't be good.

[rich_t]

Hint to DoD.  Stop using portable drives that EVER connect to the public domain.

[RightCoast]

Good morning Skynet, nice to meet you...

[ChuckJ]

However, insiders say that senior officers at Creech are being briefed daily on the virus.

“It’s getting a lot of attention,” the source says. “But no one’s panicking. Yet.”

I had a virus infect my old system. Every time I'd think that I'd have it wiped it would reappear. I was more concerned than these folks appear to be.

I ended up with dual hard drive failure. I don't know if the virus had anything to do with it, but I find it suspicious that two hard drives failed within 8 hours of each other.

[JohnnyReb]

So, does this mean that they might/could be taken over by enemy agents in the field? Does the control panels have a "destruct" button? Do out troops have a method of detecting and bringing down rogue units?

Just wondering.

[RightCoast]

This is what happens when official US policy on Cyber War is:

1) Pretend it doesn't exist
2) Ignore it when it happens
3) Publicly state that no retaliation will be taken against the attackers

[JohnnyReb]

This is what happens when official US policy on Cyber War is:

1) Pretend it doesn't exist
2) Ignore it when it happens
3) Publicly state that no retaliation will be taken against the attackers

Hey, why admit before hand that a drone has been programmed to home in on the attacker..... ....Hey, shit happens when you play with dangerous toys.

[thundley4]

This is what happens when official US policy on Cyber War is:

1) Pretend it doesn't exist
2) Ignore it when it happens
3) Publicly state that no retaliation will be taken against the attackers
4) The Obama Administration is more concerned about monitoring social networking sites, message boards, and blogs for negative Obama comments than actual national security.

FIFY

[RightCoast]

FIFY

good point

[IassaFTots]

This is what happens when official US policy on Cyber War is:

1) Pretend it doesn't exist
2) Ignore it when it happens
3) Publicly state that no retaliation will be taken against the attackers
4) The Obama Administration is more concerned about monitoring social networking sites, message boards, and blogs for negative Obama comments than actual national security.
5) Oh yeah, and not use Windows Machines.   

[zeitgeist]

This is what happens when official US policy on Cyber War is:

1) Pretend it doesn't exist
2) Ignore it when it happens
3) Publicly state that no retaliation will be taken against the attackers

This is what happens when you promote based on "Affirmative Action".  I use to see it all the time.   The Fed IT world is top heavy with incompetence; promoted, based not on competence, but quotas and crony-ism.  It is a sad fact.  You don't get ahead in the Federal Bureaucracy being competent, in fact, it many cases it is viewed as a threat to the status quo.  

ETA:

Deal of the Century comes to mind from this thread.