from SLATE: >Insurgents Can Easily Hack Drones
> The remotely piloted aircraft has become a key weapon in the fights in > Afghanistan and Iraq. It costs millions of dollars apiece, and with the help > of cheap software, insurgents can intercept the live video feeds from the > drones. Using software programs such as Skygrabber, which costs $26 and > copies are widely available for free online, insurgents can exploit a > security hole in the system to get a look at exactly what U.S. personnel are > seeing. Most of the hacking discoveries have been in Iraq, but officials have > found evidence that it is going on in Afghanistan as well. Although it > doesn't seem like militants can actually take control of the drones, just > being able to take a look at what they are recording could be of tremendous > help to escape the watchful eye of the United States. American officials have > known about this vulnerability for years, but they didn't think enemies would > know how to take advantage of it. There's been some attempt at encryption, > but it's no easy proposition and could hurt the ability to act on the > information quickly. Now the United States is getting ready to spend as much > as $4.5 billion to buy new-generation drones that have the same > vulnerability.< from Wall Street JOURNAL at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126102247889095011.html -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
