Posted on 12/17/2009 4:38:32 AM PST by Yo-Yo
Iraqi insurgents intercepted Predator drone communications using $26 tool, according to report Insurgents in Iraq were able to intercept video images transmitted by the US army’s unmanned spy planes using software cheaply available on the Internet, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The insurgents were not able to control the Predator drones, but military personnel told the newspaper that tactical advantages may have been compromised by the breach.
It came to light when US soldiers captured a laptop belonging to insurgents, and found that it contained video images from a Predator drone. The WSJ report cites a source claiming that insurgents regularly used satellite communications interception software “available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet”.
The news highlights an emerging dimension of the growing sophistication of the cyber-criminal underground: While once a certain degree of technical know-how was required to become a ‘hacker’, today such is the demand that cheap and easy-to-use tools are widely available on the web.
“The problem here is these video feeds have telemetry information such as where the sensor platform is located (altitude, location, airspeed) and more importantly, what they are looking at (location, altitude) and, by observing what they focus on over time, they can figure out the mission of that sensor platform.”
I agree. I think it’s a stretch to believe that if they won’t bother to encrypt the intelligence (video feeds), why bother to encrypt the telemetry too....
The best part is that they generally have these drones in a stealthy airframe (RCS-wise) to make them hard to detect, but then they likely broadcast in the clear the actual location (indirectly through video, if not directly through telemetry).
This is head-rolling stuff, but I am sure someone will get a raise and a promotion instead.
The army has been using UAV’s, mainly skywarriors throgh the majority of the Iraq war. Started as reconnaisance but quickly moved to modifed hellfire missile capabilities. A newer round of JDAM lite is in the testing phase.
Totally agree. No way the UAV satcoms were compromised. If anyone gathered unsecured satcom material is wasn’t a military satellite.
Technically, you're right, the Army doesn't fly Predators, they fly Sky Warriors, but both are derived from the same General Atomics MQ-1 platform.
As you may recall, there was a huge stink last year because the US Army were flying their Sky Warriors in Iraq using enlisted personnel, and the control centers were in Iraq. The USAF only allows rated Flight Officers to fly Predators, and they're based at Creech in Nevada.
The stink arose because the USAF said that they were limited in the number of rated pilots they could supply, while the Army were cranking out NCO operators for their fledgling program.
“Clinton’s fault for the whole “COTS” procurement brainstorm. “
COTS was at least in play during the Reagan years. I joined the service in 1983 and it was in play then.
As you may have noticed from the daily War Porn posts, the UAV video feeds have heading, airspeed, and GPS coordinates superimposed on the camera video, as well as time and date stamps. So if the video is unencrypted, that portion of the telemetry are also visible.
On posted videos, often some of this information is blurred out.
“while the Army were cranking out NCO operators for their fledgling program.”
Not to mention the contractors are cranking out pilots. I have two cousins involved with that and there is no doubt the AF brass is puttng up roadblocks. They are civilians rated to fly various UAVs. The fact is UAVs are obtaining far greater missions capabilities and having far greater successes. I am a private pilot, and, Hell, even I am jealous!
My point, exactly.
Another thing: Do we know for certain that we are talking about Predator video? The article isn't clear, but it seems to be hinting that it may be Predator video. Knowing the average reporter, the term "Predator" is being used like "Kleenex" -- a catch-all for any recon-UAV. I'm thinking that it's more likely that IF these are actual video-intercepts, that is is far more likely to be from one of those man-portable UAV's that are used at battalion-level (or below) to smoke out what is happening over the next hill.
The video for a short-range, tactical drone like that needn't be encrypted. It'd be nice, but the nature of the intel that the enemy would glean would be pretty perishable -- like in minutes or hours.
Kind of reminicent of what happened when helicopters were introduced in large numbers in both services. The Army started minting WO's in large numbers instead of creating a huge number of commissioned officers.
bump
What is the data link for Sky Warrior? Satellite (Doubt it), or direct RF link to ground station?
THis is real, and has been a problem since at least 2002.
Do a google search - the Brits have covered this for a while - or look at the prior two posting on this story, lots of stuff there.
I’m still thinking that when all the facts come out this will be less of a big deal than the media is making it. Still it might mean more dollars for comm programs, eh?
Well, all I know is that when I was in the USN (as a CTT3 doing SigSec work out of San Diego), we did some R&D testing at Fort Huachucha, Az these UAV-SR (as they were called then). The video was sent at that time (1990/1991) in the clear. It was in my report I forwarded up the chain of command, as well as the mag tapes of any signals, my analysis, the computer files, and the video recording off VHS. All were date/time stamped, so they could do collated - that this action by the UAV caused this spike in signal, and this corresponding change in the video.
US military drone security breach "fixed"-official-Excerpt (Rotor Reuters)WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The Pentagon has closed a security breach that allowed insurgents to hack into data feeds from pilotless "drone" aircraft that provide real-time video of war zones, a U.S. defense official said on Thursday.
The comments followed a report in the Wall Street Journal that revealed Shi'ite fighters in Iraq used software that cost as little as $26 to intercept the video feeds, potentially allowing them to monitor U.S. military operations.
"It is an old issue that was addressed and fixed," the U.S. defense official said when asked about the article.
The article said U.S. military personnel in Iraq discovered the problem last year after apprehending a Shi'ite insurgent who had digital files of drone video feeds on his laptop. More files were found on other militants' laptops in July.
NO boosters, means no MilStar 4 or 5 in orbit.
The space shuttle wuz such a gud idea, eh? And the ISS, billions, and billions (back when a billion was real money) down a rathole.
We need to get politics out of space and turn it over to commercial firms who are serious about getting off of theis rock....
Or maybe not...
Not Just Drones: Militants Can Snoop on Most U.S. Warplanes (Updated)Link only due to Wired.com's no post policy.
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