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    American Drones Are Infected with a Computer Virus

    American Drones Are Infected with a Computer Virus

    A virus has infected America's drone fleet, Wired's Noah Shachtman reports. It logs every keystroke operators type from their base in Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, but that hasn't halted their missions. Though the military hasn't found any incidents of the virus sending information to an outside source, they haven't been able to get rid of it. Shachtman explains:

    "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. 

    The U.S. has increasingly relied on drones to carry out the war on terror in Afghanistan in recent years. Al Qaeda YouTube preacher Anwar al-Awlaki was killed last month by a drone strike in Yemen.

     
     
    Top Locations Cedar Rapids

    2,020 comments

    • TechnologyGuru  •  Cedar Rapids, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I'm working on a kernel engine in my class to design a new anti-virus program. so i'm required to write and create live working computer viruses as in the ethical way to test out the programs that we make in class. That's how we lean how viruses work so that we can design and develop better security software. CS major
    • Willebug  •  7 mths ago
      SKYNET!!!
      • andrewr 7 mths ago
        lol yeah right.....
      • Fukashima Troung 7 mths ago
        Revenge of the nerds.
      • JungleBear 7 mths ago
        Beat me to it ,AI is emerging, watch out they are liable to bomb you, could the Matrix be true and we are just sleeping and think this is real, woooooooo
    • Dude  •  7 mths ago
      wasnt this the plot of terminator 3?
      • no name 7 mths ago
        Movies are just a precursor to the inevitable.
    • Bravo Two-Two  •  7 mths ago
      This sounds like 'Digital Warfare'. I was an 11Bang Bang so the only thing I used in my tour in Iraq was the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven. *lol* -SGT E.
      • Wraith 7 mths ago
        Raven... stupid raven flightline right by my chu. and the stupid artillery counter batteries .
      • TheCyndicate.com 7 mths ago
        To me, this looks like someone hooked up an infected personal computer/laptop to the network. They probably got the virus while at home, downloading "things". Then they brought it to work, and unknowingly infected the drone computer system when they hooked their computer to the network, in order to use that networks internet connection. SIMPLE solution, do not allow personal computers to be hooked up to sensitive computers and networks.
      • Bravo Two-Two 7 mths ago
        I had 2 missions to go recover a Raven drone twice in a row. It #$%$ me of, I had just come of from a 12 hour Tower Guard and 2 hours of ECP guard so you know I was tired. It took us forever to find the #$%$ thing since it was during nighttime and it was under tree shadows (night vision can't see any shadows).
    • American  •  7 mths ago
      As the two combat servos meet prior to an upcomming firefight. One transmitted to the other asking, do you believe in man ?
    • TOMORROWS HERE  •  7 mths ago
      wait till they shut down the power grid.
      • DJLake 7 mths ago
        Chinese have already tested the ability to do that.
      • Stan 7 mths ago
        ..or blow up the site that sent them outT LOL
    • William  •  7 mths ago
      Our brave drones are sick.
      • jilm 7 mths ago
        ..it is kind of a cowardly way to fight now that you mention it.
      • Hans J. 7 mths ago
        No, the drones are not sick, the guys who program who they should hit are sick and so are their bosses.
      • Texan 7 mths ago
        they ate Chinese cantaloupe?
    • Roland  •  7 mths ago
      Put out an APB for the 'Geek Squad"
    • Dr, Kline  •  7 mths ago
      How long will they have to stay on the phone with India for support?
    • Daniel W  •  7 mths ago
      Is this Skynet trying to take over?
    • Kress  •  7 mths ago
      Why would the military make this public? Just curious...
    • yahoo comment  •  7 mths ago
      "We think it's benign. But we just don't know."

      Can they really be that stupid?
    • changeagent  •  7 mths ago
      A reason why we should consider three things: 1) A more stable kernel/operating system, 2) no more leniency in allowance of those with questionable loyalty to our country to serve in our military, and 3) stop providing higher education and access to our confidential systems/data/operations to those that do not hold our nation and our people at best interest.
    • BushLizard2U  •  7 mths ago
      Open the pod-bay doors HAL ...... Sorry Dave, I can't do that.
    • Illuminat3d  •  7 mths ago
      That is not comforting news, the scenario here is very troubling.
    • David  •  7 mths ago
      SKYNET
    • tom  •  7 mths ago
      Just keep outsourcing those computer chips to China and see what other problems come up.LOL
    • O.G. - Oscar the Grouch  •  7 mths ago
      is your predator drone googling porn?
    • RichardD  •  7 mths ago
      It sure seems odd that the military would admit to anything like this. Sounds more like some kind of scare tactic. Just not enough information being given out almost like some kind of teaser piece to see how the public reacts, and then they can say the need X billions more to upgrade the security flaws. In other words kind of like Microsoft, put out a new OS and then for the next 5 yrs constant fixes and updates, until the new OS platform one is announced.
    • Machine  •  7 mths ago
      Anyone else think it's kinda stupid to make this report public?
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