Computer Virus Infects U.S. Predator, Reaper Drones
A mysterious computer virus has infected the Predator and Reaper drones of the U.S. Military.
According to a report published by Wired, the Virus was first found about two weeks ago and was several times removed from the systems. However, the virus keeps coming back and there appears to be no solution how to effectively get rid of it.
The virus did not prevent pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying the drones, but sources told Wired that the virus is logging every keystroke.
“We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” one source said. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know.”
There is no information where the virus came from and how far it has spread. However, security specialists believe that the virus has had access to "both classified and unclassified machines."
The virus was apparently detected by the military's Host Based Security System (HBSS), which is used by the Department of Defense to detect cyber threats such as malware.
At the very least, the virus' activity as a keylogger appears to be suspicious, especially since the software of the drones have been previously targeted and attackers were able to intercept video transmissions with software that can be purchased for less than $30.
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Douglas Perry was a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering semiconductors, storage technology, quantum computing, and processor power delivery. He has authored several books and is currently an editor for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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house70 LOL - leveling the play field a little...Reply
(thumb me down if you agree, thumb me up if you concur)
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guardianangel42 Lutfijhmm - i smell another attack from anonymousReply
God I hope so. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing an arogant entity shown the real world.
Anonymous likes to think they can take on the world, but they have no idea. The resources of nation states that aren't being heavily sanctioned economically are not something to trifle with.
Stick to corporations and learn from Japan little ones, you're lives will be so much easier. -
aftcomet I really hope the Military invests the majority of their resources into security. Especially considering in the near future our Fighter Pilots will be sitting in a booth controlling the aircraft remotely. Someone could break into the system and attack the whole nation with their own weapons. Scary thought.Reply