Terrorists hack into US Drone video feeds with $26 software

[CptStern]

Iraqi militants are intercepting sensitive video feeds from US predator drones using $26 off-the-shelf software, according to a report.

Insurgents backed by Iran have regularly accessed the unencrypted video feeds of the unmanned planes, which the Obama administration has increasingly relied on to monitor and attack militants. The insurgents then share the footage with multiple extremist groups, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/17/us_drones_hacked/


I imagine the conversation at these terrorist listening stations go something like this:

"ok we're in ...strange that barn looks familiar. hey isnt that our house ..oh ...shit ...AHHHHHHALLAHAKBAR!!!"

 

[No Limit]

Lol, why would the US military send this feed out unencrypted? Sometimes the stupidity truly shocks me.

However, to think that some idiots in caves with shitty ak-47s would have any use for this is absolutely absurd.

 

[CptStern]

reconissiance. they could easily track drone/troop movement

 

[Warped]

hindsight is 20/20 but for this case, its painfully obvious they went the cheap route when programming these machines.

 

[Shakermaker]

The Wall Street Journal is so obviously a Murdoch newspaper. They make it sound like this is Obama's fault ("The Obama administration has come to rely heavily on the unmanned drones etc") while the incident happened late last year, i.e. under the watch of Bush. Numbnuts. Original source here btw.

 

[CptStern]

also this:

Insurgents backed by Iran

what, Iran gave the insurgents $26? seems like needless finger pointing to me

 

[Shakermaker]

also this:



what, Iran gave the insurgents $26? seems like needless finger pointing to me

Heheh, I like how you reason like FOX News, only left wing. How about Iran gave the insurgents the information on how to hack the drones?

 

[CptStern]

I was being facetious no need to compare me to foxnews gawd

 

[No Limit]

Heheh, I like how you reason like FOX News, only left wing. How about Iran gave the insurgents the information on how to hack the drones?

Do they know this for sure? If you are sending out unencrypted communications it doesn't take a rocket scientist to intercept it.

 

[Shakermaker]

I was being facetious no need to compare me to foxnews gawd

 

[CptStern]

AHHHHH SATAN!!!


but seriously he has such a punchable face

 

[DEATHMASTER]

It'd be wise if this was a decoy on the US's part to make them move in certain directions.

 

[Krynn72]

I bet they pirated that software too. Despicable.

 

[Raziaar]

Software pirates are terrorists!

 

[[Dragoon]]

hindsight is 20/20 but for this case, its painfully obvious they went the cheap route when programming these machines.

I've heard that Predator drones cost about $4.5 million each. Seems like they could toss in at least some consumer level encryption...

 

[Warped]

 

[15357]

How exactly did they do it? I am very interested.



Purely academical.

 

[No Limit]

How exactly did they do it? I am very interested.



Purely academical.

They sent these out over an unencrypted satellite. Meaning anyone with a satellite modem, a satellite dish, and a cheap program could point the dish at the unencrypted satellites and enjoy the free show.

 

[15357]

Cool.


I mean, horrible.


So, where could you procure those satellite modems... do they sell those at hardware stores?

Edit: Nvm, I got a store.

 

[CptStern]

I definately see 10 to 20 years of hard labor in your future, Numbers. the orange jumpsuit will clash with your skin color but that'll be the least of your worries

who knows you may even pick up a skill or two:

 

[No Limit]

If you are serious about it you can find supported sat modems here:

http://www.skygrabber.com/en/skygrabber.php

The SkyGrabber uses own MediaEngine that supports the following manufactures:

1.DVBWorld
2.TBS/QBOX
3.Azureware
4.TechniSat
5.TechnoTrend
6.Genitech
7.TeVii

If we suddenly don't hear from numbers we know the government got him

 

[Shakermaker]

The WSJ has a follow up to the story. The problem was already known in 2004, but the Pentagon thought only the Ruskis and Chinese had the technology to pick up UAV feeds. Rumsfeld cs. were actually afraid for something else:

The main concern was that the video feeds were being intercepted, manipulated and then fed to the commanders in the field. The fear was a commander looking on a feed, seeing nothing, and then having an enemy tank brigade come roaring into your command post.