Computer Virus Hits U.S. Military Base in Afghanistan

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Linux

is the way to go, you guys.

Why are we running Windows?

Is the US military seriously running a Windows Server based network. I would expect some variant of Unix/Linux (at least on the servers). An entire *nix based network would be more appropriate. Aside from our choice of OS, no firewall/default passwords? WTF are they thinking?

Yeah ... US Defense computer security

Perhaps some of you have caught on to the story of the British computer nerd Gary Simmons (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon) who obtained unauthorised access to loads of US defense and NASA computers.

To quote from the Wikipedia article:

"In an interview televised on the BBC's Click programme,[22] he claimed that he was able to break into the military's networks simply by using a Perl script that searched for blank passwords; in other words his report suggests that there were computers on these networks with the default passwords active."

Got that? He broke in by using *blank* passwords and *default* passwords (the sort that manufacturers put on their systems before they ship them to customers). And those computers weren't even firewalled! If you thought that this amounts to a total lack (not poor implementation of, a total lack of) computer security you would be right. It would disgrace the security of Wall-marts computer systems. For a defense establishment anything like is shoddy and irresponsible beyond belief.

Having an extensive computer network is no excuse, especially because of US policy to *trust* all computers in its own network. Which means that is you find just one single machine that's not adequately guarded, you are then able (to a certain extent) to work "from the inside".

I'm afraid that we're talking about the same military here, but just another branch. Somehow I can't bring myself to believe that this time round it discharged anything like "due dilligence" or "reasonable care" in protecting its computer networks. It's all very well to run around in a panic, declare INFOCON, and brief the president, but exactly whose fault is this?

If a 19-year old kid can break into your systems, can you really be surprised that foreign intelligence services are apparently able to replicate this? It looks not so much like a disasterously efficient attack on US defense computer networks as poor design and worse implementation of computer security concepts. After all ... if you have an Army base with a gate but no fence, and one or more back doors unlocked, or locked with standard keys that anyone can by around the corner can you really be surprised if you get burglars?

And can you call it burgling if you get un-authorised entry through a backdoor which is not locked? I don't.

I just thought I should say this.

The Virus is out

The virus hit me today, But there is a way to prevent it. The virus spreads to the your computer by saying something is corrupted, Naturally you want to either click yes or no or even the X to Close the program and that is how it gets in and starts downloading gatbage.

There's no MILSPEC OS?

Why is the milutary using Windows???!

Naah.., I'm sure what was really going on,

Was that someone was viewing porn, and downloaded the virus on mistake.

doesn't make sense

So we are to believe that this virus isn't out in the wild, that it only affects US military computers? And, that the virus is spread by thumb drives, but it hasn't gone into the civilian world?

Doesn't make sense.

Computer Cyber Alerts!

It's time our government rethink, and repitch a old plan that keeps "eyes ajarred" filtering such handicaps of the computer network system would be well advised since the enemy has learned to be taught to advance by us! It is advantageous to use the "old deniable" technique that the Indian knows...This would prevent further marks on our integration into unknown territories that invade what ever "good we might do at this juncture" Stop them by little technology as possible...We may invoke speed but intelligeance of computer knowledge is rampede...not even worth expansion..."freeze it"! Apache

Thumb Drives

First thing I would look at is who is the supplier of the thumb drives and then where are they coming from. The drives should be processed through the DOD and bought locally, who is suppling the drives Haliburton? Each drive should have the owner's ID on it and log in info, I see Bill Gates has fooled the Government. Winders is a security joke