Four Charged With Stealing Army Helicopter Training Software 46
itwbennett writes: Four alleged members of an international computer hacking ring face charges in the U.S. of breaking into the computer networks of the U.S. Army and several tech companies and stealing several software packages, including programs used to train Army helicopter pilots, as well as software and data related to the Xbox One gaming console, the Xbox Live online gaming service and popular games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Gears of War 3.
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Somewhere, a 3D printer is working overtime.
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Why? How many leaky coffee cups does a helicopter need?
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but did they download an attack helicopter?
No, but this guy [olive-drab.com]had purchased enough parts from government surplus sales to build as many as 88 Cobra attack helicopters.
I had a friend who worked on investigations into this kind of thing. She told me about a guy they caught who had 1 fully functional Apache Longbow helicopter and another that was about 70% complete. I couldn't find a link for that one. But it was around the same time.
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the computer networks of the U.S. Army and several tech companies
It's right there in the summary.
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U.S. Marine Corps used doom in the past
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Now here's a little item I think you might go for in a big way - Dragonteeth mines. Made in the US and used successfully in Vietnam, I might add. These little honeys won't kill ya', but they're guaranteed to take a foot off. Take a couple of samples, take 'em home, see if you like'em, let me know how many you need. Okay?
--Eddie Muntz
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If one is sufficiently into the weaponry market to assemble an attack helicopter they can certainly come up with a few guns to put on it. The armament would likely be one of the easiest parts to acquire, as long as they have enough money. The largest non-governmental arsenal on Earth is located at the Blackwater (whatever their name is today) headquarters, where they also assemble their own versions of attack helicopters and armored vehicles and where you can lease a helicopter carrier and gunships.
which carries more serious charges? (Score:2)
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Stealing US Army software or stealing IP and proprietary data related to Xbox Live?
I suspect that it was the same thing. Perhaps this is part of the "peace dividend"? Full Spectrum Warrior was developed from a military training tool. Perhaps there is similar crossover here.
That's odd (Score:5, Funny)
I didn't even know you could train helicopters.
Re:That's odd (Score:4, Funny)
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Maybe it's like in Civilization, where if your units get enough experience they can be upgraded to something more powerful. In which case the question becomes, is this the software for training a gyrocopter into a helicopter? Or does it upgrade helicopters into antigrav gunships? If the latter then this could be a serious threat to national security.
SQL Injection? in 2014?sheesh (Score:3)
Between January 2011 and March of this year, the four men and others allegedly hacked into the computer networks of Epic Games, Valve, Zombie Studios and the U.S. Army, as well as partners of Microsoft, using methods including SQL injection and stolen user names and passwords of company employees and software development partners.
Re:SQL Injection? in 2014?sheesh (Score:5, Funny)
SQL injections. They deserved what they got.
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Now imagine said organization does not uphold or enforce its own standards of security.
Steal? So the army no longer has the software? (Score:5, Interesting)
Did the perps really steal the software, or only copy it?
Not that it matters much. The army loves to go ape on "bad" guys. The army's reputation for paranoid overreaction to any threat involving computers is such that it wouldn't be surprising if the perps end up spending a very long time in Gitmo if the army gets hold of them. They'll be held without trial as, what do they call it, an imminent threat? They'll also be "aggressively interrogated" to find out how they did it. If the army has to hold a trial, they'll be found guilty of stealing, espionage, and of course (cue dramatic music) Hacking.
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Seeming isn't always correct, and espionage is not something I feel tolerant about. But is this really espionage, or is this trumped up military hysteria over well known information?
I know the military. They exaggerate. They would like to make everything, and I do mean everything, into a secret. There is no downside to doing so. If unsure about some information, the default is to stamp it as secret. Covers their asses that way. This includes basic facts of nature that are well known, stuff that is
Hacked computer networks? (Score:2)
No need to guess what Operating System these computer networks run on.
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So would stealing usernames and passwords.
Pull the penguin out your ass.
This is a serious breach. (Score:2)
Since Xbox Live and all siloed online gaming is a means by which we are tracking the gifted and talented drone pilots and Dalek operators of the future, this is a mission-critical breach. We need to get computers out of the hands of these hacker terrorists, or else parents might get wise.
Memo : read ALL the headline (Score:5, Funny)
Four Charged With Stealing Army Helicopter...
Whhuuuuut??!?!?
oh... meh
So who do you think the final buyer is? (Score:2, Insightful)
For anything coming out of the US Army, think China, Russia, India, Israel, the UK, France. It might be real military espionage, or straight commercial thievery. Both are bad.
In the military context, any inside information is a potential military advantage. I've had to look this up twice in the last week or so, so this time I'm not going to bother, but the Chi
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For anything coming out of the US Army, think China, Russia, India, Israel, the UK, France. It might be real military espionage, or straight commercial thievery. Both are bad.
You forgot US corporations & other US agencies from that list.
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You are talking about fictitious maybe, might be, could have possibly happened consequences. Something that is only really used in corrupted courts by corrupt prosecutors. Stick to the facts, of what actually happened and copying is never theft, copying is copying and theft is the denial of possession. So overall is seems they were far less naughty than the NSA, hugely massively less naughty then the NSA.
As for hundreds of millions of dollars spent on repairing security breaches, when will government age