Report: Iran Stole Marine One Specs

The space shuttle Enterprise is towed by barge as seen from Staten Island June 3, 2012, in New York on its way to dock in Port Elizabeth, N.J. / AFP/Getty Images

An Internet security company claims that Iran has taken advantage of a computer security breach to obtain engineering and communications information about Marine One, President Barack Obama's helicopter, according to a report by WPXI, NBC's affiliate in Pittsburgh.

Tiversa, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa., reportedly discovered a security breach that led to the transfer of military information to an Iranian IP address, according to WPXI. The information is said to include planned engineering upgrades, avionic schematics, and computer network information.

The channel quoted the company's CEO, Bob Boback, who said Tiversa found a file containing the entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One.

"What appears to be a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file-sharing program on one of their systems that also contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One," Boback told WPXI.

Tiversa makes products that monitor the sharing of files online. A spokesman for the company was not immediately available for comment.

Boback believes that the files probably were transferred through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network such as LimeWire or Bear Share, and then compromised.

Peer-to-peer file sharing (often called P2P) is a popular way for people to swap digital files on their hard drives over the Internet. LimeWire and Bear Share are only a few of several services that operate on P2P networks. After connecting, users can scour the Internet and download copies of files they want from other users on the network.

[KeithKnowles]

Now, wait a minute. Hasn't USGov been telling us that Iran has or will soon have weapons of mass destruction? Now this allegation indicating that Iran is a bad, bad, evil country? Doesn't this just go to convince one they need some good old nuking? And what about those file-sharing programs: hasn't the RIAA and MPA, stalwart corporate friends of Washington, been telling us how evil they are too. Don't you see? Anybody remember a year or so ago, when Iran was making its *third* attempt to open the Iran Oil Bourse, trading not in hallowed USD but Euros, the Internet cables in the Med failed suddenly, run over by a phantom ship and a good deal of the Middle East (Iran) as well as India lost most of its internet capability for some time? And now a clever little US Internet spook firm has discovered something at some "Iranian" IP address. Thanks a lot. Yeah, I believe it.

[whorle]

RE: iran having specs on one of Marine One's fleet---as The Bush Administration decided to offshore the parts to Marine One should iran ever go to mfger. of said part in said country and they should receive information on part then at this point in time there would of course be a security breach and we would know who is with us and who bites the bullet...there's always someone who will talk sometime about senario and of course there is quality control issues with security, and counts, and etc. and of course the security i'm in hopes WE HAVE PUT ON THESE COUNTRIES WHO ARE MAKING PARTS FOR OUR MARINE ONE.

[mecury69]

"But it does sound fishy after Obuma said he needed new helos..

Thank you to all who voted Obuma into office.. You have cost this country more money then you will ever know.. or be able to understand..
Posted by cornbiker at 8:40 AM : Mar 2, 2009"

Hey ********,
Educate yourself. The Helo's were ordered by your hero George W.
Obama has said that he is happy with the one he has.
You can't cancel approrpriations such as this where it becomes a far bigger waste of money once it's gone into production.

[bamab8691]

The timing of this "security breach" really smells bad to me. A week or so after Obama himself said that there was no need to spend 11 billion for new helicopters. I guess the contractor people that are going to build this helo was listening to the speech and got a little nervous about their bonus getting cut or the company stock price not going up. There should be a full investigation of this and anyone found to be guilty fired and their security clearance pulled and never restored. Is this just another case of corporate greed and fraud at work in America?

[Iuse2BGOP_notnomore]

For the civilized America and the world, thank GOD there are only 25-30% of you extreme GOP Nazi's in this country. For the 70% the revolution to take back our country started in Nov. 2008.

For everyone that reads these news blogs, remember it is very easy to spot the extremist that would destroy America much like the Taliban.

[breceivemail]

Why are Americans like a moony children so swashbuckler?

[John Sawyer]

azirine: if your comments below about leather, hos, etc. aren't racist, then apparently you're schizophrenic, and it's one of your alters that's responsible for those comments.

[Mr.Scott123]

No surprise here about a security breach. Just the first we heard about this year. If some foreigner is punished they will be sent back home and that's it. The country will get a slap on the wrist. Business as usual here in the U.S. If a U.S. citizen does something wrong, no matter how trivial, you can bet a big sentence is given. Just look at how our two boarder agents were treated.

[ghalie123]

Wow, a security breach all the way from Iran into this private company that does not have a good IT security?

Such incompetent company that is having big contract from the government should be put into black list. The contract should be immediately forfeited and tendered to another better company in order to avoid future breach.

[cbsblogger]

This is all bull. Two choices here and neither one is what it seems.

1. Israeli Mosad impersonating Iranians or,

2. Corrupt USA defense contractors attempting to sell out the USA for profit and a new Air Force 1 contract.

What specifically is the name of this Bethesda , MD defense company that is so incompetent?