Cyber War Games Pit Hackers Vs. Military
This combination made June 5, 2012, from file photos shows, at left, New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey on May 22, and New York Yankees' Derek Jeter on April 17. / AP Photos/Files
It may not look like a battleground, but behind the walls at the Air Force Office of Special Investigations are the front lines in the booming cyber war against hackers driven to disrupt - even destroy - vital U.S. military networks and investigators intent on protecting them.
"What we want to do is protect the way we do business, protect the Air Force, and protect our country from this kind of harm," Brigadier General Dana Simmons said.
At the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, agents identify and attempt to neutralize criminal, terrorist and espionage computer threats of every kind, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. They have 11 field offices around the world.
Using brains and bytes, agents like Paul Alvarez play a high-tech game of cat and mouse - running traces, tracking IP address, assessing damage, plugging security holes in the network by erasing viruses and fixing programs and searching for the source of nameless, faceless intruders. There are thousands of attempts every day.
"We basically peel the onion layers back to find out where the core attack came from," Alvarez said. "We call them hot points. We'll chase them from computer to computer to end point to find out who really did it."
The only constant in the attacks: they come around the clock, and from around the globe.
"Now you're seeing a wide variety -- from major criminal enterprises to foreign adversaries," Alvarez said.
At risk: missile defense systems, communications networks - everything that makes the military work.
The Department of Defense says it has spent more than $100 million in just the last six months repairing the damage done by cyber attacks.
"It's a growing threat," Simmons said. "And it's growing by leaps and bounds."
Twenty-first century war games with nothing less than our national security at stake.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. "What we want to do is protect the way we do business, protect the Air Force, and protect our country from this kind of harm," Brigadier General Dana Simmons said.
At the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, agents identify and attempt to neutralize criminal, terrorist and espionage computer threats of every kind, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. They have 11 field offices around the world.
Using brains and bytes, agents like Paul Alvarez play a high-tech game of cat and mouse - running traces, tracking IP address, assessing damage, plugging security holes in the network by erasing viruses and fixing programs and searching for the source of nameless, faceless intruders. There are thousands of attempts every day.
"We basically peel the onion layers back to find out where the core attack came from," Alvarez said. "We call them hot points. We'll chase them from computer to computer to end point to find out who really did it."
The only constant in the attacks: they come around the clock, and from around the globe.
"Now you're seeing a wide variety -- from major criminal enterprises to foreign adversaries," Alvarez said.
At risk: missile defense systems, communications networks - everything that makes the military work.
The Department of Defense says it has spent more than $100 million in just the last six months repairing the damage done by cyber attacks.
"It's a growing threat," Simmons said. "And it's growing by leaps and bounds."
Twenty-first century war games with nothing less than our national security at stake.
The #1 security threat to the US feds is CHINA.
The #2 security threat to the US feds is MICROSOFT WINDOWS.
I'll let the IT experts decide what OS will replace Windows, but literally ANY other choice will be an incredible improvement. But I will suggest some form of UNIX, and I'll point out that the top 3 most secure operating systems currently available have consistently been proven to be:
1) OpenBSD
2) FreeBSD
3) Mac OS X
Windows is a wide open highway for hackers and crackers to zombie or destroy any computer. The madness must end.
We need both defense and offense.
We need to have the capability to hack into Russian and Chinese websites, into their command and control capabilities, and mess with infrastructure, and power grid, and all communication.
We need lots of Chinese and Russian language speakers engaged in these activities.
You Pelosi no listen
You Bush no listen
You Cheney no listen
You Barney Frank laugh you
You Phil Gramm laugh you
You Newt Gingritch tai pang pang
You Bill Clinton play on girl
Nobody listen you
What happen you democracy?
What happen you freedom?
America go down now
So why government no listen?
Nobody listen you.
Why?
Dump the Government supported Bill Gates Windoze monopoly junk
Go with Steve Jobs and Apple and Mac and OSX
Problem solved
Oh yes ... and betcha
Jobs would probably do it for same salary he gets at Apple - $1.00 a year
Posted by BC Kelly at 1:44 AM : May 30, 2009
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You're solution is a little glib, given that if Macs were prolific, they'd be under attack to - however - you are right about one thing: The DoD fell for GatesCo hook, line and sinker back in the early 90s. Against the advice of IT Professionals, the 101st Combat Business Major Battalion did everything wrong against the advice of IT professionals:
1. They centralized control of networks. DARPA - who funded the invention of the Internet will tell you: Networks, by design philosophy are NOT meant to be centrally managed. It defeats the purpose of distributed network risk.
2. The standardized on the worst possible desktop operating system possible: Microsoft. It has more security holes that a good swiss cheese. Always has, always will.
3. The put on-the-job- trained contractors in charge of everything.
Just like Business Majors killed the American Economy with their outdated, wrong-thinking practices, Business Majors have killed the DoD and its Computer Infrastructure.
That's why we're vulnerable.
Dump the Government supported Bill Gates Windoze monopoly junk
Go with Steve Jobs and Apple and Mac and OSX
Problem solved
Oh yes ... and betcha
Jobs would probably do it for same salary he gets at Apple - $1.00 a year
They have no rules, no laws and no clear conscience of the damage they create.
Most hackers are brilliant and enjoy challenging themselves and those that say it can't be done. Those hackers could do great things for the world of computing and cyberspace.
Then there are the bad apples who enjoy wrecking havoc by creating viruses and worms just for the fun of it not taking into account that many people suffer as a result of their actions.
Many of these smart but unconcious hackers fall victims to quick schemes and governments who offer them everything they want in exchange for sensitive information and international cyber crime.
As long as there are computers, hackers will be there to keep them company.