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dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)
Tue May 28, 2013, 02:54 AM May 2013

U.S. report says major weapons designs compromised by Chinese

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Designs for more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, a U.S. report said on Monday, as a news report in Australia said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headquarters.

Citing a report prepared for the Defence Department by the Defence Science Board, the Washington Post reported that compromised U.S. designs included combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defences vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.

Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile Defence systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyber-thefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the U.S. government, contractors or subcontractors

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/uk-usa-china-hacking-idUKBRE94R02H20130528

21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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U.S. report says major weapons designs compromised by Chinese (Original Post) dipsydoodle May 2013 OP
Well, meanit May 2013 #1
Cheers for remembering W's first blunder RandiFan1290 May 2013 #2
why are these systems so insecure? RILib May 2013 #3
the most complex and secure systems melm00se May 2013 #4
That reminds me; I need to change the password on my luggage. kentauros May 2013 #5
change it to melm00se May 2013 #8
Well, either that or kentauros May 2013 #11
Because they are connected to the Internet formercia May 2013 #6
Free USB-flashdrives come with spy software Kolesar May 2013 #10
The internet was not designed and built with security in mind. bemildred May 2013 #14
well could it be that..... madrchsod May 2013 #7
possibly melm00se May 2013 #9
So, first we ship all our factory equipment including the stuff JDPriestly May 2013 #12
Oh too funny chuckrocks May 2013 #13
+1 lmao L0oniX May 2013 #16
I don't think the Chinese can improve the V-22 Osprey L0oniX May 2013 #15
A Chinese V-22 knock-off Strelnikov_ May 2013 #19
The Guardian: Obama to confront Chinese president over spate of cyber-attacks on US alp227 May 2013 #17
Is it any suprise though? Mr. X May 2013 #18
Right, I'll bet the Chinese are deeply interested in copying all that "advanced" stuff. bemildred May 2013 #20
this means they want more for next gen weaponry. ChairmanAgnostic May 2013 #21

meanit

(455 posts)
1. Well,
Tue May 28, 2013, 06:16 AM
May 2013

maybe it was really GW Bush who gave the Chinese this information, like when he gave them that super secret spy plane in 2001...

RandiFan1290

(6,206 posts)
2. Cheers for remembering W's first blunder
Tue May 28, 2013, 06:20 AM
May 2013

China had hostages and Bush got on his knees to beg for forgiveness.

melm00se

(4,975 posts)
4. the most complex and secure systems
Tue May 28, 2013, 08:03 AM
May 2013

can be undone by 1 lazy person who sets their password as "password" or "12345678" or some other easily guessed password.

this article talks about the top 25 passwords of 2012.

kentauros

(29,414 posts)
11. Well, either that or
Tue May 28, 2013, 09:39 AM
May 2013

drowssap

(Watch Spaceballs if you didn't get the reference; the clip about the password should be on YouTube.)

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
10. Free USB-flashdrives come with spy software
Tue May 28, 2013, 09:31 AM
May 2013

Be careful of what you pick up at a tradeshow.
An FBI agent did a presentation for us last year. Insightful

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
14. The internet was not designed and built with security in mind.
Tue May 28, 2013, 10:52 AM
May 2013

At that time, the problem was seen (correctly) as being to make something that would scale up well, and in that regard it has been supremely successful.

But it turns out that adding security is expensive and labor intensive, so that has not been done so well by the for-profit businesses that were handed off the job. The tendency is to do as little as possible, to engage in crisis management rather than ensuring that crises do not occur.

melm00se

(4,975 posts)
9. possibly
Tue May 28, 2013, 09:07 AM
May 2013

but all the chips in the world won't help if the systems were kept on a separate and distinct network unconnected to a public network like the internet.

I remember being in one facility where people had 2 PCs. One connected to the web for things like externally generated/received email and another connected to the private network. the network manager said that they were never to be connected but on occasion they would find some genius running a cable between the 2 thus exposing the internal network to the public.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
12. So, first we ship all our factory equipment including the stuff
Tue May 28, 2013, 10:28 AM
May 2013

we use to make computers to points East including a variety of countries in, around and including China.

Then we invite lots of Chinese "scholars" and students, including the children of highly placed government officials and military officers, to come study in our country and learn English and science and American culture and buy fancy cars and eat in fancy restaurants. Their elite enjoying our best.

And then we are surprised when they steal "our" ideas and "our" secrets. If you want to keep something private, you have to put up a fence and maybe a sign saying "Keep out." You don't hire the person you don't want on your lawn to mow that very lawn.

But, Apple wants to save tax dollars, pay low wages and not deal with regulations. So, their stealing our secrets is the price we pay.

 

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)
16. +1 lmao
Tue May 28, 2013, 11:33 AM
May 2013

U.S. report says major weapons designs compromised by Chinese

2:54 AM - (Reuters) - Designs for more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, a U.S. report said on Monday, as a news report in Australia said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headqu ... (Reuters)
White House security adviser calls for deeper China military ties

2:51 AM - (Reuters) - The United States called for deeper military ties with China on Tuesday, including working closer together in areas like peacekeeping, fighting piracy and disaster relief, despite growing tensions between the two on a range of security is ... (Reuters)
 

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)
15. I don't think the Chinese can improve the V-22 Osprey
Tue May 28, 2013, 11:32 AM
May 2013

nor would they want to. It's a piece of shit and they can have it. It's their kind of product.

alp227

(31,962 posts)
17. The Guardian: Obama to confront Chinese president over spate of cyber-attacks on US
Tue May 28, 2013, 02:30 PM
May 2013

Barack Obama will confront Chinese president Xi Jinping next week over a spate of cyber-attacks on the US, including the latest allegation that Chinese hackers gained access to more than two dozen of America's most advanced weapons systems.

The alleged cyber-attacks are the most serious of a series of issues creating friction between the US and China ahead of next week's summit in California. Military analysts described the scale of the alleged attacks as breathtaking.

The Chinese government denies any involvement in the attacks.

But a classified report by the Defence Science Board, a group of civilian and government specialists who advise the Pentagon on military developments, says advanced weapons systems compromised by hackers include missiles, fighter jets, helicopters and naval ships. A leaked copy was published by the Washington Post on Tuesday.

full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/28/obama-chinese-president-cyber-attacks

 

Mr. X

(72 posts)
18. Is it any suprise though?
Tue May 28, 2013, 07:28 PM
May 2013

Is it any suprise? China manufactures the majority of computer components. They build the parts used for the computers that house the 'top secret government information'.

We've given them the keys to the house folks. So, do we really have any right to be angry when they decide to let themselves in?

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
20. Right, I'll bet the Chinese are deeply interested in copying all that "advanced" stuff.
Wed May 29, 2013, 08:07 AM
May 2013

Maybe they can go broke trying to make it work too.

ChairmanAgnostic

(28,017 posts)
21. this means they want more for next gen weaponry.
Wed May 29, 2013, 08:14 AM
May 2013

As for the V-22 and F-35, I am surprised that we simply didn't give them the plans, just so they can waste money just like we did.

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