Iran leeches Obama's helo. plans, peer2peer
- TAGS:Barack Obama, Marine One, P2P, security
- IT TOPICS:Desktop Applications, Government & Regulation, Internet, Security
In Monday's IT Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches the fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding the discovery of Marine One blueprints on a peer-to-peer network. Not to mention how extra airline fees may have gone too far...
WPXI-TV's Target 11 team reports from Pittsburgh:
A Cranberry company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered what it said is a potentially serious security breach involving President Barack Obama’s helicopter.Tiversa employees found engineering and communications information about Marine One at an IP address in Tehran, Iran.
...
Tiversa also found sensitive financial information about the cost of the helicopter on that same computer ... Bob Boback, CEO of Tiversa ... said someone from the company most likely downloaded a file-sharing program, typically used to exchange music, not realizing the potential problems.
John Byrne adds:
A Pittsburgh-area company ... found a file detailing the helicopter's blueprints and avionics package, which it then traced to its original source ... Tiversa notified the U.S. government immediately so that the security breach and its potential effect on President Obama could be dealt with.
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Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa, said he knows exactly which U.S. computer leaked the Marine One information, and that that person may soon be unemployed.
Rex Dixon is royally mad: [You're fired -Ed.]
Here is the first issue - Why was a government contractor not trained to know that having LimeWire or BearShare on a computer with sensitive planned engineering upgrades, avionic schematics, and computer network information is a big no-no? Secondly, and even more important - What pirated music or movies is that important to have during work hours?
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As of now, the above seems to be the only information we currently have on this. Until more information is out there, if I were President Obama, I think I would take ground transportation until the total security of Marine 1 can be accounted for - bolt by bolt, screw by screw, and wire by wire. Sorry if that sounds like someone has a long few days ahead of them, but we can’t be too complacent about the security of the President of the United States.
Omar Ha-Redeye has the IT angle:
If Marine One can be hacked, ABC LLP is probably not that much more secure. Network administrators should probably monitor for peer-to-peer programs that may expose vulnerabilities to confidential client information.
jd142 clarifies:
Many of the old school peer to peer file sharing apps *by default* shared your documents folder. You could turn it off, but most people don't.Many confidential files have been leaked this way ... If you were a company or nation involved in espionage, getting on a p2p network and searching for files with obvious names would be a good place to start.
Rich0 is astounded:
Data like this shouldn't even be on a computer with a physical link to the internet at all. Classified data should stay on classified networks. Period.I know a guy at a defense contractor. They isolate their networks containing classified data. If they need to remove a file from the room they reimage a desktop with a known safe image, copy the file onto that PC from a CD burned from a classified PC. They then scrub the files with software that does stuff like wipe unallocated space, check for word versions, PDF comments, etc. Then that desktop is used to burn a new CD with just the intended files. Then they securely wipe the desktop. That one CD that was created in this fashion is then allowed to leave the room.
Dun Malg invokes Hanlon's Razor:
With the VH-71 Marine One replacement program getting the stinkeye for its ridiculous cost overruns, for once the conspiracy thing has me suspicious. It's likely the plans being on P2P part is entirely coincidence, and the publicity of the incident is the conspiracy, but I can see it happening. The question now is, which Marine One plans are they? Are they the plans for the helicopters currently in service, and the conspiracy is trying to save the VH-71 program, or were they the VH-71 plans and the conspiracy is trying to kill the VH-71 program?Really though, it's probably just unrelated coincidence. Most things like this are completely unplanned. Conspiracies require competence, and you just don't find that in government much.
LordEd has A New Hope:
If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this helicopter it is possible, however unlikely, that they might find a weakness, and exploit it.Does the helicopter have a long trench leading up to a ventilation shaft?
And finally...
Buffer overflow:
Previously in IT Blogwatch:
- Windows 7 RC on its way
- Microsoft "recalculating route" of Linux patents
- Apple Safari 4: better, stronger, faster?
-
Other Computerworld bloggers:
- Don Tennant: Unwinding the mess
- Seth H. Weintraub: Google goes Twittering
- Seth Weintraub: Amazon could have a stand-alone Kindle and a software version too
- SJVN: Dell & Ubuntu's mighty Mini 9
- Mike Elgan: Why I switched from a BlackBerry Pearl to an iPhone
- Eric Lundquist: Five reasons why Demo 2009 still matters.
- Michael Horowitz: Advice on updating the Adobe Flash Player
- Shark Tank: The boss whisperer
- Shark Bait: Open circuit

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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 23 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.



A Cranberry company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered what it said is a potentially serious security breach involving President Barack Obama’s helicopter.Tiversa employees found engineering and communications information about Marine One at an IP address in Tehran, Iran.
