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DVD Porn Viruses Ravage US Soldiers' Computers
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Mon May 12, 2008 08:48 AM
from the oh-the-humanity dept.
from the oh-the-humanity dept.
stevegee58 writes "Tom Ricks' Inbox in the Sunday Washington Post reported that bootleg DVDs purchased in Iraqi markets ('souks') are frequently infected with viruses. Iraqi soldiers were affected as well; electronic interaction between Iraqi and US soldiers frequently resulted in a corresponding exchange of viruses from these infected DVDs."
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Interviews: Ask Lt. Col. John Bircher About Cyber Warfare Concepts 122 comments
The Air Force is not the only U.S. military branch trying to come to grips with the electronic side of warfare, both current and future. The U.S. Army Computer Network Operations (CNO)-Electronic Warfare (EW) Proponent (USACEWP), located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas — home to the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center — serves as the Army's hub for cyber-electronic concepts and capabilities. This is the organization responsible for developing doctrine, materiel and training to prepare the Army for cyber-electronic engagements. For example, USACEWP has developed training teams to ensure that U.S. commanders and soldiers around the world are fully informed of cyber-electronic capabilities at their disposal. Leading the Proponent's Futures branch is Lt. Col John "Chip" Bircher; Bircher entered the Army in 1989 as an Infantry officer, then served in various command and staff positions, most recently Information Operations (IO). He was the IO Chief for the 25th Infantry Division (Light), Hawaii, and Director of IO for Combined Joint Task Force -76, Bagram, Afghanistan. If you want to know more about the realities and challenges that face an armed, global IT department in a time when electronic warfare is ever more important and dangerous, now's your chance to ask Lt. Col. Bircher some questions. We'll pass on the highest-moderated questions for Lt. Col. Bircher to answer. Usual Slashdot interview rules apply.
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Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
But seriously, what is the world coming to?
Previously, at least soldiers could count on running around, meeting interesting people, shooting them and raping their women.
Of course, often that also meant some kind of medical treatment afterwards, usually including some nasty shots of penicillin, but that was a small price to pay for the vast spread of one's genetic material.
Nowadays, the only virus you can get as a soldier infects your computer while you jack off to porn?
Really, they shouldn't have gone all the way to Iraq for that.
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Insightful)
Not everyone that goes into the military is a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, and quite a few of us are above average in terms of intelligence. I spent 6 years in the Navy, and I (nor anyone I knew) didn't shoot, rape OR pillage anyone.
On a site like this one, where people from the outside would presume everyone is a pasty and pimply 34 year old living in their parent's basement, I really would expect (just a little) a little more tolerance and less assumption from the people involved.
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
FWIW, the part that offended you was mostly a joke.
Now you just flatter me. I didn't even mention many things that would offend a much greater number of people, but which would not be funny in the least.
I know quite a number of people of various IQ levels who've been to war. IQ and the ability to commit a war crime are not that related that I'd consider that comment as any kind of explanation.
And their war was much closer to home than yours.
Yeah, I've heard quite a lot about seamen.
Sorry, but you really walked into that one. ;)
Don't take it all so seriously; beneath the irritating tone of my post there is some relatively sound biology.
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Sexually Transmitted Disease (Score:5, Funny)
With Norton, you'll still get infected, but the system will slow down just enough that a DVD movie becomes a slideshow.
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Rootkits (Score:5, Funny)
Are these the old Sony disks they're talking about?
Not worth it (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not worth it (Score:5, Funny)
Iraqi Man 1: Would you get a load of the slit in her burka! I think I saw an eye!
Iraqi Man 2: Oh yeah, baby, put it on! More burka!
Iraqi Man 3: Halalalalalalalala...BOOM!
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Support Our troops (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Support Our troops (Score:5, Funny)
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Don't they have Internet connections over there? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Support Our troops (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Support Our troops (Score:5, Insightful)
That being said, I've seen more pr0n on classified servers than I've seen in the rest of my previous life. We had to remove about 3 or 4 TB off of one server so the map server could run properly. That and it was slowing down Call of Duty. Mind you, it wasn't all of it, just a couple of TB.
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Re:Support Our troops (Score:5, Informative)
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Protection (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Protection (Score:5, Interesting)
Talk about National Security
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Good old days! (Score:5, Interesting)
Tha bad part about the bootlegs from town was the fact that they were analog - the quality left much to be desired. Some had skips that came from the LPs they were recorded from.
The good part about the bootlegs from town was the fact that they were analog - you weren't going to infect your cassette player with XCP or some other virus.
-mcgrew
Wowzers... (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, I do realize that these computers operate on separate networks, but traveling disks that are frequently infected presents an issue. Or, put another way, a tempting target for foreign intelligence.
And before you jump to the 'impossible' conclusion, consider this: What are those Iraqi officers trading with our soldiers by thumb drive? Is it ALL unsec material? NONE of it is of ANY operational importance? Really? Really, really?
That strains disbelief...
And consider this: If the portable drives were intentionally infected by a custom virus designed by, oh say, a super power, would the sec networks have a chance to detect it?
My network would not. I'm certain of that. And I'm also fairly certain that I have far less BillyWare than they do in their deployment.
Imaginative approach (Score:5, Funny)
Misleading title (Score:5, Informative)
Here is what you CAN find in the markets (even on base): Fake cigarettes, fake cigars, fake Rolexes, fake Nikes, fake anything. Imitation Apple products- headphones, iPod cases, even fake iPods. No fake zunes, though...
In an area about the size of a high school gymnasium, about 80% of the space was filled with bootleg DVDs and software. I don't mean bootleg like the MPAA wants you think bootleg; I mean actual printed DVDs out of japan or taiwan. Some were really crappy theater-cams but many were very good copies of promos and the like. I watch 300, letters from Iwo Jima, Black Snake Moan, and many others before or very shortly after theater release. It was awesome
I also got all ten (at the time) seasons of south park on 4 DVDs for $25. Sweet.
So, here we have this article that, while it may be true, seems to completely miss the point. It's like saying that, "Magazines such as hustler are causing massive deforestation and are filling our landfills." It is just trying to sensationalize the situation. Which is weird, since there are so many other, BIGGER things out there to write about. Try this, RIAA: The base media server, loaded with ~180 GB of music, is free to anyone who wants to download from it. You can get 180 GB hdds at the BX. Oh and there is the movie server, loaded with hundreds of titles. All free for the taking. And this author chose to write about porn? Whatever. Iraq is the wild, wild middle east. Everything goes.
-b
Patton Meets Pr0N (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How? (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, it's a ridiculously insecure idea, most people wouldn't even have considered the possibility of automatically executing programs on inserted media, but microsoft did for some reason.
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