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U.S. Military Computers Infected by Worm

The Defense Department’s geeks are spooked by a rapidly spreading worm crawling across their networks. So they’ve suspended the use of so-called thumb drives, CDs, flash media cards, and all other removable data storage devices from their nets, to try to keep the worm from multiplying any further.

The ban comes from the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, according to an internal Army e-mail. It applies to both the secret SIPR and unclassified NIPR nets. The suspension, which includes everything from external hard drives to “floppy disks,” is supposed to take effect “immediately.” Similar notices went out to the other military services.

In some organizations, the ban would be only a minor inconvenience. But the military relies heavily on such drives to store information. Bandwidth is often scarce out in the field. Networks are often considered unreliable. Takeaway storage is used constantly as a substitute.

The problem, according to a second Army e-mail, was prompted by a “virus called Agent.btz.” That’s a variation of the “SillyFDC” worm, which spreads by copying itself to thumb drives and the like. When that drive or disk is plugged into a second computer, the worm replicates itself again — this time on the PC. “From there, it automatically downloads code from another location. And that code could be pretty much anything,” says Ryan Olson, director of rapid response for the iDefense computer security firm. SillyFDC has been around, in various forms, since July 2005. Worms that use a similar method of infection go back even further — to the early ’90s. “But at that time they relied on infecting floppy disks rather than USB drives,” Olson adds.

Servicemembers are supposed to “cease usage of all USB storage media until the USB devices are properly scanned and determined to be free of malware,” one e-mail notes. Eventually, some government-approved drives will be allowed back under certain “mission-critical,” but unclassified, circumstances. “Personally owned or non-authorized devices” are “prohibited” from here on out.

To make sure troops and military civilians are observing the suspension, government security teams “will be conducting daily scans and running custom scripts on NIPRNET and SIPRNET to ensure the commercial malware has not been introduced,” an e-mail says. “Any discovery of malware will result in the opening of a security incident report and will be referred to the appropriate security officer for action.”

“The USB ban should be effective in stopping the worm,” Olson says. Asked if such a wide-spread measure was a bit of over-kill, Olson responded, “I don’t know.”

“I know this [is an] inconvenience,” e-mails one Michigan Army National Guardsman. “This has been briefed to the CoS [Chief of Staff] of the ARMY. This is not just a problem for Michigan, and is effecting operations around the world. This is a very serious threat and should be treated as such. Please understand that this is a form of attack, and we need to have patience in dealing with this issue.”
The military relies heavily on the use of removable storage devices to store information since bandwidth is often scarce out in the field and networks are often considered unreliable.

What’s causing the problem?

It is speculated that a virus named Agent.btz is the culprit. It’s a variation of the “SillyFDC” worm which spreads by copying itself to thumb drives. When the drive or disk is plugged into a second computer, the worm replicates itself again — on the PC. Once installed it automatically downloads malicious software code from the Internet. (Source: f-secure.com)

Eventually, some government-approved drives will be allowed back under certain “mission-critical,” but unclassified circumstances.

See: US Military Report on Computer Threat

Tags: army, computer virus, cyber war, DOD, malware, Military, military computer, virus, worm

Covert Nuke Hunters Swarm Hot Spots

This video depicts the day to day operations of operatives from the U.S. NNSA (nuclear national security agency)
who apparently fly around “target” cities and other areas of interest using state of the art detection equipment to seek out nuclear devices, there are also ground units who can close directly onto the weapon once detected from the air.

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Tags: nnsa, nuclear, nuclear weapon, nuke, nuke detection, weapon

Is Obama on the British Hit List

The highly probable threat that Barack Obama could be assassinated, is currently a matter of the utmost concern among serious political circles in both political parties, noted by Lyndon LaRouche. It is therefore urgent, he added, that there be built a bipartisan commitment to deal with this threat potential. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but a national one.

Two immediate measures have to be taken: first, try to prevent such an assassination from taking place; and second, be prepared, if it does, to prevent the kind of riotous disintegration and pulverization of the nation which the authors of such an assassination would be aiming to create.

As LaRouche warned earlier this year, the British enemies of the United States have a history of assassinating American political figures, including Presidents, and they are the only credible force who could and would engineer such an action. True, Obama has recently garnered the apparently enthusiastic endorsements of leading British establishment publications, including the Financial Times and the viciously anti-U.S. Economist magazine. But, it would be highly unwise to forget the age-old tradition of betrayal with a kiss.

In the midst of the ongoing, unprecedented financial and economic breakdown crisis, there is nothing the Anglo-Dutch financial establishment wants more desperately than to destroy the constitutional, sovereign United States. Thus, the British first deployed to wipe out the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, through their asset George Soros, his creation Barack Obama, and the controlled media. At the same time, they have pulled all the strings required to block, so far, the only effective emergency economic measures that could put the U.S. back into the Franklin Roosevelt tradition, those measures proposed by Lyndon LaRouche.

Yet, as the crisis deepens, the British financiers themselves are ever more desperately afraid of an FDR reflex. Thus, the recent surfacing of their patsy Felix Rohatyn, an admitted hater of Roosevelt and LaRouche, in major European press, allegedly promoting a New Bretton Woods, in opposition to the momentum being created around LaRouche’s international proposals for a new monetary system.

The looming danger, however, is that the British, having succeeded in getting “their man” into the U.S. Presidency, will decide that their objectives will best be accomplished by assassinating him. In the face of that threat, sane Republicans and Democrats have to come together as a national force, to defend the country’s integrity, and adopt the policies that will save it. LaRouche has committed himself personally to accomplishing this crucial task, in the context of exercising his unique role in providing the only sound policies for stopping the global breakdown crisis.

Tags: assassination, barack obama, britain, obama

Keystone Cops Protect Tony Blair

A female bodyguard of Tony Blair has been suspended after leaving a loaded gun in a starbucks bathroom while on duty.

The officer visited the rest room at a Starbucks in Central London and removed her holster, which held a Glock 17 semi-automatic.

After finishing in the toilet, she bought a coffee and left. The pistol lay on the floor for 20 minutes before a horrified member of staff saw it and called 999.

The Starbucks on Edgware Road where the bodyguard left her Glock pistol

Armed police raced to the premises in Edgware Road – near one of Mr Blair’s homes – to recover the gun.

The officer, who a source said was ‘among the top in her class during training’, realised her mistake and retraced her steps, frantically searching for the gun. It was linked to her by checking the serial number.

The woman, who is in her thirties and plain-clothed, was immediately removed from operational duties with the elite SO1 Specialist Protection Command, the U.S. equivalent of the secret service.

Mistake: Tony Blair’s female bodyguard left a gun like the one above in the coffee shop toilet

The protection unit is responsible for the personal safety of senior politicians and VIPs including former prime ministers Mr Blair, now Middle East envoy, and Baroness Thatcher.

A source said: ‘If a child or criminal had picked it up there could have been terrible consequences.

‘This has come as a shock. The officer is inconsolable and seriously regrets her mistake.’

The source added: ‘Everyone is fond of her. She was among the top in her class during training, but her firearms career could be over.’

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘A police-issue firearm was left unattended in a central London café on August 29 and was found by a member of the public.

‘The weapon belongs to a Metropolitan Police authorised firearms officer who was on duty at the time.’

The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards is investigating.

Tags: bathroom, glock, gun, secret service, Security, SO1, specialist protection command, toilet, tony blair

Obama Computers Hacked

Hackers broke into the computer systems of the Barack Obama and John McCain campaign teams during the US presidential race and stole a ‘’serious amount of files” in an operation that US government cyber experts believe originated from China.

The Secret Service and FBI warned Obama and McCain earlier this year that their computer networks had been infiltrated by foreign hackers who downloaded large quantities of information from the campaign networks. “You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system,” an FBI agent said, according to a report in Newsweek magazine.
The report went on to say that technical experts speculated the hackers were Russian or Chinese. The FBI apparently told Obama the attack had not been carried out by political opponents.
US officials said they discovered that the cyber attacks originated in China but do not yet know if they were government-sponsored or from an unaffiliated source.
The incident was first revealed in a Newsweek report that said the FBI and Secret Service told the Obama team of the attack in the summer.
According to the article, Josh Bolten, the White House chief of staff, called David Plouffe, who was Obama’s campaign manager, saying: “You have a real problem … you have to deal with it.”

It is understood the campaigns then hired private cyber security companies to look into the breaches.

The Secret Service and the McCain and Obama campaign teams have made no comment on the alleged attacks.

Ironically, exiting president George W. Bush had just announced hours before in a speech that enemies of the United States could be working on a plan targeting the country as it makes the transition from one administration to another. It’s not certain if that was just a coincidental jab at the incoming Democrats or if Mr. Bush and his team are aware that a real threat is brewing.

Regardless, it seems Barack Obama, just days after being confirmed as the next president of the United States, has already been given a rude welcome.

Tags: chinese hackers, computer security, fbi, hacker, mccain, obama, russian hacker, russian hackers