Potential Security Breach Involving President's Helicopter Found By Local Company

[kpete]

Source: WPXI

Potential Security Breach Involving President's Helicopter Found By Local Company
Sensitive Information About President’s Helicopter Found In Iran

Saturday, February 28, 2009 – updated: 7:24 pm EST February 28, 2009
PITTSBURGH -- Target 11 has learned 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.

Bob Boback, CEO of Tiversa, said, ”We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One,which is the president's helicopter."

The company was able to trace the file back to its original source.

Read more: http://www.wpxi.com/news/18818589/detail.html

[jwirr]

1. Isn't this the same plane *ss had. Who were they targeting? nt

[file83]

15. What I'd like to know is what is a company doing monitoring P2P file sharing networks?

How do you make a profit doing that?

More importantly, why are they LOOKING for files like that in the first place? You don't find files unless you LOOK for them. Are they working for the government?

If it's on a P2P file sharing network, why would this company announce to the world that they found said documents?

The first rule in counter-espionage is you don't let your targets know they've been compromised.

The answer to that is easy: These documents weren't in possessed by a legitmate "target". They are probably all over the seedy underworld of the internet.

This story was released for sensationalistic reasons. It's like those "Orange" alerts we used to get - this is 100% propaganda.

[bemildred]

2. Computing security in the defense department is a joke, has been a joke, for a long time.

This is not so much from ill will or a lack of good intentions, as from a failure to understand the problem and take it seriously enough. Software security takes knowledge and a lot of work to implement.

[MadMaddie]

5. Agreed!!

[annabanana]

3. Perhaps he SHOULD get one new helicopter.

. . just sayin'

[DRoseDARs]

6. Unfortunately, there's a reason the POTUS has a small fleet of Marine Ones.

They don't have the range to carry him (or her someday) across the country, only relatively short distances for urban travels or to somewhere like Camp David. Incidentally, a helicopter isn't "Marine One" until the POTUS is on it, same as "Air Force One" of which there's a back up 747. If we replace one helicopter, that leaves the entire rest of the fleet with the same vulnerabilities and also I doubt they're about to transport one helicopter hither and thither, that's why there are multiple helicopters available to become Marine One when the POTUS is in town. Of course, the good thing is this makes McCain look like a total ass again for his bitching about Pres. Obama possibly getting a replacement fleet of helicopters. If they had been for **, McCain would have joined him for cake and brought champagne to christen them.

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. However practical their use may be, I don't believe heads of state should

flying in helicopters, because I believe they are relatively dangerous aircraft compared to fixed wing jobs. No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[No Elephants]

27. I believe

you're correct!

[KewlKat]

4. I wonder if the file was compromised before or after the inauguration

not that it matters I guess, but it kind of makes me wonder just how much the W regime let out to the world in their 8 yrs of terror.

[zeemike]

9. I was thinking the same thing.

And I am not paranoid but I know that there are people out there that would like Obama dead.
I think they are having a convention right now.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. Or before or after the election...

I don't trust those assholes any more now than I did when they were installed.

[Octafish]

7. Iran figures in with the proposed new Marine One fleet, too.

Why are Presidential Helicopters Being Built in Italy?

[peacetalksforall]

10. As a reward. Israel, Italy, and the U.S. forged the Iraq documents.

Beware the I's. Israel and Italy - maybe more than Iran.

[ShockediSay]

11. what about Israel?

[formercia]

8. One of the joys of privatization

I wonder how many more 'Beltway Bandits' spend their days jacking off while sitting at their desk at 'work.'

Another 'Private Contractor' hard on the job.

[FarCenter]

12. If Marine One is designed so poorly

that the President's security depends on keeping the design secret, there is a really big problem in the military.

[Muttocracy]

13. Sigh. nt

[elleng]

14. Some detail:

'Boback said someone from the company most likely downloaded a file-sharing program, typically used to exchange music, not realizing the potential problems.

"When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive," Boback said.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa, said, "We found where this information came from. We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went."

Boback notified the government immediately and said appropriate steps are being taken.

“They are working through a process to maintain the security of the president,” Boback said.

Iran is not the only country that appears to be accessing this type of information through file-sharing programs.

“We've noticed it out of Pakistan, Yemen, Qatar, and China. They are actively searching for information that is disclosed in this fashion because it is a great source of intelligence,” Boback said.

Clark said he doesn't know how sensitive this information is, but he said other military information has been found on the Internet in the past.

He said this needs to be monitored more closely and Rep. Jason Altmire agreed. He said, "Well, I'm very troubled to hear this because there are obviously elements in Iran that are not friendly to the United States and it would be an understatement to say that this type of information could be very detrimental were it to fall into the wrong hands."

Altmire said he will ask Congress to investigate how to prevent this from happening again.

Clark said, “Once it's out there, it's hard to get it back. I don't think the full ramifications of this have been understood by the watchdog agencies.”'


http://www.wpxi.com/news/18818589/detail.html

[RamboLiberal]

18. Marine 1 Blueprints Found On File Sharing Network

Source: WPXI.com

A Cranberry company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered 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.

”We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One, which is the president's helicopter," said Bob Boback, CEO of Tiversa.

-----

"What appears to be a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file sharing program on one of their systems that also contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One," Boback said.

-----

"We found where this information came from," said Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa. "We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went."

Read more: http://www.wpxi.com/news/18818589/detail.html

[BobRossi]

19. Why blame the employee? Why aren't these ports blocked?

Defense contractors should be required to block traffic on file sharing ports. Better yet, they should be required to rout all internet traffic through DOD proxy servers which should in turn block these ports.

[marketcrazy1]

20. OOPS!!!!

I bet the morons who downloaded these files will soon be getting visited by their local FBI. probably sitting in front of their computers wondering why their internet connection is not working..... RING!....... honey someone is at the door,, could you get it,, I am trying to fix the computer..... DOH!!!

[NoQuarter]

21. NOT.

Money says that this, like "Rick's Tea Party" were planned and staged events.

[Soylent Brice]

22. hold on one sec, forgot my hat...

there, that's better.

anyone else find this to be a bit extraordinarily odd?

[marketcrazy1]

23. I guess this means the price goes up

anything in the diagrams that is "sensitive" will need to be re configured for "security"....................

[Soylent Brice]

24. i was under the impression they were going to scrap Marine 1 all together.

something about it being outdated. why this info would come out, within the first month and a half of his presidency, and so oopsie daisy like this, does not pass the smell test.

[Karenina]

25. Staged to send a message...

[Soylent Brice]

28. someone on my wavelength, i couldn't agree more.

the question is who exactly is sending the message...

[nc4bo]

26. I'm going to have to join you...