Category Archives: Army

Chinese drone maker DJI launches bug bounty program after U.S. Army ban

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Chinese drone maker Daijiang Innovation Corporation (DJI) launched a bug bounty program on Monday after the company’s products were banned by the U.S. Army about one month ago due to unspecified “cyber vulnerabilities.” DJI owns 70 percent of the global drone market, according to a 2016 analysis by Goldman Sachs and Oppenheimer. Analysts predict that the market will expand to $100 billion in five years. DJI also released several security updates and removed third-party plugins that did not meet security standards on Monday, based on a press release issued by the company. The Army ban pushed DJI to launch several additional security updates over the last month, including one patch that added the ability to disconnect a drone from the internet while it is flight. Customer concerns were ultimately the motivating factor that caused DJI to make changes to its software, Reuters previously reported. The newly announced bug bounty program offers rewards from […]

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DJI drones banned by U.S. Army due to ‘cyber vulnerabilities’

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The U.S. Army has banned the use of drones from the Chinese firm Daijiang Innovation Corporation (DJI) citing “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities” in DJI products, the drone blog sUAS News reports. DJI, whose products are widely used throughout the Pentagon, told CyberScoop they are “surprised and disappointed” to read the reports and are reaching out to the U.S. Army for confirmation and clarification. The Army did not respond to requests for comment and clarification from CyberScoop. DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of small civilian drones, shares sensitive customer information including “location, flight records and possibly video shot by users and uploaded to its servers” with governments that require it, including the China, the company says. It’s not clear how this policy impacts U.S. customers, including the Army, or if this policy is related to the Army’s reported decision. The memo, quoted below, outlines DJI’s popularity in the Army and […]

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Automate the Freight: Front Line Deliveries by Drone

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Gen. Robert H. Barrow, USMC, once said that “Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” That’s true in many enterprises, but in warfare, the side that neglects logistics is likely to be the loser. Keeping soldiers fed, clothed, and armed is the very essence of effectively prosecuting a war, and the long logistical chain from rear supply depots to forward action is what makes that possible.

Armies have had millennia to optimize logistics, and they have always maximized use of new technologies to position supplies where they’re needed. Strong backs of men and beasts sufficed for centuries, supplemented by …read more

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Why the U.S. is struggling with their digital war on ISIS

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The U.S. military’s reported inability to effectively “drop cyber bombs” on the Islamic State is raising new questions about the military’s existing “cyber weapons arsenal,” a loosely defined collage of digital warfare capabilities shrouded in secrecy. Computer network attacks have been conducted by operators within the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, the military’s top cyber warfare unit, under the order of Joint Task Force Ares. While the two organizations are inherently aligned, the NSA and Cyber Command follow different missions and employ different capabilities. Very little is publicly known about either the intelligence community or U.S. military’s ability to conduct offensive cyber operations; the subject matter is generally considered classified if not highly sensitive. A leaked CIA document published by WikiLeaks in March and identified by CyberScoop provides a rare window into how analysts conduct cyber warfare operations; describing one instance in which an operator worked to remotely disrupt a […]

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Proposed bill would make DOD tell Congress when ‘special cyber operations’ are taking place

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There’s an oversight bill in the works that would compel the Defense Department to notify Congress when the military is engaged in sensitive cyber operations. The bipartisan legislation, as it’s currently written, would require congressional notification when the Defense Department takes action in cyberspace under U.S. Code Title 10, which supervises operations led by Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, as well as the Reserves. Title 10 is unrelated to the U.S. government’s intelligence gathering mission set, which is led by federal organizations like the National Security Agency. Sponsored by top House Armed Service Committee Reps. Elise Stefanik, D-N.Y., Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., the bill does not provide Congress with any additional authorization authority, but rather codifies an informal disclosure process that exists between the Defense Department and relevant congressional committees. There is no mention of a public disclosure element in […]

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U.S. cyber warriors are getting better at fighting ISIS online, says top general

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The U.S. military has gotten better at countering ISIS’ digital operations over the last six months, according to Lieutenant General Paul Nakasone, commanding general of Army Cyber Command. “I think what we are learning is in terms of being able to counter a message, being able to attack a brand — in this case the brand of ISIS — and then, the other thing is, how do we do this with the speed and accuracy that is able to get at an adversary that six months ago was moving uncontested in cyberspace,” Nakasone said during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing. “I think we’ve learned those things over the last six months. I think we as a department have done much better.” ISIS shares propaganda, communicates with allies and spreads other messaging via the internet. In the past, the group’s successful use of social media has been linked to terrorist […]

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WannaCry hit U.S. Army machine, marking first federal government infection

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WannaCry ransomware infected a machine tied to an IP address associated with the Army Research Laboratory, CyberScoop has learned. The information, found on a list of affected IP addresses provided by a security vendor, would mark the first time the ransomware was found on a federal government computer. The security vendor, who provided the data on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material, observed communications from the victim IP address to the attackers’ known command and control server on May 12; confirming that the ransomware infection involving the ARL was in fact successful. The IP address is tied to a block parked at a host located at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The type of machine the IP address is attached to is unknown. While ARL is based in Adelphi, Maryland, the laboratory has multiple outposts, including stations at Fort Huachuca. The Arizona base is also home to the Army’s Network Enterprise Technology Command […]

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U.S. launches ‘Hack the Air Force’ bug bounty program

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The U.S. Air Force launched a new bug bounty program dubbed “Hack the Air Force” on Wednesday, continuing a trend within the U.S. military that began last year with Hack the Pentagon and Hack the Army. Before the Pentagon’s bug bounty programs launched, it was illegal to search for vulnerabilities on Defense Department networks. The trend has extended overseas, as well, with the U.K. government’s announcement of its own bug bounty program last month. The Air Force program is directed by HackerOne, the bug bounty platform behind Hack the Pentagon that just raised a $40 million investment in February, and Luta Security, the security consulting firm driving the U.K. program. HackerOne and Luta Security are partnering to deliver up to 20 bug bounty challenges over three years to the Defense Department. “This outside approach — drawing on the talent and expertise of our citizens and partner-nation citizens — in identifying our security vulnerabilities will […]

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