Iran Captures US Drone with Cyber Attack

: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Iran-Captures-US-Drone-With-Cyber-Attack-239727.shtml

: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/09/us-iran-usa-idUSTRE7B826I20111209

 

From the reuters article:

 

From DEBKAfile:

But there's no proof there of anything. I'd suggest that this is an occurance where we'll probably not be able to learn the real truth at the moment, and, of course, should beware of propaganda, speculation, and disinformation.
Just wondering what sort of OS those "kites" would use anyway...presumably a custom-designed job?


Edit: Changed "misinformation" for "disinformation".

 

There is also no evidence that it is necessarily a US military Sentinel. It is believed that they are also utilised by coalition forces. There is some speculation about this & I believe a European operated drone is actually missing. It may be military disinformation however. My guess is that this is some form of hardware malfunction rather than a cyber attack. These drones often fly low at idling speeds & something like dust or debris in an intake may have killed the power long enough for a crash onto a soft enough environment for it not to be noticeably damaged. They are light for their apparent size, primarily built from very tough composites, & designed to survive harsh working environments. The fact that it is more or less intact doesn't prove it was a successful cyber attack.

 

If the drone was in perfect condition, I doubt the Iranians would have covered the entire bottom side during the presentation of the Sentinel.
For the rest, too much smoke and mirrors to be sure of anything.

 

It's going to be a while before the "juicy details" show up. It's overall not that big of a deal either, as the RQ-170 is rather old, in relation to technology. It's basically like gaining access to an F-117 in 2011. Fancy, yep. "Secret", yep. Able to give Iran a huge schooling and allow them to gain a massive upper hand, not happening. Sensors and stealth coating are really all that separates many of these "secret" aircraft. Satellites do the heaviest, most secret work from the air. Drones are just a good way to avoid losing personnel and getting more real time intel.

They're fantastic additions to military/intelligence operations, but getting a hold of an enemy one won't help you become the next Alexander.

 

The Nighthawk was introduced in 1983, yet the Sentinel was first introduced in 2007, which hardly makes it a Sopwith Camel. I think that the US military views them as essentially expendable anyway. Therefore any technology recovered from the enemy would not be considered to be a direct threat to US security as they expect to lose a drone occasionally. A similar argument was used by the US government in not selling P38 fighters to the Air Ministry/RAF before the Battle of Britain. Apparently they didn't want its turbo-supercharger technology to fall into the hands of a competitor. I don't know whether they were referring to the Air Ministry or the Luftwaffe though (probably both). As it happens, the RAF didn't need them anyway as they had Spitfires & a lot of Hawker Hurricanes.

What fascinates me most about the Sentinel is that it resembles the Northrop B2 & yet was made by Lockheed Martin.

 

The introduction of the craft itself is not the factor you look at when deciding whether its loss is a threat or non-issue (in the case of intel operations.). It's what's on that craft that is factored in (an RQ-170 stripped of it's stealth material and sensors is just a gigantic, expensive RC airplane. So are other drones). The technology of its equipment is old, and therefore not a threat if lost. Put an M61 Vulcan on a 787 Dreamliner and you have the same situation basically. (We're obviously going to leave out the glaring issue of all the new, specialized controls on a Dreamliner, as drones don't have anything "specialized" in them.

P.S, yes, you're right, they are considered expendable.

 

I don't know about the controls of the Dreamliner, that's the one that looks like it was originally a giant Airfix kit aeroplane right? I am pretty sure that the drones have some pretty specialised software though. They aren't all flown by a remote pilot controller, they have programs that allow them to automatically fly & perform missions without any human operator directly controlling them (this also applies/applied to the B 2 & F 117).

I'm also fairly sure that the software enabling remote autonomous missions is considered expendable as well.

 

Do any of you guys think it's either possible or likely that the US allowed the drone to fall (pun intended) into Iranian hands, because they loaded it with either "special software" or perhaps outdated hardware... in order to throw the investigators off, or in the case of the special software, infect Iranian computers?

 

@ Page42

Yes i did ! Good points

I was also wondering if they "might" have installed some listening/viewing/tracking etc bugs in it. This "could" enable the Spooks to both spy on what was said etc, plus trace it & see which location/facility etc it went to. My reasoning was, because it's "supposed" to have self & remote destruction built into it, in case of such a downing, which obviously didn't happen in this case.

However, i'm more inclined to think that, either it malfunctioned, in more ways than one or it was brought down somehow.

 

Or a big bug flew into its radiator!

 

Iran Hits the Jackpot With CIA Drone Crash

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/11/iran-hits-the-jackpot-with-cia-drone-crash.html

 

“Death to America, Death to Israel, Death to England.”

Surely this is discrimination. What about Wales & Scotland?

I still think that the gains to Iranian intelligence are being overplayed. This is a propaganda war of words.

 

Of course the gains are being overplayed.
Because there aren't any to speak of.
If the Iranians actually had something, what would be the smart thing to do?
Shut up about it and use it to their advantage in a secretive manner.
Instead they broadcast propaganda all over the place.
Any tactical advantage they may have gained is then negated by the other side being tipped off.
But since they've got nothing much to write home about, they spout off.
As I noted earlier, it wouldn't surprise me if the drone wasn't in fact an early Christmas gift, provided intentionally by the US.

 

Assuming that the Iranians are smart, there isn't a huge amount of evidence for this.

Yeah ... not exactly smart ...

A sort of 'The Man that Never Was' scenario?

 

yeah i think there is some Kind Of new Duqu we will be hearing about in
security now Podcast the new week
those Drones are built not to be spotted i think america sent it to crash there
on purpose

anyway Like iran don't have spying methods to begin with

 

Yeah, that (although I had to Google it to know what you were talking about).
What could be more covert than to gift them with misleading technology, and possibly do as CloneRanger suggested and fit it with tracking devices?

Less and getting lesser.

 

This all started late last year when:

The US Military aka CIA has denied most if not all of these allegations since numerous of the same have ocurred since. Iran has since seized a disarmed and downed Lockheed Martin unmanned UAV, specifically a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel

 

Well, it fooled the Nazis so well they made a movie about it.

Nah ... they'd spot it a mile away!

...

Until it disappears ...

 

Yeah well, if the military deny something, it's normally a bit of a pork pie.

I still say it could just have been a big bug in the radiator.

 

The discussion has gone out of scope for these forums. Thank you.