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November 23rd, 2008, 05:54 PM
#1
Pentagon banning flash drives...
"The Pentagon has banned, at least temporarily, the use of external computer flash drives because of a virus threat officials detected on Defense Department networks.
While defense officials would not publicly confirm the ban, messages were sent to department employees informing them of the new restrictions. As part of the ban, the Pentagon was collecting any of the small flash drives that were purchased or provided by the department to workers, according to one message distributed to employees.
Workers are being told there is no guarantee they will ever get the devices back and it is not clear how long the ban will last.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would provide no details on the virus Friday, but he described it as a "global virus" that has been the subject of public alerts."
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/200811...n_cyber_threat
“Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.” — Will Rogers
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November 24th, 2008, 12:54 AM
#2
Yeah, I've been tracking that particular "virus" for some time now.
he described it as a "global virus" that has been the subject of public alerts.
It is called the "turd for brains military and public servants virus" Expect laptops and R/W optical media to be added to the list in the near future
Anything that goes off an even remotely secure site must be encrypted and on read only media........... but they still manage to lose stuff and bring in malware................ I wonder how and why?
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November 24th, 2008, 01:58 AM
#3
I didn't think they allowed it in the first place.
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November 24th, 2008, 03:38 AM
#4
Originally Posted by nihil
...the "turd for brains military and public servants virus"
That was around long before computers were. Goes in
the blind-leading-the-leading-the-blind category.
Originally Posted by nihil
... but they still manage to lose stuff and bring in malware................ I wonder how and why.
Some things were never meant to be understood.
“Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.” — Will Rogers
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November 24th, 2008, 10:36 AM
#5
Would someone mind posting the article for me to read here as it is blocked here at work.
Thanks.
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Albert Einstein
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November 24th, 2008, 03:43 PM
#6
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has banned, at least temporarily, the use of external computer flash drives because of a virus threat officials detected on Defense Department networks.
While defense officials would not publicly confirm the ban, messages were sent to department employees informing them of the new restrictions. As part of the ban, the Pentagon was collecting any of the small flash drives that were purchased or provided by the department to workers, according to one message distributed to employees.
Workers are being told there is no guarantee they will ever get the devices back and it is not clear how long the ban will last.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would provide no details on the virus Friday, but he described it as a "global virus" that has been the subject of public alerts.
"This is not solely a department problem, this is not solely a government problem," Whitman said.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that its vast computer network is scanned or probed by outsiders millions of times each day. Last year a cyber attack forced the Defense Department to take up to 1,500 computers off line.
Officials said then that a penetration of the system was detected, but the attack had no adverse impact on department operations.
However, military leaders have consistently warned of potential threats from a variety of sources including other countries — such as China — along with other self-styled cyber-vigilantes and terrorists.
The issue has also been of concern at the Department of Homeland Security. A September audit by the DHS Inspector General recommended that the agency implement greater procedures to ensure that only authorized computer flash drives or other storage devices can be connected to the network there and that an inventory of those devices be set up.
DHS agreed with the recommendations and said some of that is already being done. DHS also said more software enhancements are in the works that will provide more protection.
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November 24th, 2008, 08:27 PM
#7
Flash drives/other removable media have nothing to do with their current problem. As Nihil put it so eloquently (sp.?), stupidity seems to be the major issue. Another issue is a lack of adherence to policies (if they even have any) regarding basic system protection (weak/blank passwords, etc)...
Hi, NukEvil................. I fixed the spelling for you mate...... nihil
Last edited by nihil; November 29th, 2008 at 09:01 PM.
Reason: he questioned his spelling so I fixed it
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November 25th, 2008, 06:30 PM
#8
Originally Posted by The-Spec
I didn't think they allowed it in the first place.
Exactly!
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November 29th, 2008, 09:05 PM
#9
@ phernandez and The-Spec,
Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to recall that there was a scandal about flash drives when we first went into Iraq?
Apparently local support staff at US bases were stealing them because they were just left plugged in or lying around?
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November 30th, 2008, 12:53 PM
#10
Originally Posted by The-Spec
I didn't think they allowed it in the first place.
Not true. USB drives have been widely used, as reflected in NASA's somewhat convoluted policy.
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/20...umb_drive.html
“Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.” — Will Rogers
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