Rush to Deploy — Not Hack — Compromised Drone Video
A recent Wall Street Journal report disclosed that live video feeds from U.S.-operated drones had been compromised by insurgents. Widely reported as a cyber attack, these reports were misleading. Instead this is a cautionary tale about how commercial technology is integrated into military systems, how difficult it is to update once it gets there, and stovepiped weapons system acquisitions.
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(CBS via Wired)
READ ROVER, READ ROVER To leverage the additional surveillance offered by drones (called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs) such as the Predator, Shadow and Hunter systems, the military provides ground forces with a small unit called a Remote Optical Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER). First deployed in 2002, ROVER allows boots on the ground to receive video from a UAV. It’s widely used, with more than 8,000 currently in use and, according to one source, it’s capable of receiving video from as many as 11 different UAV platforms. As reported by Wired, the military knew about the problem, and the Air Force at least appears somewhat unconcerned, and does not plan to complete upgrades until 2014.
ROLLOUT THROUGH 2014 Coverage of this story by Air Force Times may explain the wait. Newer devices with encryption are being deployed. For older systems, the military believes it can limit reception by unwanted eyes by limiting the area where the video feed can be received. Quoted in the same report, the Army’s Col. Robert Sova, capability manager for Army unmanned aerial systems, seems to agree with the Air Force assessment. “We are well aware, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense is well aware, and we have a well-researched response set in motion . . . This is not new information.” He likened it to giving insurgents a glimpse into the security camera feed in a mall. These representatives of the Army and Air Force argue that the risk is low because the insurgents can’t control the UAV using this feed. Yet, detractors say.
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