Iraqi insurgents have reportedly intercepted live video feeds from Predator drones using a $25 Windows application that allows them to track the pilotless aircraft undetected. The US military has fixed the problem, a defense official said on Thursday.
Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber — generally used for satellite television reception — and available for as little as $25.95 from Russian company Sky Software, reports the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. officials say there is no evidence that militants were able to take control of the drones or otherwise interfere with their flights. Still, the intercepts could give America’s enemies battlefield advantages by removing the element of surprise from certain missions and making it easier for insurgents to determine which roads and buildings are under U.S. surveillance. The Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, or ROVER, allows ground forces to view video feeds from Predator UAVs or other aircraft. A laptop receives video captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle. It receives only unencrypted L, C, S, Ku bands.
The potential drone vulnerability lies in an unencrypted downlink between the unmanned craft and ground control. The U.S. government has known about the flaw since the U.S. campaign in Bosnia in the 1990s, current and former officials said. But the Pentagon assumed local adversaries wouldn’t know how to exploit it, the officials said.
Journalist Jeremy Scahill has found a niche investigating Blackwater, reports Fresh Air. He’s broken many stories in The Nation, and his latest, published Nov. 23, says Blackwater is operating in Pakistan under a program that includes planning targeted assassinations and kidnappings of Taliban and Al Qaeda suspects. Blackwater operatives also run the U.S. military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the CIA’s predator strikes.
Two separate US missile strikes killed at least 14 militants in northwest Pakistan this week, officials said. Drones account for 36% of the planes in the Air Force 2010 budget.
Today, the Air Force is buying hundreds of Reaper drones, a newer model, whose video feeds could be intercepted in much the same way as with the Predators, according to people familiar with the matter. A Reaper costs between $10 million and $12 million each and is faster and better armed than the Predator. General Atomics expects the Air Force to buy as many as 375 Reapers.
In other news, Raytheon, the US defense contractor, has rolled out their Raytheon Android Tactical System (RATS), which combines maps with a buddy list. In addition a number of iPhone apps for use by soldiers were announced today. The applications involve intuitive situational awareness for use with location tracking and military messaging, as well as text messaging, spot reports and emergency call for fire. Raytheon iPhone software can also be used by first responders like police, firemen and emergency medical technicians.
Related Dailywireless articles include; CIA’s Drone War in Pakistan, UAVs On Parade, Tracking Salmon, San Diego State: Wildfire GIS to Go, Shape Shifters in Paris, Suitcase X-Band, Tracking al-Qaeda, UAV’s Expand Roll, Mountain Rescue UAVs, E911 & Triangulation, Swarming UAVs, RF-ID Tracking from Space? and HDTV from Aircraft.
