In a speech before the Department of Defense at the Pentagon today, Vice President Mike Pence outlined the broad contours of the new Space Force that the Trump administration wants to create as the sixth branch of the U.S. military. Emphasizing the need to both further militarize and privatize space as a new war-fighting domain, […]
View More US targets 2020 for the creation of a Space ForceCategory: Military
U.S. military orders soldiers to turn off GPS tracking devices
U.S. troops deployed overseas will have to remember to turn off the GPS tracking services on their favorite wearable fitness device. It’s an order.
The U.S. Department of Defense has issued an order for any troops in warzones or stationed in overseas…
One year after Trump tweeted he’d ban transgender troops, the fight to stop him continues
One year ago, President Trump used Twitter to announce a ban on transgender troops. Today, the fight to protect transgender service people is still very much alive.
LGBTQ civil rights organizations and activists across social media are using the hash…
A hacker tried selling stolen military drone documents for $200
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F810650%2Fa362ffaf-437e-4a9d-a968-7185bfe2459b.jpg)
Researchers at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future recently released a report about one of its more interesting findings.
While scouring the hacker forums on the dark web, the firm’s analysts discovered someone selling MQ-9 Reaper drone documents — maintenance books, training guides, and a list of airmen assigned to the military drone. The hacker was looking for $150-200 for the documentation.
That may seem a strangely low asking price, and according to Andrei Barysevich, a Recorded Future analyst, it is. The hacker was advertising the documents as classified information, but while they are only made available to military and its contractors, they aren’t classified. Still, according to Barysevich in a statement to Buzzfeed News, “We felt like he has no true understanding of the value of this information, he had no idea how to sell it, he was just trying to get rid of it.” Read more…
More about Drones, Cybersecurity, Hacking, Military, and Drone
View More A hacker tried selling stolen military drone documents for $200US Air Force drone documents found for sale on the dark web for $200
You never quite know what you’ll find on the dark web. In June, a threat intelligence team known as Insikt Group at security research firm Recorded Future discovered the sale of sensitive U.S. military information in the course of monitoring criminal activity on dark web marketplaces. Insikt explains that an English-speaking hacker purported to have […]
View More US Air Force drone documents found for sale on the dark web for $200The military is developing a shapeshifting wheel that is capable of transforming in just 2 seconds
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working on a wheel-to-track mechanism that renders combat vehicles capable of conquering any terrain with ease. The wheel turns into a track while the vehicle is still moving.
This research is part of DAR…
Chinese company claims its ‘laser AK-47’ can set you on fire from half a mile away
Lasers! Everyone loves them, everyone wants them. But apart from a few niche applications they have failed to live up to the destructive potential that Saturday morning cartoons taught us all to expect. In defiance of this failure, a company in China claims to have produced a “laser AK-47” that can burn targets in a fraction of a second from half a mile away. But skepticism is still warranted.
View More Chinese company claims its ‘laser AK-47’ can set you on fire from half a mile awayGoogle reportedly backing out of military contract after public backlash
A controversial Google contract with the U.S. military will not be renewed next year after internal and public outcry against it, Gizmodo reports. The program itself was not particularly distasteful or lucrative, but served as a foot in the door for the company to pursue more government work that may very well have been both.
View More Google reportedly backing out of military contract after public backlashLyft makes it easier to get a ride on a military base
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F773589%2F184c8e9e-2cd5-422f-90a6-2004bac8b9c9.jpg)
Military bases are a difficult place for ride-hailing riders and drivers alike.
Restricted access often means pick-ups and drop-offs at faraway entry gates, and it can be a logistical mess for drivers trying to find someone.
Lyft announced Tuesday a pilot program with the Department of Defense to make it easier for thousands of military members to request a ride.
“Base mode” is rolling out at Camp Pendleton’s Marine Corps training facility in Southern California so drivers who have access to the base will be matched to passengers within the base. Most drivers who have access are other service members, spouses, or retired veterans. Eligible drivers will be able to turn on base mode within the app. Read more…
More about Uber, Military, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, and Tech
Sure looks like China has a ship-mounted railgun
Ever since Eraser, everyone wants a railgun. Turns out China is no exception. Some photos posted by Dafeng Cao, a Twitter user who keeps close tabs on Chinese military developments, show a ship-mounted gun that could very well be the country’s very own homegrown electromagnetically propelled mass driver. Read More
US military reviewing tech use after Strava privacy snafu
The U.S. military has responded to privacy concerns over a heatmap feature in the Strava app which displays users’ fitness activity — and has been shown exposing the location of military facilities around the world — by saying it’s reviewing the rules around usage of wireless devices and apps by its personnel. Read More
Strava’s fitness heatmap has a major security problem for the military
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F701963%2Faf6df6d9-61de-493c-81ef-e61cb8173ef7.png)
Strava, a fitness tracking platform that logs activities on Fitbits, Jawbones and Garmin wearable devices, has a security problem.
In November, the platform launched a global heatmap of all the activity recorded through the tracking service. While it’s not live, it’s gathered a lot of data about user activity, patterns, routines, and locations — and it appears to be exposing some military secrets.
Strava released their global heatmap. 13 trillion GPS points from their users (turning off data sharing is an option)https://t.co/hA6jcxfBQI … It looks very pretty, but not amazing for Op-Sec. US Bases are clearly identifiable and mappable pic.twitter.com/rBgGnOzasq
— Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) January 27, 2018 Read more…
More about Military, Fitbit, Fitness Trackers, Strava, and Tech
View More Strava’s fitness heatmap has a major security problem for the military