The Truth

The Truth about your PC security

By Gerald: Internet Anthropologist Think Tank

1.20.09

From those who know.

These comments are from a post on Wired:

Air Force Unplugs Bases' Internet Connections

While unplugging the Airforce's PC's from some of the Internet

it feels more like a political motivation.

For example why block Air Force personel from Blogs?

Censorship?

The comments make some great points.

Although we have not collected secondary sources to verify

all the info.

GOOGLE FORMATING STILL SCREWING UP/

HIGHT LIGHT TO READ

So much for the Cyberspace in their obnoxious new Air * Space * Cyberspace tag line.

Posted by: Michael Finn | Feb 18, 2009 11:48:39 AM

HIGHT LIGHT TO READ

( Google formatting SUCKS )

It's one thing to unplug the networks because of an active and known threat. It's another when the network is disconnected from a failure to comply with computer policies created by folks who don't have the slightest understanding of information or computer security (pilots).

The AF is bass-ackward when it comes to all things network. As pointed out in the article, much of the internet is blocked for arbitrary reasons based on words in the website such as blogs, forums, flash sites, social networking. I have even been blocked from accessing websites with the word "weapon" and "flight simulation". I wonder how many websites Al Qaeda blocks from their people? ...obviously not flight sims.

An average terrorist with a internet connection is better wired than an Air Force officer. The word to our enemies is, "Don't try to bomb our communications, we will gladly disable them for you the first time you email an Air Force Base a .zip file."

Posted by: Sauce | Feb 18, 2009 9:54:23 PM

HIGHT LIGHT TO READ

( Google formatting SUCKS )

February 27, 2008 - Air Force Blocks Access to Many Blogs
Link - http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/02/air-force-banni.html
-------
January 06, 2009 - Air Force Releases 'Counter-Blog' Marching Orders
Link - http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/usaf-blog-respo.html 
-------
February 18, 2009 - Air Force Unplugs Bases' Internet Connections
"Many airmen can't access Danger Room, for example — or any site with the word "blog" in the URL."
-------
Strange Days Indeed.

Posted by: Bob Loblaw | Feb 18, 2009 10:31:57 PM

What I can't figure out is why their top secret information is on the same network as their access to the internet.

My company, for example, has a secure intranet all across the US. Any one of us can access it but without hacking in no one outside the intranet can. Then we have a server that feeds us the internet through heavy firewall, proxy, and anti-virus protection.

Altneratively, some companies have two networks. One for public use and one for the secure stuff.

Posted by: Deny The Truth | Feb 19, 2009 5:22:38 AM

I have 1200 or so terminals remotely fed by wireless connect, over a 9000 square-mile service teritory in SE Ks. I'm just a little biz guy paying his bills.

Our 27-year-seasoned techie staff (all licensed Amateur Radio Ops) have personally dealt with this new breed of 'dirty plugin' that is being forced into client machines globally.

Corrupted advertising servers are being used as the viral launch platform. Again.

The 'powers that be' would be very wise to core-disconnect & perform a massive-chassis inspection & P2P viral cleanup.

The Net is globally bi-directional & Grandma, bless her soul, hasn't got a chance in hell of NOT being infected.

Without a personal (hardware-based) firewall in place, a fresh public IP will conduct well over 600-incoming probe hits within the first 30 seconds of raw machine connection to the Net.

More tha likely, most probes were from infected bot machines scanning the network.

Our packet sniffers see the traits, as more infected clients spring to life daily & we scramble to shut them down.

Mr. Obama: My daughter is known to you as 'Home Girl', and she brought back 2-sets of the gold-rimmed w/inaug-seal stemware from your table. She seemed quite enlightened after chatting with you and your wife.

BTW: Enlightenment is a very good thing.

Thank you for your time invested.

Karlea's dad.

Posted by: ISP with a clue... | Feb 19, 2009 5:46:05 AM

I live in mainland China and I can't access most of those sites either. Hmmm...

Posted by: Tom Swift | Feb 19, 2009 6:20:11 AM

I see death of that base commanders career in 3..2..1...

Posted by: Rob | Feb 19, 2009 12:00:10 PM

Yeah, I agree. . . some of the above posts are way off. People talking without knowing. I was military and now am a civilian working in the same ISS type of job.

btw. . . the military doesn't have their secret data on the unclassifed internet.

also Cyae, those 18-26 year old "boys" are the ones brave enough to do something you obviously haven't or you would appreciate the freedom you have. Also it is common knowledge that America has the strongest military forces there are.

Posted by: ex | Feb 19, 2009 2:06:19 PM

I agree that it is a draconian style of leadership. The problem with not using that style is that 320,000+ AF members and lots (I don't know the number) of the AF civilian workforce just don't understand the gravity of the situation. Honestly... Do you think a weapons loader for an F-22 really cares if the network is secure? Remember, before you answer, that this is the same guy that doesn't own or even want to own a home computer. This isn't just the weapons guys either... think of the Cooks, Cops, Mechanics, bomb builders, Dirt movers, Red Horse (AF Version of the Navy CBs), etc... Most of them could care less if they don't have access. The whole iPhone/network access thing... It's not about divulging secrets. It's about infection on Government systems. YouTube and MySpace are notorious for infecting viewers with trojans and the like. The whole intent is to protect AF capabilities.

Check out “Solar Sunrise” – Google hits #1 on this: 
www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/solar-sunrise.htm
protection from these types of intrusion is critical to AF and American sustainability in global information threats. 

Posted by: Faceless AF Guy | Feb 19, 2009 2:31:37 PM

Faceless AF Guy:

This new infectious junk is too slick. This is NOT from a 14-year-old without a girlfriend, wildly coding away in grandma's basement.

This is serious pay-for-play by big-boy hacker kiddies in Russia, Bulgaria, China.

Basic flow: Polymorphic encryption delivery via comprimised ad-servers. 'Gateway drug style', this kernal pulls in a boatload of other crap. Your box is owned in 2 seconds.

We're seeing a P2P linkage with hundreds of global IP's. No head of the dragon to cut off, being P2P.

Once embedded, this junk strips your box of everything of any value.

Within these last 4 weeks, we have reliable estimates of 20 million+ compromised P2P-linked bot machines.

No one will be spared. I saw it happen in front of my eyes while visiting a legit car-listing site.

I swished my mouse across the ads with mouse-triggered pop-ups & KAPOW - my chassis was displaying a ransom-ware display called 'MSANTISPYWARE2009'.

MALWAREBYTE has a worthwhile detection & removal package for this morphing crapo.

Only by shutting down core feed "RIGHT F NOW" could a busy military base positivly track the background network noise, disconnect the hijacked P2P bot security problems, and choke 'em off.

This is serious security shiite being tossed upon the world stage.

I wish the big boys luck with tackling this huge problem...

Posted by: ISP with a clue... | Feb 19, 2009 7:28:21 PM

As I read the rest of the posts, let me clear something up. EVERYTHING is in the network. If it goes down, people die. Literally. All medical records, medical equipment, planes, email, everything. Email is the primary means of communication. Not to mention pay, encryption codes and root certs. As far as wireless, it takes an act of God to get AF network wireless. I know, because I help with monitoring it. And even if you do get it, we wardrive it every month. War driving is where we drive around with an antennae picking up all wireless freqs, and make sure that they are secured properly.

Posted by: Static | Feb 21, 2009 3:44:36 AM

HIGHT LIGHT TO READ

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The conclusion is clear PC's on the net are not safe.

Grandma, bless her soul, hasn't got a chance in hell of NOT being infected.

The WWW should be safe for Grandma, if she 

has a firewall anti virus and a sweeper.

The truth is that won't keep one safe.

Our security configration is massive,

an we still get penetrated. They lost the PC and some arrested.  Any body

that thinks they are safe are fooling themselves.

Security Vendors need some government funding

to get ahead of the malware curve,

so far we are just reacting as we 

discover threats. A very poor defensive 

position.

The Internet is slipping 

away from us.

YOU ARE NOT SAFE.

We can walk thru firewalls

and around anti virus

even trojan sweepers

and plant a rootkit you

can't find.

We don't its illegal,

until we get a letter of Marque and reprisal.

Our hands are tied.

They would burn us in a min.

Graitute is not one of their character flaws..

We can be transparent, Opaque or invisible 

depending on who we think are looking.

Our BSU's meet the letter of the 

law, less than hacking but more

than OSINT.

Gerald

Tactical Internet Systems analyst

.Infected PC's rampant G

INTERNET THREAT MATRIX

.

Annual Threat Assessment: WRONG

Annual Threat Assessment: WRONG

By Gerald: Internet Anthropologist ThinkTank

1.21.09

Annual Threat Assessment of the

Intelligence Community

for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Is WRONG.

They state the biggest threat to USA is the Economic melt down.

USA will survive this Depression

However the threat from Iran and its nuclear capabilities

far exceed the threats posed by the Recession.

Iran has enough material for a Nuke and is working on

Missiles that will reach any where in the world.

Iran's track record related to terrorism and ignoring

normal political paradigms, like taking over the American Embassy

and threatening Israel with annihilation coupled with their

belief in the 13th Imman point to a very dangerous paradigm.

White House says world can't delay on Iran.

USA has been delaying on Iran, not the world.

Who is the leader?

Internet Anthropologist Think Tank: Next Iranian strategic threat ...

Iran will push the button

Iran has material for nuke

G

This is a Depression,

it will pass, it is not a WMD.

Irans WMD is a Threat.

WE CAN TRUST IRAN...
TO MAKE A NUKE.

.Our National threat assessment.

ISPs, Wi-Fi, HOME users keep logs for police

Hell US can't even get people to use security on their PC's.

Thereby Allowing Huge Bot farms.

This is the same congress that passed the "Stimlus Bill", without 

reading it all, no congressman read the whold thing.

Now they want home users to keep records on their routhers?

And I am concerned about :

U.S. Justice Department's position is that any service "that provides others with means of communicating electronically" qualifies.

I know right now some poor sob is going to get busted

for not keeping "complete records".

ISP's keeping IP's is ok but home users? NO.

I suspect that is an invasion of privacy and 

the potential for abuse is too great.

Home users don't keep track of their own IPs.

Welcome to "Burger King" please show your ID

and thumb print to access our WIFI.

What about War driving?

Ill concieved, but well meaning.

G

Bill proposes ISPs, Wi-Fi keep logs for police

(CNET) -- Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations.......

Two bills have been introduced so far--S.436 in the Senate and H.R.1076 in the House. Each of the companion bills is titled "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act," or Internet Safety Act.

Each contains the same language: "A provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service shall retain for a period of at least two years all records or other information pertaining to the identity of a user of a temporarily assigned network address the service assigns to that user."

Translated, the Internet Safety Act applies not just to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and so on--but also to the tens of millions of homes with Wi-Fi access points or wired routers that use the standard method of dynamically assigning temporary addresses. (That method is called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP.)

"Everyone has to keep such information," says Albert Gidari, a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm in Seattle who specializes in this area of electronic privacy law.

The legal definition of electronic communication service is "any service which provides to users thereof the ability to send or receive wire or electronic communications." The U.S. Justice Department's position is that any service "that provides others with means of communicating electronically" qualifies.

That sweeps in not just public Wi-Fi access points, but password-protected ones too, and applies to individuals, small businesses, large corporations, libraries, schools, universities, and even government agencies. Voice over IP services may be covered too.

SOURCE:

hAT TIP TO "BARTENDER ON DUTY"

G

.

Iran has material for N bomb

Iran has material for N bomb

White House says world can't delay on Iran

U.N. report says Tehran has amassed enough uranium to make atom bomb

updated 4:10 p.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - The White House said the international community must work together to urgently address Iran's uranium enrichment activities.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that point was underscored by a United Nations report that said Tehran had amassed enough uranium to make an atom bomb.

He said the report by the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency represented "another lost opportunity" for Iran as it continues to "renege" on its international obligations.

Story continues below ↓

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

They are developing intercontential missiles, took American 

Embasy hostage, are backing terrorism world wide.

Have said Israel should not exist and threatened Israel

WE CAN TRUST THEM...

TO MAKE A NUKE.

G

.