News Stories

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by monir

Has anyone read this article on Hime Island, Japan. This pretty obscure island has received a lot of attention during the past few weeks in Japan.

Considering how the trouble with economy is a global phenomenon, the article is pretty interesting to say the least.

I suspect that the Las Plagas have been released on that island.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

I suspect that the Las Plagas have been released on that island.

That's RACIST!!!! FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUu /s

[KimmyChan]

Budget to reveal depth of gloom here in the UK today -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8011321.stm

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

really dude? did you even read what he said? Guess who needs articles when you can read headlines huh.

You think I didn't?

It's a huge insult to Chinese everywhere. Being half-Chinese, I think I have the right to speak up against such, no?

What does he mean when he says we can't "govern ourselves", to paraphrase him?

[Nosauz]

uhm, his comment was crass and crude, but he was referring to the rampant corruption in private business and government that need to be "controlled" because right now in china, people make shitty products as long as they can make a buck, just look at the tainted milk scandal, the shoddy buildings during the shenzen earthquakes that left schools in rubble yet government buidlings still stood. It wasn't as if he was saying we should ruled with an iron fist, hes just saying that the chinese have taken capitilism to a perverse way.

[vedicardi]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

I suspect that the Las Plagas have been released on that island.

It would be funny if they all suddenly started speaking really poor spanish

[KimmyChan]

Breast Cancer deaths record low in the UK -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8011920.stm

[Kakashi]

Originally Posted by monir

Has anyone read this article on Hime Island, Japan. This pretty obscure island has received a lot of attention during the past few weeks in Japan.

Considering how the trouble with economy is a global phenomenon, the article is pretty interesting to say the least.

Unfortunately, implementing that kind of system in a competitive economic enviroment wouldn't be so simple. Especially in the US, where people will simply disregard it as socialist. Not such a problem on a tiny island whose inhabitants are mostly fishers and the elderly.

eta: I do like the idea of 'work-sharing' though, even if it's a bit of a book-keeping-trick, maintaining employment figures is important for that vital economic ingredient -- confidence.

[chikorita157]

Computer Spies Breach Fighter-Jet Project
By SIOBHAN GORMAN, AUGUST COLE and YOCHI DREAZEN

WASHINGTON -- Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project -- the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever -- according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force's air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft.

The latest intrusions provide new evidence that a battle is heating up between the U.S. and potential adversaries over the data networks that tie the world together. The revelations follow a recent Wall Street Journal report that computers used to control the U.S. electrical-distribution system, as well as other infrastructure, have also been infiltrated by spies abroad.

Attacks like these -- or U.S. awareness of them -- appear to have escalated in the past six months, said one former official briefed on the matter. "There's never been anything like it," this person said, adding that other military and civilian agencies as well as private companies are affected. "It's everything that keeps this country going."

Many details couldn't be learned, including the specific identity of the attackers, and the scope of the damage to the U.S. defense program, either in financial or security terms. In addition, while the spies were able to download sizable amounts of data related to the jet-fighter, they weren't able to access the most sensitive material, which is stored on computers not connected to the Internet.

Former U.S. officials say the attacks appear to have originated in China. However it can be extremely difficult to determine the true origin because it is easy to mask identities online.

A Pentagon report issued last month said that the Chinese military has made "steady progress" in developing online-warfare techniques. China hopes its computer skills can help it compensate for an underdeveloped military, the report said.

The Chinese Embassy said in a statement that China "opposes and forbids all forms of cyber crimes." It called the Pentagon's report "a product of the Cold War mentality" and said the allegations of cyber espionage are "intentionally fabricated to fan up China threat sensations."

The U.S. has no single government or military office responsible for cyber security. The Obama administration is likely to soon propose creating a senior White House computer-security post to coordinate policy and a new military command that would take the lead in protecting key computer networks from intrusions, according to senior officials.

The Bush administration planned to spend about $17 billion over several years on a new online-security initiative and the Obama administration has indicated it could expand on that. Spending on this scale would represent a potential windfall for government agencies and private contractors at a time of falling budgets. While specialists broadly agree that the threat is growing, there is debate about how much to spend in defending against attacks.

The Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, is the costliest and most technically challenging weapons program the Pentagon has ever attempted. The plane, led by Lockheed Martin Corp., relies on 7.5 million lines of computer code, which the Government Accountability Office said is more than triple the amount used in the current top Air Force fighter.

Six current and former officials familiar with the matter confirmed that the fighter program had been repeatedly broken into. The Air Force has launched an investigation.

Pentagon officials declined to comment directly on the Joint Strike Fighter compromises. Pentagon systems "are probed daily," said Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a Pentagon spokesman. "We aggressively monitor our networks for intrusions and have appropriate procedures to address these threats." U.S. counterintelligence chief Joel Brenner, speaking earlier this month to a business audience in Austin, Texas, warned that fighter-jet programs have been compromised.

Foreign allies are helping develop the aircraft, which opens up other avenues of attack for spies online. At least one breach appears to have occurred in Turkey and another country that is a U.S. ally, according to people familiar with the matter.

Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft are already flying, and money to build the jet is included in the Pentagon's budget for this year and next.

Computer systems involved with the program appear to have been infiltrated at least as far back as 2007, according to people familiar with the matter. Evidence of penetrations continued to be discovered at least into 2008. The intruders appear to have been interested in data about the design of the plane, its performance statistics and its electronic systems, former officials said.

The intruders compromised the system responsible for diagnosing a plane's maintenance problems during flight, according to officials familiar with the matter. However, the plane's most vital systems -- such as flight controls and sensors -- are physically isolated from the publicly accessible Internet, they said.

The intruders entered through vulnerabilities in the networks of two or three contractors helping to build the high-tech fighter jet, according to people who have been briefed on the matter. Lockheed Martin is the lead contractor on the program, and Northrop Grumman Corp. and BAE Systems PLC also play major roles in its development.

Lockheed Martin and BAE declined to comment. Northrop referred questions to Lockheed.

The spies inserted technology that encrypts the data as it's being stolen; as a result, investigators can't tell exactly what data has been taken. A former Pentagon official said the military carried out a thorough cleanup.

Fighting online attacks like these is particularly difficult because defense contractors may have uneven network security, but the Pentagon is reliant on them to perform sensitive work. In the past year, the Pentagon has stepped up efforts to work with contractors to improve computer security.

Investigators traced the penetrations back with a "high level of certainty" to known Chinese Internet protocol, or IP, addresses and digital fingerprints that had been used for attacks in the past, said a person briefed on the matter.

As for the intrusion into the Air Force's air-traffic control systems, three current and former officials familiar with the incident said it occurred in recent months. It alarmed U.S. national security officials, particularly at the National Security Agency, because the access the spies gained could have allowed them to interfere with the system, said one former official. The danger is that intruders might find weaknesses that could be exploited to confuse or damage U.S. military craft.

Military officials declined to comment on the incident.

In his speech in Austin, Mr. Brenner, the U.S. counterintelligence chief, issued a veiled warning about threats to air traffic in the context of Chinese infiltration of U.S. networks. He spoke of his concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. air traffic control systems to cyber infiltration, adding "our networks are being mapped." He went on to warn of a potential situation where "a fighter pilot can't trust his radar."

Source: WSJ

I thought the US government would have tight security on it's top secret servers... I guess not...

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

That's RACIST!!!! FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUu /s

Originally Posted by vedicardi

It would be funny if they all suddenly started speaking really poor spanish

So what do we call the people? Akuushi? (悪牛 - Evil Cattle)

I think I have been playing too much Resident Evil.

On a serious note, I think stuff like that are incredible. Who actually dared to believe that near-perfect societies like these exist in the modern world where capitalism is destroying itself the way it built it?

Originally Posted by chikorita157

Source: WSJ

I thought the US government would have tight security on it's top secret servers... I guess not...

U.S and China have been at cyber wars with each other for the past decade. I think China probably did it so that they could better export their J-10 fighters, which lacked stealth technology and superior controls of the F-35.

Regarding computers, it has always been my belief that even the most secure networks can be breached. I wouldn't be surprised if China one day finds that their new anti-US technology weapons wouldn't actually work.

I suspect these are the stuff being stolen :

1. Combat test data
2. Stealth technology
3. Weapon control system
4. Night-flight control system
5. Thrust vectoring capabilities

[Nosauz]

sainttess, I was talkin about the recent brewha over re5, and the las plagas scandal that later Ngai Croal of mtv went to call the RE5 trailer as racist.

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

So what do we call the people? Akuushi? (悪牛 - Evil Cattle)

I think I have been playing too much Resident Evil.

On a serious note, I think stuff like that are incredible. Who actually dared to believe that near-perfect societies like these exist in the modern world where capitalism is destroying itself the way it built it?



U.S and China have been at cyber wars with each other for the past decade. I think China probably did it so that they could better export their J-10 fighters, which lacked stealth technology and superior controls of the F-35.

Regarding computers, it has always been my belief that even the most secure networks can be breached. I wouldn't be surprised if China one day finds that their new anti-US technology weapons wouldn't actually work.

I suspect these are the stuff being stolen :

1. Combat test data
2. Stealth technology
3. Weapon control system
4. Night-flight control system
5. Thrust vectoring capabilities

Oh... I forgot to post the officals response... They didn't stole anything crucial... except how to maintain the aircraft.

Officials Say Hackers Didn't Steal Critical Data About New Fighter Jet
By Ann Scott Tyson and Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, the lead defense contractor for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, suggested yesterday that cyber-attacks had not caused any serious security breaches in the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program.

Still, defense and corporate officials said attacks on the Pentagon as well as the F-35 program are constant, and former defense officials familiar with the program said some of the F-35's less sensitive systems have been infiltrated by cyber-intruders.

"We know we are probed on this every day. We have very aggressive defensive systems. The more sensitive the information, the greater the safeguards are," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said he was not aware of any sensitive F-35 technology having been compromised by a cyber-attack.

The comments came in response to a Wall Street Journal story Monday reporting that cyber-attackers copied and siphoned off data related to design and electronics systems, "potentially making it easier to defend against the craft."

The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive, complex and ambitious aircraft program. According to program estimates, the total investment required in the F-35 exceeds $1 trillion -- more than $300 billion to buy 2,456 aircraft and $760 billion to keep them flying beyond their expected life cycle.

The program has been troubled by cost overruns and delays. Some analysts said cyber-attacks could further delay delivery of the first aircraft.

In a conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss the company's first-quarter earnings, Lockheed Martin Chief Financial Officer Bruce L. Tanner said, "To our knowledge there's never been any classified information breach." He went on to say, "Like the government, these attacks on our systems are continuous, and we do have stringent measures in place to both detect and stop these attacks."

Troy J. Lahr, a defense industry analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said the news of any security breach would probably "shake up people in Congress" and lead to a push for more money to fund cybersecurity.

Jim McAleese, who has worked as a consultant to Lockheed and other major defense companies, said it appears that the information the attackers got would not allow crucial insights into the aircraft's software codes, radar or electronic warfare systems.

He said it appears that the spies got information on operations and maintenance of the aircraft, which he described as "materials that have very few details to make the aircraft vulnerable."

"They'll have very little information other than how you maintain the aircraft," he said. "They'd know, for example, at what number of hours do the engines get checked, or the procedures for maintaining the stealth coding," but "they wouldn't have information about key parts," he said.

Former defense officials confirmed that more than a year ago cyber-attackers had penetrated the F-35's logistics system.

"It was not sensitive -- not an area that was very critical," one official said. "Everyone went on an alert status, and most of the programs left vulnerable were fairly minor," he said, adding that the critical areas of the program are kept on an off-line computer system. President Obama is reviewing recommendations from a comprehensive interagency assessment of the government's cybersecurity efforts, seeking to ensure that public- and private-sector efforts are properly funded and coordinated and that the White House is organized to attack the problem.

A recent Pentagon report on China's military power noted that cyber-attacks on the United States had been traced back to the communist nation.

Staff writer Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.

Source: Washington Post

[Shadow Kira01]

Dalai Lama: China riot ruling political

NARITA, Japan (AP) -- The Dalai Lama on Wednesday criticized lengthy prison terms given a day earlier by China to three people for arson attacks during rioting last year in the Tibetan capital, calling the rulings politically motivated.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said the court decision reflected the Chinese Communist Party's control of people "without the rule of law."

"Actually, everything is controlled by the party. So, all these sentences were politically reasoned," he said during a brief stop at Tokyo's Narita airport on his way to Los Angeles. "We have great reservation about these sentences."

The court gave one defendant the death penalty with a two-year reprieve for helping to lead attacks on two clothing stores that killed six people, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. Such sentences are usually commuted to life in prison. Another was sentenced to life in prison and a third was given 10 years.

Last year's violence in Lhasa killed 22 people, Chinese officials say. State media say more than 950 people have been detained in the ensuing crackdown and dozens of people sentenced for their part in the protests, which led to the most sustained uprising against Chinese rule in decades.

The Dalai Lama accused Beijing of concealing evidence in the trial, and demanded the government investigate further and disclose the details.

Beijing says the protests were part of a violent campaign by the Dalai Lama and his supporters to throw off Chinese rule in Tibet and sabotage last August's Beijing Olympics. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet 50 years ago amid an uprising against China, has denied the accusation, saying he seeks only significant autonomy for Tibet under continued Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama said he will mainly visit universities in Los Angeles during his U.S. trip.

He said he is planning another U.S. visit in the autumn and hopes to meet then with President Barack Obama, though China is certain to oppose any contact between the two.

[Sazelyt]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Interestingly, I remember reading in the Quran (correct me if I am wrong) with regards to something about "respecting your enemies". He is pretty hypocritical to make such anti-semetic statements despite being a part of a religious theocracy.

You should always keep in mind that the radicals have a strong tendency to ignore or interpret falsely the parts that do not favor their beliefs. They can lie, hurt, kill whatever they like and the allowance is typically based on assuming war conditions, that means anything is allowed. (The current status in Turkey is a fine example of that. The same kind of people, who consider themselves as faithful believers; they lie, falsify documents, hurt innocent people, mainly because those people oppose their ideals of turning the country in a radical regime. They don't even feel any kind of guilt.)

Iran is playing the same card, and they are also using religion as a proof of action. So, giving these people a chance actually means giving them more power to do what they want. Since you try to respect them, they consider this as a way to be even more aggressive, not as a way to compromise. That is why you cannot approach Iran like you approach to another country.

The reason why some of the delegates actually cheered would be because they thought that US used Israel as a way to project their force of oppression in the Middle East, and it is a stab at US for being "an anti-racist protector of freedom". It would be better if the rest of the world looks upon the point that the forum is JUST an exchange for eliminating racism, not a talk organised by some "democratic hegemony".

The problem with the approach used is, unless you solve the problem within the developed western countries, you cannot solve it using the third world countries. On the opposite, you make them even more protective of what they did or what they have been doing. At least, if they were to hear these things, they need to hear from an objective person, not from Iran's leader. This kind of people make it even more difficult to communicate and reach an understanding, especially in the religiously polarized part of the world.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

Source: WSJ

I thought the US government would have tight security on it's top secret servers... I guess not...

Well... the *idea* that "top secret" servers or networks are connected to the Intarweb *used* to be considered bat-shit insane and they'd tear your Secret Squirrel card up for even suggesting it. We had in-depth protocols for moving *ANY* kind of data on *ANY* medium in and out of TS areas. However .... with the privatization of control over the last 10 years (i.e. hampered oversight by security of business) and the push for "off the shelf" civilian system elements, I wouldn't be surprised that some numbskull dumbass implemented Windows system hooked to the internet was being used for TS activities.

More seriously, I'm figuring its a bit more complicated and not exactly the way that the WSJ article has described.

edit: okay, just noticed the follow-up article - which makes much more sense in regards to my experience with 'black' (S, TS, TS+) projects.
Such networks are simply NOT connected to the outside in any way. often the only gateway for data is via walking a special pack in and out that has gone through excruciating checks -- and when the pack is retired, it is endlessly overwritten, EMP'd, and then crushed into dust. And no, carrying a flash drive in and out won't work like it does in the movies

[Shadow Kira01]

Fidel Castro: Obama 'misinterpreted' Raul's words

It appears that Obama is being strangely over-confident of himself. Or perhaps, was he really thinking that one-sided ideals would become a reality? Unfortunately... Fidel Castro don't seem to agree. Cuba and the United States to have improving ties? Nice joke..

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Well... the *idea* that "top secret" servers or networks are connected to the Intarweb *used* to be considered bat-shit insane and they'd tear your Secret Squirrel card up for even suggesting it. We had in-depth protocols for moving *ANY* kind of data on *ANY* medium in and out of TS areas. However .... with the privatization of control over the last 10 years (i.e. hampered oversight by security of business) and the push for "off the shelf" civilian system elements, I wouldn't be surprised that some numbskull dumbass implemented Windows system hooked to the internet was being used for TS activities.

More seriously, I'm figuring its a bit more complicated and not exactly the way that the WSJ article has described.

edit: okay, just noticed the follow-up article - which makes much more sense in regards to my experience with 'black' (S, TS, TS+) projects.
Such networks are simply NOT connected to the outside in any way. often the only gateway for data is via walking a special pack in and out that has gone through excruciating checks -- and when the pack is retired, it is endlessly overwritten, EMP'd, and then crushed into dust. And no, carrying a flash drive in and out won't work like it does in the movies

They shouldn't and they should have tighter security and encryption because the data is sensitive.

I remember reading a article on Obama Administration being frustrated with the old technology in the White House... I would of thought that the US Government would have the latest, state of the art technology with good security... instead of using outdated versions of Windows and Office and outdated hardware.

[Vexx]

Um, the "government" ... it depends on which part you're talking about. It took years of intrusive lobbying and nonsense for Windows to carve as much of a niche as it has. Almost all DoD/NASA/etc stuff til the late-90s was typically Unix workstation and RTOS-oriented and much of it still is.

The White House facility itself is another story... and you have to look at the problem of previous administrations being dumb as mud when it came to information technology. I understand the NSA/CIA kind of "know their stuff" but each government agency has wildly different success levels in handling their IT --- from the absolutely wretched Dept of the Interior (and Indian Affairs bureau) to the marginally competent IRS.

For S or TS activities, any componentry and software has to be "qualified/certified" (I think it used to be called Orange Book but its probably different now). Even then it had to be rigorously configured. A parallel example is the Air Traffic Control system -- qualifying new hardware is exceptionally painful. Another example is the flight computers on most of our war aircraft -- the AP101 series has been around since the 70s and is used in almost everything from the Shuttle, B-52, F-16, etc. They're *certified* for military flight.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

Oh... I forgot to post the officals response... They didn't stole anything crucial... except how to maintain the aircraft.


Source: Washington Post

Probably because they don't know the standards of maintaining US-styled Lavi technology (the Israel fighter program that got scrapped, and supposedly had its tech sold to the Chinese to build J-10s). But whatever it is, hope this statement is not a cover up.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Um, the "government" ... it depends on which part you're talking about. It took years of intrusive lobbying and nonsense for Windows to carve as much of a niche as it has. Almost all DoD/NASA/etc stuff til the late-90s was typically Unix workstation and RTOS-oriented and much of it still is.

The White House facility itself is another story... and you have to look at the problem of previous administrations being dumb as mud when it came to information technology. I understand the NSA/CIA kind of "know their stuff" but each government agency has wildly different success levels in handling their IT --- from the absolutely wretched Dept of the Interior (and Indian Affairs bureau) to the marginally competent IRS.

For S or TS activities, any componentry and software has to be "qualified/certified" (I think it used to be called Orange Book but its probably different now). Even then it had to be rigorously configured. A parallel example is the Air Traffic Control system -- qualifying new hardware is exceptionally painful. Another example is the flight computers on most of our war aircraft -- the AP101 series has been around since the 70s and is used in almost everything from the Shuttle, B-52, F-16, etc. They're *certified* for military flight.

Basically the idea of most militaries is about "cutting costs" during peacetime. I remembered a comment made by someone I know when we are talking about our outfield days :

The sergeants and officers are right to screw us for not maintaining our rifles at ridiculous tiptop conditions. Those things are our lifelines in war, and are made by the lowest bidder. They will only work at their original fresh conditions.

Yeah funny, but very true. The mentality of "When it ain't broke, don't fix it" may help to reduce expenditure, but when it comes to security and defence, it is important to take note that failure is not an option. Even in the modern world, there can only be three possibilities :

1. You die.
2. I die.
3. We all die (applied as Mutually Assured Destruction).

Since nobody wants to lose and die, it is imperative that security should not be taken lightly. But then again, taking it too far is ridiculous, thus knowledge of limits at the current date and time is absolutely important.

[chikorita157]

Pirate Bay judge and pro-copyright lobbyist accused of bias
Defence lawyer demands retrial
By Kelly Fiveash

Posted in Music and Media, 23rd April 2009 09:59 GMT

Free whitepaper – CRM: Realizing business benefit through industry best practices

The judge in The Pirate Bay trial has been accused of bias, after Sweden's national radio station revealed that Thomas Norström was a member of the same pro-copyright groups as several of the main entertainment industry reps in the case.

Sveriges Radio's P3 news programme (http://translate.google.com/translat...istory_state0=) claimed Norström is signed up to the Swedish Copyright Association (Svenska föreningen för upphovsrätt), which also counts Henrik Pontén, Peter Danowsky and Monique Wadsted as members. All three represented the entertainment industry in the case against BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay.

Additionally, the judge sits on the board of the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (Svenska föreningen för industriellt rättsskydd), which is lobbying for tougher copyright laws.

However, Norström insisted to the radio station that his membership of the various copyright protection groups did not “constitute a conflict of interest”.

Unsurprisingly, one of the defendants’ lawyers in the case has disagreed with that standpoint and this morning called for a retrial.

"I will point that out in my appeal, then the Court of Appeal (Hovrätten) will decide if the district court decision should be set aside and the case revisited," Peter Sunde’s lawyer Peter Althin said today, according to The Local (http://www.thelocal.se/19028/20090423/).

"In the autumn I received information that a lay judge could have similar connections. I sent these to the court and the judge was excluded in order to prevent a conflict of interest. It would have been reasonable to then review this situation as well."

Expert attorney Leif Silbersky told Sveriges Radio that if any of the lawyers representing The Pirate Bay wanted to demand a retrial, it would have to happen “immediately”.

Meanwhile, Pirate Party chairman Rickard Falkvinge accused the copyright lobby of bringing “corruption” to Sweden.

Sunde - aka BrokeP - characteristically used Twitter (http://twitter.com/brokep) to give his views about the latest revelation.

“For those who missed it - the #spectrial judge seems to be working within the copyright lobby. Breaking news right now in Sweden,” he wrote earlier today.

More recently he cockily quipped: “Oh how I love the smell of victory in the morning.”

We asked the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry to comment on Norström's close ties to pro-copyright groups, but at time of writing it hadn't got back to us. ®

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04...cused_of_bias/

I guess the trial was not fair for TPB from the start because of a biased trial...