If you’ve been worried that some malevolent, genius hacker in a remote bunker (or basement) has been plotting to take over the US’s fleet of Predator and Reaper drones, you can crawl out from under that kitchen table — the US Air Force said in an official statement that the computer virus detected in drone military systems is a credential stealer, not a keylogger, and was not specifically targeted toward them. As it turns out, the stand-alone Windows-based ground control systems for the drones — and not the drones themselves — were infected with common malware used to pickpocket log-ins and passwords from online gamers. The Air Force says the virus is more of a nuisance than a threat, and that it is not designed to transmit data or video, or corrupt data on the infected computer. If anything, we’re most worried that ambitious gamers are trying to get a leg up by piloting the real deal.
US military says computer virus wasn’t targeting drones
The U.S. Air Force says that the computer virus which struck their military drone systems about two weeks ago was not specifically targeted towards them, and is a common piece of malware used to steal credentials from online game players (not a keylogger as originally thought). The military says that no drones were threatened, and that they have quarantined the virus.
The U.S. Air Force says that the computer virus which struck their military drone systems about two weeks ago was not specifically targeted towards them, and is a common piece of malware used to steal credentials from online game players (not a keylogger as originally thought). The military says that no drones were threatened, and that they have quarantined the virus.
is executive editor who has obsessed over headlines and internet speeds since 2011. He previously worked as an advocate for the National Park System.
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