Defense Technology Monitor: No. 4

PENETRATING THE PENTAGON'S NETWORK
It's not often that the U.S. military actually pays people to hack into their networks, particularly when adversaries are more than happy to do so for free. But in an attempt to strengthen its digital perimeter, the Department of Defense is soliciting the services of private sector computer specialists to participate in "Hack the Pentagon," the U.S. federal government's first-ever bug bounty program. Such crowdsourcing methodology is traditionally utilized by the private sector, where corporations, including Google, reward people who find vulnerabilities in their software or report any exploits. Caveats for the Pentagon program do apply, however; volunteers will have to undergo a background check, and will only attack non-mission critical segments of the U.S. government network. (defense.gov, March 2, 2016)

PROTECTING POWER GRIDS THROUGH FINGERPRINTING
The cyber attack on Ukraine's power grid last year has sharpened the need to harden the U.S. electrical infrastructure from cyber intrusions. Help may be on the way, however, as evidenced during this spring's Network and Distributed System Security Symposium in San Diego. There, researchers presented a method called "device fingerprinting" which may be able to combat threats by assigning unique identifiers to components along electrical grid control networks (each component has a different signature, similar to a human's, with different fingerprints). Raheem Beyah of the Georgia Institute of Technology has stated that "we have developed fingerprinting techniques that work together to protect various operations of the power grid to prevent or minimize spoofing of packets that could be injected to produce false data or false control commands into the system." To date, the technology has proven its effectiveness on at least two electrical substations. (BGR, March 2, 2016)

PART MAN, PART MACHINE?
Soldiers that are part man and part machine are not as farfetched as one might believe. Brain machine interfaces that already exist in the medical field, and which can aid injured veterans or assist people with hearing and vision deficiencies, may pave the way for the use of the technology for military applications in the not-too-distant future. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) currently boasts a $62 million budget for its Neural Engineering System Design program, which focuses on implanting tiny devices that allow for rapid transfer of data between the human brain and machines. This technology could allow troops to wear battery-powered exoskeletons, like the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, that can be controlled by their brains as if it were part of their body. Skeptics of the technology, however, claim that "neural enhancement" for a healthy brain is still a long way off, and could end up being a waste of taxpayer dollars. However, they concede that it may be effective technology for people with brain-related disabilities. (CNN.com, March 7, 2016)

HOW TO DOWN DRONES
The prevalence of drones and their myriad uses has led to security concerns that are difficult to address. Small drones have flown dangerously close to world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during presentations at public forums, and these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the ability to be armed with guns or explosive devices. Security teams have struggled with how to shoot down drones without using bullets or worrying about the attendant casualties of using large-caliber weaponry. Now, one research institute has come up with a potential solution.

The Army Cyber Institute at West Point has developed a cyber rifle that can cause the drone to lose power midflight, and do so in seconds. The weapon is capable of being constructed with as little as $150 worth of equipment (a Wi-Fi radio antennae and a Raspberry Pi computer) and has proven successful against commercial drones. A commercially available version produced by Battelle Innovations can now stop a UAV from a quarter of a mile away. (London Daily Mail, March 24, 2016)

THE PENTAGON FOCUSES ON CYBER-HARDENING
Growing cyber threats from Russia, China and the Islamic State terrorist group have forced the U.S. military to increase its budget in order to bolster cybersecurity capabilities and protect antiquated systems - especially those in the U.S. strategic arsenal, which contains approximately 4,700 warheads. The UK is taking similar precautions, and allocating more money in its military budget to guard the country’s 225 warheads. One particular area of joint concern is the nuclear-tipped Trident missile, which was developed before the Internet was ubiquitous. (Bloomberg Technology, March 24, 2016)