CIA used pirated, inaccurate software to target drone attacks

[omar little]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/c...drone-attacks/

They want to kill people with my software that doesn't work,' software exec tells court

The CIA used illegally pirated software to direct Predator drone attacks, despite apparently knowing the software was inaccurate, according to documents in an intellectual property lawsuit.

The lawsuit, working its way through a Massachusetts court, alleges that the CIA purchased a pirated and inaccurate version of a location analysis program, which may have incorrectly located targets by as much as 42 feet.

The allegation raises fresh questions about the CIA's execution of drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are believed to have killed hundreds of civilians in the past four years.

And if the court decides to grant an injunction against users of the software, it could potentially halt the CIA's drone attacks, at least temporarily, as the agency works to find a replacement.

Massachusetts-based Intelligent Integration Systems Inc., or IISI, has asked a judge to stop clients of IT firm Netezza from using software IISI says is pirated, reports The Register.

According to IISI, Netezza reverse-engineered a location analysis program called Geospatial and installed it on its own hardware, which it then sold to the CIA. Netezza had contracted IISI to build the software, but decided to create its own unauthorized version after the project suffered delays, the lawsuit alleges.

The CIA accepted the pirated software despite reportedly knowing it "produced locations inaccurate by up to 13 metres (42.6 feet)," reports The Register.

In a sworn deposition, IISI chief technical officer Richard Zimmerman said a Netezza executive pressured him to deliver the product before it was ready and told him it was their "patriotic duty" to build location software for CIA-operated drones.

Another Netezza executive reportedly asserted that the CIA would accept flawed software. "My reaction was one of stun, amazement that they want to kill people with my software that doesn't work," Zimmerman said.

According to court documents, Netezza delivered its reverse-engineered software to the CIA in 2009.

"The potential for a software malfunction to cause serious havoc with an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a Predator Drone, is no longer a matter of pure theory," writes Bill Conroy at NarcoNews. "Last month a Navy drone entered the airspace of the nation’s Capitol after being out of control for a half hour due to what the Navy called a 'software issue.'

"If the CIA is using flawed software re-engineered by Netezza 'to target predator drones in Afghanistan,' as IISI’s pleadings in the lawsuit assert, then it is likely only a matter of time before innocent lives are compromised due to a 'software issue.' In that sense, IISI’s motion for a preliminary junction, if successful, could be seen as a lifesaver," Conroy argues.

Last year, the New American Foundation estimated that Predator drones killed 750 to 1,000 people in Pakistan between 2006 and 2009. About one third -- an estimated 320 people -- were believed to be civilians.

holy gay pandas, if I was american I'd be so pissed my tax money was used to pay for this.

[Manicdan]

how big is the blast radius of the stuff they dropped? and "up to" 42 ft can mean it was mostly never off by more than 5, except for some rarity.

but yes this sounds really wtf-ish

[shoota]

i am don't worry. talk about a serious facepalm moment for the collective face of the american people. i swear there is just no end to our government's stupidity sometimes.

[Helmore]

LOL, who put 'pandas' in the Tags?

[Panther_Seraphi]

Hang the on here

The USAF run the GPS satellites so why not tap directly into them or use a decent software. Its not like they are short of money

Whoever green lighted this crack pot idea needs to lose their job.

[Hornet331]

.. im confused.. for what is this software used, locating locations are actual targeting?

Cause all bombs/missels the Predator fires are laser guided or fire and forget.
And since the laser targetting can be done by the predator operator (optical confirmation) or ground troops I don't see how the software is even relevent...

Just look up some pred vids on the internet, if the laser designator is on target it hits the target...

[K404]

Ah... so THIS is why software piracy should be taken seriously

*puts on Drone-proof tinfoil hate*

Government gotta have improved methods of piracy prevention. People die as a result of piracy!







Would anyone care about 42ft if the software was legal? THAT wouldn't be in court, would it?

[Sgt.McRuff]

*puts on Drone-proof tinfoil hate*

Possible work if they were using a lazor guided missile...

[IvanAndreevich]

42 ft may be an acceptable margin of error. Just saying.

[AbortRetryFail?]

42 ft may be an acceptable margin of error. Just saying.

Moral of the story: Stand at least 14 meters away from a suspected terrorist/insurgent.

Seriously ... this sounds like a civil litigation issue (typical in the States) between Intelligent Integration Systems and Netezza. And the FUD in civil litigation cases in the USA reaches levels the internets can only hope to achieve.

I suspect, with or without 'pirated inaccurate' targeting software, it would be quite a feat to improve upon warhead accuracy 'less than' 13 meters to target. We are talking about a 6- or so inch copper cone-shaped projectile traveling at roughly 500 meters/s, fired from 3-4km altitude, from distances as much as 8km.

Nobody is really claiming this is any long-term solution --- I imagine any viable constructive alternatives would be welcome.

Don't think talking it out over a keg of beer at a pig-pickin' will get us anywhere.

[ripken204]

unless we plan on bombing highly populated areas, such as trying to kill someone in the middle of the street... they need to stop complaining.
this is a huge accomplishment in itself. at least the know what their margin of error is so that they can attempt to make it better.

[dengyong]

Moral of the story: Stand at least 14 meters away from a suspected terrorist/insurgent.

That's right, don't allow our enemies to stand among you and you'll be safe.

[saaya]

so wait, they dont have enough money to get proper software for their drones? 0_o
makes me wonder how secure those things are... would be hilarious if people started hacking them

[sin0822]

damn looks like a congressional hearing will take place, before that though you might see Netezza get hit by a "messed" up drone attack, and the CIA wont say anything because they cant, i bet someone high up is very very pissed. You wont hear the CIA's response only congress will, but what is funny is that i bet the CIA didn't care b/c the effectiveness of the missles from the drone have a larger impact area than the glitch.

[deeperblue]

Moral of the story: Stand at least 14 meters away from a suspected terrorist/insurgent.

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Last words of Sun-tzu

[MirageSys]

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Last words of Sun-tzu

A man getting an arrow within 42 feet of the target just wasn't good enough back then.

[Russian]

so wait, they dont have enough money to get proper software for their drones? 0_o
makes me wonder how secure those things are... would be hilarious if people started hacking them

You do realize that the video feeds that they were using to monitor the actual drones was unencrypted and that insurgents could see where it was headed? They couldn't control it, but they could see where it was looking, etc.

[bill_d]

A man getting an arrow within 42 feet of the target just wasn't good enough back then.

use a nuke 42 ft won't matter

[Hornet331]

You do realize that the video feeds that they were using to monitor the actual drones was unencrypted and that insurgents could see where it was headed? They couldn't control it, but they could see where it was looking, etc.

Which means jack if you don't know how your surroundings look from an arial view.

[G.Foyle]

You do realize that the video feeds that they were using to monitor the actual drones was unencrypted and that insurgents could see where it was headed? They couldn't control it, but they could see where it was looking, etc.

Right. So there's this insurgent in every group of them who has a tv hooked up to an antenna which he's watching all the time just in case someone will fire a predator missile at them, so he can see the feed when the missile is in flight and warn his mates, who will then manage to escape before the missile hits. All right.

[nn_step]

what f@cktard, uses GPS software, that is off by as much as 42.6 feet?

Hell, with an off the shelf $25 GPS receiver and GPSD (an open source GPS demon); i managed to in 2 hours, to wire up a RC helicopter armed with nerf darts and hit targets within 6 inches.

>.<

[Russian]

Right. So there's this insurgent in every group of them who has a tv hooked up to an antenna which he's watching all the time just in case someone will fire a predator missile at them, so he can see the feed when the missile is in flight and warn his mates, who will then manage to escape before the missile hits. All right.

They have radios, they have cell phones, they also have the necessary Russian equipment in order to tune into that frequency. I mean cmon guys, they're not idiots. You guys clearly underestimate the enemy, you're forgetting that they're funded by fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia and by their very own Opium and Heroin trades. For them to obtain some Russian equipment that will enable them to watch the feeds is not as hard as it seems.

Also, if you've ever watched how a predator works. It's not a fighter jet... it circles around and confirms the target prior to attacking. If they can GTFO before they can confirm the target and take it out... that's enough. Plus, if there's someone who recognizes the terrain it's them...

I cannot believe how ignorant you just made yourself sound.

[dengyong]

I mean cmon guys, they're not idiots.

Yes, they are.

[Russian]

Yes, they are.

No, they aren't. If they were complete idiots, we wouldn't have so many soldiers dying from ambushes and skirmishes. Let alone the usual IED and rocket attack. It will easily be a decade until we've even come close to eradicating the Taliban and Al Qaeada... so, if they lasted that long you would be absolutely insane to assume their "stupidity" allowed them to last that long.

They improvise and adapt quickly and they may not have the leadership they did before, but they're still funded and working.

[god_43]

Yes, they are.

.....