Digital Weapons

Digital Weapons

Weapons technology goes far beyond the building of new missiles, bombs, and firearms. It is a discussion far beyond caliber, blast yield, or rate of fire. Weapons can be anything we put to use to destroy our enemies, either at the individual level or at the level of entire nations. They can be used offensively and defensively.

Not all weapons are tangible, however. The most advanced weapons in the world are compiled code and scripts run on virtual machines. Some of the most destructive weapons ever built were created in the quasi-esoteric world of the hacker. The Stuxnet virus, for instance:



Stuxnet was and still is one of the most advanced and stealthiest pieces of code ever created. It had real clearances, multiple input and output subroutines that would be fed by spyware it installed on distributed networks to steal data. That spyware would then be added to the execution of malicious code inside the virus itself. It was and still is an entirely automated virus. This virus has also been made public in that the source code for it is now open to the public for study and revision. This is both a good and bad thing. Good because open source systems can be studied and countered. Bad because at some point someone is going to execute a heavily revised and unrecognizable version of Stuxnet that could cause a hell of a lot of damage.

A video game called Watch_Dogs released by Ubisoft a year ago or so was based on the character Aiden Pierce. He used preprogrammed and designed software on his smart phone to hack a city grid, essentially turning the city into a weapon via the fictional ctOS system in a near-future representation of Chicago. While a system like ctOS is a long way off from implementation, systems like it do exist, albeit in smaller scale and more compartmentalized than the unified city grid database run by the ctOS in Watch_Dogs

Could 'Watch Dogs' City Hacking Really Happen?

In the video game "Watch Dogs," player-character Aiden Pearce hacks a city's streetlights, drawbridges, ATMs and more — just by tapping on his smartphone.

The near-future version of Chicago in which the game takes place is tied together by a citywide operating system called ctOS, which connects everything from traffic lights and ATMs to cars and cellphones — and also collects reams of personal data on each citizen into allegedly private profiles.

The article goes much further and it is certainly worth a read if you want a cursory understanding of this type of hacking happening in the future.

But it doesn't stop with the examples seen in the article. Some people have actually been inspired enough to research the ability of hacking and hackers to perform the feats of Aiden Pierce in real life.



WOW! is all I can say. This is something I had no idea even existed until I started researching source materials for this post. The level of sophistication in this type of hacking is incredible. And yes IT CAN BE DONE ON SMARTPHONES!

Currently I am flashing the ROM on one of my tablets to install a version of Linux called KaliLinux. This distribution is meant ENTIRELY for penetration testing, hacking, cracking codes and passwords, and causing damage to other computers. This operating system and the tools on it are available at Kali.org. The tools available on this OS and the OS itself are free and open source maintained and developed by Offensive Security.

Why am I downloading and installing this OS on my tablet? Well, I'm also building a parallel computer based on multiple nodes of Raspberry Pi mini computers that are capable of running in tandem to take advantage of their multiple cores. I will also be using MPI software to automate the parallel processing capabilities of each individual RPi so that I can run a single program on 4 different quad core ARM7 processors. The RPi is a $35 mini computer and it is awesome. I'm doing all of this for research purposes. I will be using them to hack, crack, and destroy remote computers ON MY NETWORK, to see exactly what is possible over the internet with distributed parallel processing, malicious code, and the power of linux in general.

If you'd like to start building RPi clusters for any applications you may have visit Raspberry Pi and download the microSD bootable version of Debian linux at Raspbian. If you don't know a damned thing about linux I recommend going to the Raspbian website, or that of Ubuntu(another more user friendly version of Linux) and download(most distributions are FREE and open source)an ISO and install it to try it out and learn.

So cars can be hacked. Computers of any kind can be hacked...But Watch_Dogs also shows Pierce hacking cameras, traffic lights, and other infrastructure using his smartphone...Is that possible?



Folks, the weapons of the future are digital. They are not a tangible thing. They are software, simulations, and bits of information transmitted through wires and packet radio signals. Me? Well I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe that weapons in the digital world are just as important as weapons in the real world and BOTH have real benefits, and in the wrong hands, terrible consequences. So I am studying up. You should be too.

Happy Shooting...or in this case, Happy Coding!

And then one day advanced artificial intelligence takes control of everything...

You already know how it goes from there, you've seen the movie.

Cool thread

Guns and bombs can be locked up. The digital arsenal is open to anyone who can make a key from their key board.

But Watch_Dogs also shows Pierce hacking cameras, traffic lights, and other infrastructure using his smartphone…Is that possible?

I've seen it done. The laptop dude had was looking through traffic cams. He could't manipulate them, just access them.

That got my attention. When I said, hey, how'd you do---

--he closed his lap top and left.

Here is another interesting setup to keep you anonymous on the internet.

Whonix is an operating system focused on anonymity, privacy and security. It's based on the Tor anonymity network[1], Debian GNU/Linux[2] and security by isolation. DNS leaks are impossible, and not even malware with root privileges can find out the user's real IP.

Whonix consists of two parts: One solely runs Tor and acts as a gateway, which we call Whonix-Gateway. The other, which we call Whonix-Workstation, is on a completely isolated network. Only connections through Tor are possible.

To learn more about security and anonymity under Whonix, please continue to the About Whonix page. Whonix is free as in price and freedom, lets you run anonymous applications and servers. Whonix has been rated 5/5 stars by users of sourceforge.net on 2014-03-12

Whonix

I also run kali in vm on ubuntu. Long story about my strange setup. I may create a thread on it some other time.

kali on vm

a reply to: mockingmay

Another good one on anonymity is Tails, maintained for the TOR project.

But this isn't really about being anonymous on the internet. This is about digital warfare, and the weapons wielded on the digital battlefield that have consequences for the brick, mortar, and flesh of the real world.

a reply to: projectvxn

Yea... I'm way behind the game..

Great post, gotta check it all out.

a reply to: projectvxn

Yes your right. However, while learning these tools its best to cover your ***
Thats why I added a safe way to surf and learn.

a reply to: mockingmay

That's fine, but I won't be doing my research on machines that don't belong to me.

a reply to: projectvxn

Thats good. I was hoping that was your intent and that goes for everyone else who has read your thread.

originally posted by: mockingmay
a reply to: projectvxn

Thats good. I was hoping that was your intent and that goes for everyone else who has read your thread.

The point of the thread was to shed some light on some of the new ways blackhat hackers can cause damage. As you most likely know, blackhat hackers are "watch the world burn" types who do far more than just deface web pages and steal credit card info.

The tools of the future, as far as warfare and weaponry is concerned, is now.

The nation's energy grid is constantly under attack by hackers.
In fiscal year 2014, there were 79 hacking incidents at energy companies that were investigated by the Computer Emergency Readiness Team, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. There were 145 incidents the previous year.

link

Interesting video in the above link going into detail about the war on our infrastructure by hackers.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, and bombs can surely hurt me.

But break my heart and from the start, my world will just desert me.


women are the best weapons... ready, aim... desire...

originally posted by: sn0rch
Sticks and stones may break my bones, and bombs can surely hurt me.

But break my heart and from the start, my world will just desert me.


women are the best weapons...

ready, aim... desire...

Loved your post!

a reply to: mockingmay

That war will only increase in severity and complexity as more systems are automated.

Networks need to be hardened against these type of threats. But to be honest a lot of our infrastructure is going to have to play catch up... Black hat hackers are far ahead of the curve on this.

a reply to: projectvxn

A little context for those that don't know

A black hat hacker is a hacker who "violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain" (Moore, 2005).[1] Black hat hackers form the stereotypical, illegal hacking groups often portrayed in popular culture, and are "the epitome of all that the public fears in a computer criminal".[2] Black hat hackers break into secure networks to destroy, modify, or steal data; or to make the network unusable for those who are authorized to use the network. Black hat hackers are also referred to as the "crackers" within the security industry and by modern programmers.

Crackers keep the awareness of the vulnerabilities to themselves and do not notify the general public or the manufacturer for patches to be applied. Individual freedom and accessibility is promoted over privacy and security. Once they have gained control over a system, they may apply patches or fixes to the system only to keep their reigning control. Richard Stallman invented the definition to express the maliciousness of a criminal hacker versus a white hat hacker who performs hacking duties to identify places to repair.

The term "white hat" in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specializes in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies to ensure the security of an organization's information systems.

I use what I've learned to protect my servers at work, home, and most of my customers systems. Its amazing to sit and watch attacks all day long. Hell, I flip the hell out when I see a thumbdrive at work. Starting to get paranoid with phones being allowed at work. I'd laugh but its not funny anymore.

I think eventually they will be able to manipulate reality itself with computers, think solid light and algorithms that are AI's affecting the real world in real physical ways. Besides it is said the world may be a complex simulation, it may be possible to hack into the universe itself and create the desired results.

Stuxnet source is aviable for long now. People are using part it in their own frameworks for at least two years. You could have described stuxnet more accurate(it sounds like you´re really not knowing that much) and the way you describe kali shows me you´re excited about the posibilities but lack the basic knowledge.

What you describe is a sub branch of kali, called nethunter. Distributions like that were always around in some form, like BT(backtrack) and LinT44 if someone remembers that. Automated metasploit... Old hat.

This is no hate, I just think this thread is missleading and poorly researched. But I respect your effort.
Hundreds of kids reading threads and articles like that will download kali/any linux distri and will learn how software works not just learning and remembering where to click, that´s something at least

BTW, the people using kali are not to be afraid off. They are just script kidding. Fear the ones baking their kernels and honing their own weapons, so to call.

originally posted by: verschickter

This is no hate, I just think this thread is misleading and poorly researched. But I respect your effort.

Think the OP is alarmed because he has only just recently discovered "Digital Weapons" (or "Cyber Warfare" -as everyone else has known it for the last 20 years).

Richard Pryor was hacking traffic lights way back when in Superman 3 and taking control of cars ( a la Boston Brakes) has a it's own rich mythology and history.

Wait until he discovered that hacking from the outside was probably a more recent development and that hacking from the inside using hidden code and compromised random number generating algorithms in Encryption was the original sin.

a reply to: Jukiodone
last paragraph:
I think both went on simulatanious, while the last one was more reserved for alpha letter agencies and special operations.

we could argue about the definition of hacking since it seems to have never been understood by the broad masses and it´s getting uglier. Today, everything is considered a "hack" somehow it seems, even removing the child-safety on fire-lighters.... Back then, a hack was considered a fast and thus sometimes dirty work-around-code. If the work around had something to do with logins and sessions, well even better xD