back to article Israel's Iron Dome missile tech stolen by Chinese hackers

A Chinese hacking team previously accused of being behind raids against US defence contractors has been accused of a new data heist: plundering the tech behind Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system. Beijing's infamous Comment Crew hacking group is thought to have executed the intrusions into the corporate networks of top …

  1. Thorne
    FAIL

    Fail

    "The United States Justice Department in May charged five members of the unit with various hacking and espionage offenses."

    The five members of the Comment Crew cancelled their Disneyland trips in response.....

  2. Mark 85

    So how long before this data is released and everyone has an Iron Dome in their backyard? Or least put into backyards in China?

    1. Ole Juul

      Value

      It's not entirely clear if the data is of any value to anybody. Though the hack itself could result in some Israeli security company getting a nice contract.

    2. NP-Hardass
      Thumb Up

      On the plus side, when everyone has an Iron Dome defense system, the entire world will be safe from missile attacks :P

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Thumb Down

        You mean "nothing will have changed". Iron Dome is just another US autoblowjob that funnels future US tax revenues via Israel to US companies. The result is shit, as is the custom with warcrap unrestrained by an actual need for having to perform: it can barely intercept "missiles" made of sheet metal and duck tape. (The actual intercept rate being a closely-guarded secret, an estimation brings up 10%)

        1. Bloakey1

          <snip>

          " (The actual intercept rate being a closely-guarded secret, an estimation brings up 10%)"

          Agreed, remember the Patriot missile saga. It was deemed politically correct to lend them to Israel in Gulf war 1 and they were useless even though they were talked up big time.

          these things are geared for conventional attack and known missile technologies. Present them with a flying dustbin propelled by hair dye and they get confused big time.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            @ Destroy All Monsters

            Actually interception rate of targeted missiles is meant to be over 95%

            Key thing to remember before banding about vitriolic statistics is the system is designed to ignore missiles that are not going to hit defined areas - so anything that will land in waste land/ the sea or not reach the border is ignored.

            1. BristolBachelor Gold badge

              Re: @ AC

              It's very well saying that the intercept rate is meant to be over 95% - I have specifications for projects that say all sorts of things. You just issue a request for deviation, or a specification waver, and the nasty "meant to be" just goes away.

              There was an interesting article published a while ago, and then a similar one more recently by the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists". It covers how the Iron Dome interceptor works, and suggests a possible kill rate. It's interesting reading, but suggests that 95% may be the miss rate.

              http://thebulletin.org/evidence-shows-iron-dome-not-working7318

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            @ Bloakey1

            Patriot was not totally useless, but it was also not very effective - added to which if one failed to intercept and hit the ground, the patriot actually had the same sized warhead as the Scuds being fired with the result of the same levels of damage.

            In addition, Patriot like all large anti-air missiles, is designed to explode near by the critically damage an aircraft with shrapnel. Now with a plane this works, but with a missile it means you still potentially have a live warhead no dropping to the ground where it will still explode.

            1. Bloakey1

              Re: @ Bloakey1

              "Patriot was not totally useless, but it was also not very effective - added to which if one failed to intercept and hit the ground, the patriot actually had the same sized warhead as the Scuds being fired with the result of the same levels of damage."

              <snip>

              Hmmm, I would say that you have contradicted yourself there and yes like everything that goess up it must come down. A lot of damage in London during the second world war was called by friendly AA fire and the like.

              I do know how it works and have had occasion to sit in one of the command modules. As it was in the eighties / nineties it was rubbish. One benefit it did give people was a feeling of safety as it had been bigged up and was the new silver bullet.

          3. Someone Else Silver badge
            Go

            @Bloakey1 --

            Present them with a flying dustbin propelled by hair dye [...]

            Hey, now that sounds like a fun little project for this weekend! Have an upvote!

        2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          re: another US autoblowjob

          Oddly this time it isn't. Although US tax dollars paid for it - the design and technology is Israeli and the US are now buying it for their own use - usually overseas aid is strictly under condition that its spent buying weapons in the senator's own backyard.

          The most astounding feature of this missile system, other than that it works, is managing to get funding to build rather than buy.

  3. Denarius
    FAIL

    so seriously critical files were kept on an acessable server ?

    what happened to air gaps for classified stuff ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: so seriously critical files were kept on an acessable server ?

      They had to close the air gap as the lock down on USB drives, after the Edward Snowden incident, made it difficult to share files between officials.

    2. Bloakey1

      Re: so seriously critical files were kept on an acessable server ?

      "what happened to air gaps for classified stuff ?"

      They do not call it an air gap, they call it a Gaza strip and it is backed up by a good fence. The only problem is that those pesky tunnelers keep undermining it's integrity using tools such as a shovel or spade.

  4. RedneckMother
    Coat

    What, me worry?

    I was beginning to get a bit concerned about the data that was slurped, until I read things like "including Word documents and spreadsheets" and "Active Directory data". Then I realized that the interlopers have more problems than the "hacked folk" (I think - well, maybe not, but who can tell?).

  5. Ashton Black

    If they did everything they could...

    Through a combination of device control, DMZs, air gaps, data diodes and the like, it is possible to have high, it would never be perfect, security whilst retaining access. If they didn't secure that data, then someone should get fired. Without knowing the details, of course, we don't know how "good" the hackers were.

  6. Stoneshop
    Coat

    How do they know it's them?

    In February 2013, Mandiant identified Comment Crew as People's Liberation Army Unit 61398.

    and not the Army for the Liberation of People, or the People's Liberation Front, or the Popular Liberation Army?

    (splitters)

  7. Hope Spirals
    Black Helicopters

    Playing with numbers

    Consider...

    Hamas launches 10 missiles

    Iron Dome's actual hit rate 10% - thus 9 missiles 'get through'

    Iron Dome's claimed hit rate of 80% - thus Hamas must have launched 45 missiles.

    Oh Lord let your chosen people smite them mightily.

    1. Gis Bun

      Re: Playing with numbers

      Where do you get these figures from? Al Jazeera?

  8. JaitcH
    FAIL

    Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

    Obviously Israel has as much technical prowess as the USA in defending the 'crown jewels'. NOT!

    Now the Chinese can improve the product AND manufacture countermeasures then sell them to all the countries on the US 'banned' list like Iran, Iraq, North Korea, etc.

    Instead of murdering Palestinians perhaps Israel should do some homework. The US will likely give them millions/billions more handouts to do the work.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

      The only murdering being done, you anti semite; is by Hamas deliberately taking their rockets to launch from areas that are known to be occupied by Palestinians.

      You sound like a terrorist sympathizer to me. Israel has done plenty of homework, expect a knock on your door.

      1. Crazy Operations Guy

        Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

        I've always felt that neither side was right in this war. Sometime I think someone should imitate Solomon and threaten to convert the whole area into atomic vapor unless they disarm and live in peace.

      2. Bloakey1

        Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

        <snip>

        "You sound like a terrorist sympathizer to me. Israel has done plenty of homework, expect a knock on your door."

        There is nothing like a good informed debate and your post is nothing like good informed debate. In fact I would put it to you sir that you are a complete and utter arsehole.

      3. Rob Gr

        Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

        "The only murdering being done, you anti semite; is by Hamas deliberately taking their rockets to launch from areas that are known to be occupied by Palestinians.

        You sound like a terrorist sympathizer to me. Israel has done plenty of homework, expect a knock on your door."

        Targetting a UNRWA school sounds like a warcrime and murder for me, I go with the definition of terrorist as using terror to achieve political ends, making Israel a terrorist state, orders of magnitude worse than the Palestinians, and a hell of a lot better equiped thanks to US tax dollar subsidies.

        1. keith_w

          Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

          Using a UNRWA school as a storage and launch site for missiles sounds like a war crime to me, as does using peoples homes as launch sites and so does encouraging "civilians" to stand around on roof tops of buildings for which warning "taps" have been delivered.

          I am not happy with what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip, but Hamas started it and the non-Hamas people who live there and are now suffering because of it are complicit in what Hamas did because they didn't say no, they allowed themselves to be cowed into permitting it. I have no sympathy for them.

        2. Dan Paul

          Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

          Deliberately launching rockets from INSIDE UN SCHOOLS make Hamas the Real Terrorists.

          After Israel has told normal citezens to LEAVE the area because they might get hurt; many, many times and Hamas DELIBERATELY tells them (and forcesthem) to stay, ALL of the blame lies at the feet of Hamas! Hamas are cowards hiding behind non-combatants!

          HAMAS is a world recognised terrorist organisation or did you not know that because you are too busy defending TERRORIST'S!?

          The people who administer UNWRWA in Palestine are in fact Hamas!

      4. heyrick Silver badge

        Re: Oh Goody, Chinese Knock-offs On Their Way

        "is by Hamas deliberately taking their rockets to launch from areas that are known to be occupied by Palestinians."

        And, yet, strangely enough it seems that Israel (and the world) knows that there are civilians there...and it still feels the need to "defend itself" by lobbing over bigger and more effective bombs instead of something more subtle and targetted.

        With the technical intelligence that Israel thinks it has, and the backing of America, the only reason I can think of for why Israel hasn't taken out Hamas sooner and more discretely is that they don't really want any Palestinians left there at all.

  9. pewpie

    Wonder why..

    ..why we never hear about Israeli attacks on Chinese systems.. I bet they happen many times a day.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wonder why..

      Because saying anything bad about Israel instantly makes you an anti-Semite.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Wonder why..

        Because saying anything bad about Israel instantly makes you an anti-Semite.

        Made all the more bemusing by the fact that the poor bloody Palestinians are a Semitic people too.

    2. Bloakey1

      Re: Wonder why..

      "..why we never hear about Israeli attacks on Chinese systems.. I bet they happen many times a day."

      The US shares information with Israel on a regular basis and Israel spies on the US on a regular basis. Ironically Israel has the most favoured status with the US, above the five eyes. Anyone remember Jonathan Pollard?

      1. tom dial Silver badge

        Re: Wonder why..

        Jonathan Pollard: still in jail (parole eligible in November 2015).

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe ongoing payback for Israel bad to China and it's trading partners e.g Iran.

    Hopefully this can also better help the Palestinians resist over half a century of ethnic cleansing, land theft, and genocide by the fraudulent, anti-Semitic, Zionist Israel state; the Zionist Israel thugs make the Fascist thugs of Kiev look like rank amateurs in comparison of both their violence.

    The USA state has a lot to answer for in supporting both sets of thugs, as does much of the MSM for providing no or inadequate reporting of the violence of both sets of thugs.

    The obviously /deliberate/ ongoing destruction of Palestinian civilian property and killing of Palestinian civilians by Israel soldiers is really quite horrific and evil, as is the bare faced lying by Israel state representatives; as seen on UK Channel 4 reporting!

    Redefining word definitions to fit political or corporate agenda is dishonest e.g. a Semite is a member of any of various ancient and modern peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including the Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs, not a "Jew"; they are blatantly not the same thing. This just one of many corruptions of the English language e.g. Pirate, Ground Zero etc.

    To correct an earlier naive A/C, most of the Jews in Israel are probably don't have a Semite genetic ancestry. Most Jews have been proven by Jewish Scientists to be mostly Askenazi and other European Jewish converts, most with no Semite genetic ancestry; so not a single race, so opposition to Jews is often not "anti-Semitic", and it is Sophistry to use dubious smear labels like "anti-Semitic" on anyone who opposes bad Jewish behaviour just because you can't or refuse to discuss issues honestly. The Zionists appear to be behaving as mafia thugs, and are most obvious in the USA and Israel (e.g. AIPAC and the Israel leadership), this should not be tolerated!

    1. Mike Moyle

      Re: Maybe ongoing payback for Israel bad to China and it's trading partners e.g Iran.

      "Semite is a member of any of various ancient and modern peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including the Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs..."

      Or, as a Jewish friend of mine once said, "I wouldn't mind the anti-Semites if they were only anti-ALL-the-Semites!"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Maybe ongoing payback for Israel bad to China and it's trading partners e.g Iran.

      It is a common term that means jewish (in context) you pedant. Anyone using the word Zionist already has lost the arguement because it is obvious you and Hitler had alot in common.

      Yoiu know quite well what was meant except you feel you have "correct" everyone. I'll bet you live alone.

      The recent rise of Islamic and Russian terrorists is what should not be tolerated.

  11. Mayhem

    Mirage

    Given Israel's history of industrial espionage, especially Mossad stealing all 200,000 original blueprints of the Mirage V from the French (including the engine plans) back in 1971, which they then used to construct the Kfir - I really have little sympathy for them getting spied on in return.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Mirage

      "Mirage - when you care enough to counterfeit the best"

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