Flash drives containing US military secrets for sale next to Afghani base

Despite the government's best efforts to secure its classified electronic data, the L.A. Times is reporting that it was easily able to obtain a thumb drive full of sensitive military information -- from a bazaar right next to a US Air Force base in Afghanistan. According to the Times, the 1GB flash drive -- which, at $40, was quite the bargain -- contains details that could put the lives of several informants and sources at risk, including pictures, phone numbers, and even the names of their family members. Furthermore, even though files on the drive lay out specific military procedures and intelligence gathering strategies and contain photos of the base inside the perimeter, few of the documents are encrypted or password-protected. Although Army officials claim to regularly shop the bazaars for stolen material, and have ordered a review of their data security protocols, the fact that such damaging info can be purchased so easily would seem to indicate that the matter is a bit more urgent.

[Via Slashdot]

[Alex @ Apr 13th 2006 10:30AM]

Let me guess...

Microsoft Word encryption/password protection? Is there a bigger joke?

[John from Buffalo @ Apr 13th 2006 10:34AM]

".... Although Army officials claim to regularly shop the bazaars for stolen material, and have ordered a review of their data security protocols, ...."

That cracks me up. I mean, its not like you are an african american undercover cop in lower DC looking for a crack bag in a pre-dominantly african american area.

YOU ARE IN MILITARY UNIFORM WITH GUNS! Like they won't see you coming.

Army intel living up to its oxy-moronic nature in its truest form.

[John Doe @ Apr 13th 2006 11:02AM]

John,

You ARE a moron. Did it ever occur to you that they weren't dressed in military uniform? Did it ever occur to you that yes. There are people from Middle Eastern decent in the US military? Dude think before you post. You really are making yourself look like a complete and total moron.

[Jurgen @ Apr 13th 2006 11:07AM]

... Anyone considered this to be a project of misinformation ...?
- Dilutes the value of actual information leaked; bad guys can't trust any info anymore;-
- Can be easily used to include baits. E.g., bad guys seek out listed 'informer', enter house, house gets shot up by ambushing US military. Just dream of all the scenarios possible...

[KevinM @ Apr 13th 2006 11:07AM]

Our government and technology is a dangerous thing. It always seems they are just so behind with the current trends.

[Jimmy C @ Apr 13th 2006 11:09AM]

Sheesh, are you kidding me? Even our small software company has a protocol requiring that we all use the bios hard drive password, and all we're protecting is code, not military secrets. It's not that hard to enforce a minimum amount of security, folks.

[Ben @ Apr 13th 2006 11:09AM]

Military problems aside , that picture is fucking awesome.

[daschupa @ Apr 13th 2006 11:19AM]

Sadly, the thing i was most shocked at was that the 1gb thumb drive was only $40.

[Mr. America @ Apr 13th 2006 11:30AM]

I think the key point to mention is that the US military having super secret amazing technology is all fake anyway.

Hollywood helps.

[Finished.Law.School @ Apr 13th 2006 11:40AM]

It is unfortunate how stories like these make the US military look exceedingly stupid...

[strider_mt2k @ Apr 13th 2006 11:45AM]

Hey waitaminute, isn't this Engadget?

What make was the drive? Was it an Asian knockoff of a known company's offerings?

Where's the pithy reference to said USB drive's slowness or storage size.

-Or form factor??? SHEESH!

I mean military secrets aside you folks DO have a rep to uphold!
C'mon!

[JRM @ Apr 13th 2006 11:48AM]

Wow!
$40 for 1 gig flash.

[bullfroghrr @ Apr 13th 2006 12:10PM]

Does anyone really beleive that the information on such a drive is correct, or anything not meant to be seen?

[diulei @ Apr 13th 2006 12:14PM]

After all the military people I've met, sadly, this type of information leak doesn't surprise me at all.

The vast majority of them (of course not all) were unintelligent, impatient, join-the-armed-forces-as-a-last-resort type people. With enough of them, of course information will be insecure.

[Mastershake @ Apr 13th 2006 12:17PM]

Well having served in an M.I. Bat. and now in I.T. Security, let me shed some light. First off the military's procedures are usually quite sound, but like most companies they have stupid employees who put thier passwords under thier keyboards. FlashDrives unless issued, are not allowed to have Confidential information on them. I can just about guarantee that some know it all officer was using this without thinking. then some underpaid private who wants an xbox pawned it. Not to mention the Air Force has some of the least tactically minded people I have ever met filling thier lower enlisted ranks. When i was at Homeland we had idiots hand typing the S.O.P. into thier unsecure/unauthorized pda's and walking around the Free wi-fi airport with thier wireless cards on!! Hey Terrorists! want to know our procedures? here's the book!
In regards to high speed tech, the military has some really slick shit, but it's not as flashy as they make it in movies, and it is usually heavy. I was text messaging in real time while walking in a jungle to somone on the other side of the world almost 20 years ago! it wasn't called text back then, because we were the only ones who had it. The best encryption you can buy today, is one tenth of what we had. Let's put it like this, ever notice that when someone makes a big breakthrough in tech the government gets involved and it doesn't usually hit the shelves for years? that is because the Gov. doesn't allow it out until they have both something better, AND the ability to crack what Osama can buy on the street, with few exceptions.
Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that they didn't get that info, in fact I'm sure they did. But not because are military tech, or even its procedures are all that lacking. It's because we as a society have become arogant and ignorant, and our children are even worse. And they are the ones out there serving. want to change things? Start using your brains, then teach others, and when others screw it up, i.e. politicans get caught smuggling documents out of secure facilities, or screwing around with thier interns (which by the way it is illegal not because it is immoral, but because it creates an intel liability) do what they use to, hold a trial, and if they are guilty, march them out on the White House steps and put a bullet in thier head. but instead we keep trading our freedoms for more intrusive legislature that we think will protect us, rather than being responsible and protecting ourselves.

[dem @ Apr 13th 2006 12:18PM]

forget the military secrets, you can torrent those...

what brand was the thumb drive? any 2gig drives available? i'll pay for shipping!

[Tyler McPheeters @ Apr 13th 2006 12:22PM]

i love how the store is called "Black Market", and that there's a car parked inside.

[c.Lake @ Apr 13th 2006 12:34PM]

We'll just ignore the crack coming from "John form Buffalo", who could you put a little more STINK on the words "African-American".

And move on to say..... WHAT?!?!?!?! This can't be right? I know our government... I mean, Frat-House is run by dumb-asses, but I never figured them to be THIS stupid. Nice to see the government is on top of things.

[lol @ Apr 13th 2006 12:36PM]

wow, the things this country do! I am surprised; we claim to the best at everything, yet we lack the ability to think! I am officialy deciding not to join or armed services!

[Jae Rune @ Apr 13th 2006 12:51PM]

First, I'd like to know if that information was verified as a) Classified and b) legitimate. If it was, then I'd ike to know if it was part of an intention leak or it was accidental in nature. If the leak was intentional, was it part of an on-going attempt to plant false information in the underground community to find out the flow of information, or was it a malicious attack against secure individuals from someone inside? Or was it all just plain stupidity? This raises a lot of questions, and I'm surprised more people aren't asking them.

[KevinM @ Apr 13th 2006 12:54PM]

To #14
"let me shed some light. First off the military's procedures are usually quite sound..."

Then you said.

"Not to mention the Air Force has some of the least tactically minded people I have ever met filling thier lower enlisted ranks. When i was at Homeland we had idiots hand typing the S.O.P. into thier unsecure/unauthorized pda's and walking around the Free wi-fi airport with thier wireless cards on!!"

Define to me what you mean by "usaully quite sound".

[Kelly Nair @ Apr 13th 2006 12:58PM]

That Black Market store is actually located in Yokohama, Japan! I used to live up the near there. The store is located on the 2nd floor and the bottom is just the garage parking as there is absolutely no easy, convenient parking available in the area. The store owner just parks his Porsche there.

[tiuk @ Apr 13th 2006 1:17PM]

KevinM - The procedures can be perfectly sound, but if people don't follow them, they're not effective.

[Rocket Punch @ Apr 13th 2006 1:26PM]

National Debt: $9 trillion

National Defense Budget: $401.3 billion

The Iraq War: $173 billion

USA military secrets for $40 bucks. Priceless.

[noahsachs @ Apr 13th 2006 1:45PM]

Cool, I've been wondering for a while what that Blackmarket store was all about.

[Dan @ Apr 13th 2006 1:59PM]

Yeah, but I heard the 1GB drive is $40 only after a $20 Black Market rebate, and I can tell you from experience the Black Market rebate fulfillment center is very slow. I'm still waiting for the $10 rebate on my Banana Republic Israeli paratrooper duffle bag that I bought in January.

[Mastershake @ Apr 13th 2006 2:12PM]

Thanks for clearing that up tiuk! see Kev, deductive reasoning. tiuk used his/her brain to seperate procedure from what actually takes place. For example, the speed limit on a turn is set as what is a safe turning speed, if you exceed that and go off the road should the highway commission be blamed? of course not! do I speed...yep. Free country, and if i f'up it will be my fault, so I try not put others in danger.
in a somewhat related topic..for those anti gov.s out there, and believe me I'm not saying they are perfect and we need to keep them on a short leash or face an Orwellian fate, read about Maj. Gen. Oleg Kalugin whom I had the pleasure of um working with once, OK he was teaching me, but I digress. He taught us [D.O.E./D.O.D.] how the KGB used our own people against us in the '60s. He said "the best part is we didn't have to pay or seduce them! the spoiled americans were so full of erroneus ideals that they felt stealing intel for us was the only way to set things right. One of the only countries in the world where the government wasn't tyranicaly mis using it's power and it's citizens didn't trust them." [paraphrased] Believe me, this guy knows..he was the movie style KGB spy. not an intel analyist, not a politican, not spetz natz, but a straight up 007 style spy. Ask him about stealing France's space program, good story!

[Matt @ Apr 13th 2006 4:05PM]

What the..????

That's Black Market, in Yokohama, on Honmoku-dori! Craziness! I used to live a block away from there!

[Kelly Nair @ Apr 13th 2006 4:42PM]

Yep, I lived up the hill in Sankedai. Used to get off at the bus stop and walk through the alley with the liqour and cigarrette vending machines right next to Black Market coming back from St. Maur.

[rocko @ Apr 13th 2006 5:06PM]

the hell!??! The military is getting over 40 billion dollars in funding, and we cant afford a simple $80 biometric USB drive???

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/799b/

what happen to the old days when the government was AHEAD on technology?!?!

[Major Malfunction @ Apr 13th 2006 5:20PM]

#25

Since January? Hell, I've been waiting for my Russian Military "Be a Russian Commando" garb since the 80s, no mention of the rebate.

[Shadyman @ Apr 13th 2006 10:19PM]

Wasn't there just an article about "Hard drives" for sale at this same bazaar?

[Ken Westin @ Apr 14th 2006 2:28AM]

An interesting contintuation of the story on MSNBC:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/04/military_thumb_.html

[Scarpad @ Apr 14th 2006 11:19AM]

The Scarier part of this story one is talking about is that on these flash drives have been many Pictures of more torture, the caveat this time is that apparently these are americans being tortured