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DARPA tests buoy network for fallback military comms at sea
It doesn't matter how many war machines you have under your command if you can't relay orders to their operators. Maintaining communications is just as important as firepower, and DARPA wants the armed forces to have as many contingencies as possible when networks go down or are actively jammed. Setting up a fallback network is even trickier on the open ocean, but the agency's Tactical Undersea Network Architecture (TUNA) program is well on its way to a solution. That solution being a collection of "node" buoys, deployed from ships or planes, that are tethered together by fiber optic cables to create a radio frequency data network.
DARPA-backed Power Pwn is power strip by day, superhero hack machine by night
Call the Power Pwn the champion of white hat hacking. Underneath that Clark Kent power strip exterior, there's a Superman of full-scale breach testing that can push the limits of just about any company network, whether it takes 3G, Ethernet or WiFi to get there. Pwnie Express' stealthy sequel to the Pwn Plug ships with a Debian 6 instance of Linux whose handy hacking tools are as easy to launch as they are tough to detect. There's just one step needed to create a snoop-friendly Evil AP WiFi hotspot, and the box dodges around low-level NAC/802.1x/RADIUS network authentication without any help; in the same breath, it can easily leap into stealth mode and keeps an ongoing encrypted link to give do-gooders a real challenge. The hacker doesn't even need to be in the same ZIP code to crack a firewall or VPN -- the 3G link lets the Power Pwn take bash command-line instructions through SMS messages and doles out some of its feedback the same way. While the $1,295 device can theoretically be used for nefarious purposes, DARPA's blessing (and funding) should help keep the Power Pwn safely in the hands of security pros and thwart more than a few dastardly villains looking for weak networks.
DARPA planning high-speed wireless for soldiers in the field
DARPA has its hands and, more importantly, its money in just about everything. Weapons, robots, thermal sensors -- it's a staple of the scientific community. But, it's also a military agency with basic needs, like internet access. The research group's newest project doesn't carry heavy loads (unless you're weighing your cargo in kilobytes) and can't break the sound barrier, but it should be able to deliver 4G speeds to even the most remote of battlefields. DARPA has $11.8 million set aside for its Mobile Hotspots program which will use millimeter-wave signals to deliver high-speed data connections to dismounted soldiers, forward-operating bases and tactical centers. Most importantly, each node in the network extends its range building out a mesh that isn't reliant on existing infrastructure. For more details hit up the PR after the break.
