Thread: Predator Drone Sat Feeds were unencrpted?

Originally Posted by SpiffWilkie

Am I understanding right that these are not video broadcasts that can be picked up by a STB? The broadcasts are in data form and need to be captured (hence the software) before being decoded on a pc?

That is what I got out of it, a TCP/IP based data stream or something similar. I wonder what the exact needs are for capture, a DVB card that does IP ????
Dunno......would be something intetresting to look in on if it didnt cause DHS or NSA to show up on my doorstep..........

Originally Posted by B.J.

It probably wasn't so easy or inexpensive to put that encryption capability into the small packages required back when these planes were developed.

I thinks that's correct assumption. It does take money and time to retrofit these things, and there are always conflicting priorities in resource distribution, given lobby activities, structural and ownership reorganizations in Drone producing companies, and changes in weapons related Government spending policies around 90th and later.

It may not be always required from operational standpoint either. "The official said that many of the UAV feeds need to be sent out live to numerous people at one time, and encryption was found to slow the real-time link. The encryption therefore was removed from many feeds." In fact, encrypting such feeds would require Iraqi Police and Military to be supplied with (and share with Iranian intelligence) US military encryption equipment, since most such operations are joint. On the other hand, according to CNN, CIA newer drones have their IP streams encrypted.

Uhm... and how did they know the signals were being intercepted by the "bad guys"? (altough in that place that term can be used for both parties depending on what side you are LOL).

Maybe someone was dumb enough to report it to Lyngsat... LOL.

By the way... from what somebody once told me, you need to capture the stream, that is, the whole datastream using a DVB PC Card, and then analize it to delete all the stuff you don't want, but i don't know if that is done using a hexeditor or what.

M.

There is a whole bench of quite elaborate FTA devoted software to do that kind of analysis, like sorting out intercepted PPV movies etc. In some countries the whole activity is called "Satellite Fishing". I can only imaging, what kind of software is used by known "services" for similar purpose. But in relation to military, its easy to learn if a broadcast was intercepted if it's then posted or commented about on public sites, like they say "increased chatter".

Originally Posted by ikki

> HD-Lite is a plague on the DBS community; it is the Horizontal Death!

What is this Horizontal Death you speak of?

Horizontal Death is the DBS practice of stealing horizontal lines of resolution from a 1080i HD broadcast channels (aka HD-Lite). See this post: http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-...ml#post2005757

Originally Posted by zamar23

I thinks that's correct assumption. It does take money and time to retrofit these things, and there are always conflicting priorities in resource distribution, given lobby activities, structural and ownership reorganizations in Drone producing companies, and changes in weapons related Government spending policies around 90th and later.

It may not be always required from operational standpoint either. "The official said that many of the UAV feeds need to be sent out live to numerous people at one time, and encryption was found to slow the real-time link. The encryption therefore was removed from many feeds." In fact, encrypting such feeds would require Iraqi Police and Military to be supplied with (and share with Iranian intelligence) US military encryption equipment, since most such operations are joint. On the other hand, according to CNN, CIA newer drones have their IP streams encrypted.

The problem with encryption is the crypto codes, the devices may be unclassified. If it's a point to point link with all sides at the same security level it not a problem but when you have to share the codes with other nationals there is a very strict set of rules. Making the feeds "Unclassified" eliminates the needs of a "COMSEC" clearance. It's a good thing from a tactical point of view that's it's broadcast in the clear.

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/o...st/2221_5c.pdf

On the other hand, today's friends of the day can be shared with a weaker or different temp crypto code compare to those used in US military inter-communication. That would eliminate "publicity" and tactical operational issues, open battlefield broadcasts are prone to suffer from.