Recent news of a missing F-35 fighter jet that ejected its pilot raises concerns among the public regarding just how secure our nation’s defense technology is. In this article, we encompass both the realm of possibility without disregarding the improbable, as to err is only human.
In a perfect world, the intranet (internal network) of a corporation would in no way be connected to the Internet. Especially when the corporation at hand has military defense contracts and private sector contracts that dive into the Internet of Things (IoT). Was the F-35 hacked? We explore the potential of that story here!
The Possibility:
- Evolving Threat Landscape: In a digital age fraught with cyber threats, the prospect of breaches and attacks on military systems looms large. Hackers, both state-sponsored and independent actors, continue to evolve their tactics, raising concerns about their potential to target even the most secure military hardware. Why not, hackers have already disrupted people’s vacation plans at MGM hotels and casinos and even disrupted the trucking industry (covered in the last paragraph of bullet point 3; see RELATED in that section as well).
RELATED: abcnews.go.com/Business/mgm-reeling-cyber-chaos-5-days-after-attack/story?id=103148809
RELATED: cnn.com/2023/09/14/business/caesars-mgm-casino-cyberattack/index.html
RELATED: forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2023/09/13/ransomware-attack-mgm-resorts/ - Past Encounters: Reports have emerged, shedding light on cyberattacks targeting prominent defense contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. While the full extent of these intrusions remains classified, they underscore the gravity of the issue. The notion of an intrepid adversary infiltrating classified systems is a legitimate concern.
RELATED: nbcnews.com/news/investigations/chinese-hackers-stole-boeing-lockheed-military-plane-secrets-feds-n153951
RELATED: freebeacon.com/national-security/nsa-details-chinese-cyber-theft-of-f-35-military-secrets/
RELATED: interestingengineering.com/innovation/cyber-attacks-more-likely-to-bring-down-f-35-jets-than-missiles - IoT Partnerships and the MGM Scenario: We aren’t saying it’s so, but the degrees of separation are inarguable and may be worthy of inquiry. Lockheed Martin publicly declared in a 2016 press briefing a collaboration with tech company ORBCOM on the frontier of the Internet of Things (IoT); also known as home/business automation. With Lockheed Martin neck deep in military defense contracts, it’s difficult to imagine that preproduction tests conducted on a private intranet network, where the testing of Enterprise IoT could potentially extend its reach to unexpected frontiers. Did that happen? There is no evidence to suggest there was, but the fact remains, that the potential exists, that ORBCOMM is a service provider for IoT for large industries, and that is why we put it before you as food for thought. But that is not all!
Again, we are not saying that a renowned Hotel Casino ransomware attack is in any way connected to Lockheed Martin and their dive into IoT technology, but the two corporations have a history of being mentioned in articles together, and MGM undoubtedly utilizes IoT technology, and there is an indirect coincidence we’ll cover in the next paragraph. The connection, while unlikely, poses a question of whether a breach in the casino’s cybersecurity could lead hackers back to sensitive military assets, such as the F-35’s Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS); or that of the less time-tested replacement system ODIN, system designed to modernize the F-35 in the digital age.
RELATED: prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-orbcomm-to-explore-better-connected-machines-300234174.html
RELATED: cnbc.com/2023/01/09/the-dark-webs-criminal-minds-see-iot-as-the-next-big-hacking-prize.html
RELATED: defensenews.com/air/2022/01/31/pentagon-completes-first-phase-in-replacing-troubled-f-35-logistics-system/
While no direct links between MGM and ORBCOMM can be found, ORCOMM also experienced a ransomware attack within the same window as MGM. We’ll just have to file that under things that make us all go hmm…
RELATED: mashable.com/ad/feature/tour-some-of-the-smartest-hotel-rooms-in-las-vegas
RELATED: bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/orbcomm-ransomware-attack-causes-trucking-fleet-management-outage/
The Improbability:
- Layered Defenses: The cybersecurity infrastructure protecting military assets like the F-35 is a fortress of multiple layers. Critical systems operate within isolated intranet networks fortified with encryption, firewalls, and stringent access controls, creating formidable barriers against unauthorized access.
- Ongoing Security Enhancements: Our national security agencies understand the fluid nature of cyber threats. They invest substantially in research, development, and training to bolster their cybersecurity measures continually. As we tread into the IoT landscape, the vigilance to protect classified data remains unrelenting.
- Attribution Challenges: Accurately attributing a cyberattack to a specific entity remains a complex puzzle. The presence of hacking attempts doesn’t necessarily translate into successful breaches, let alone control over an F-35 in flight.
In the end, we confront a chilling implausible yet possible scenario, one that resides on the fringe. Did it happen? Could it have happened, and will we ever know? It’s not impossible, and we aren’t saying it is… But it certainly is an interesting possibility that may be of interest to public inquiry.
The information and scenarios in this article are intended as food for thought and in no way are to be taken as anything other than a work of fiction based on real events, real organizations, and the plausibility of what could be but is in no way intended to be taken as being a matter of fact. Everything written in this article is at best nothing more than a coincidence with information laid out for your entertainment as food for provocative thought.
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