French navy fighter planes were grounded by Windows PC worm in the middle of January, Larkins Dsouza reports for DefenceAviation.
“The aircraft were unable to download their flight plans after databases were infected by a Microsoft virus they had already been warned about several months beforehand,” Dsouza reports. “At one point French naval staff were also instructed not to even open their computers.”
“Microsoft had warned that the ‘Conficker’ virus, transmitted through Windows, was attacking computer systems in October last year, but according to reports the French military ignored the warning and failed to install the necessary security measures,” Dsouza reports. “The French newspaper Ouest France said the virus had hit the internal computer network at the French Navy.”
Dsouza reports, “Naval officials said the ‘infection’ was probably due more to negligence than a deliberate attempt to compromise French national security.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, the negligence was on the part of the brilliant military IT mind(s) who chose to use Windows in a mission critical situation. We hear that they’re also retrofitting screen doors onto their subs.
Dsouza continues, “The French press also reported that the only consolation for the French Navy was that it was not the only ones to have fallen victim to the virus. It said that a report in the military review Defense Tech revealed that in the first days of January 2009 the British Defence Ministry had been attacked by a hybrid of the virus that had substantially and seriously infected the computer systems of more than 24 RAF bases and 75 per cent of the Royal Navy fleet including the aircraft carrier Ark Royal.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Windows. The most effective disarmament strategy ever deployed. It sounds just wonderful – until the Mac-based countries attack. Hey, look on the bright side, citizens of countries with Windows-based military forces will at least end up with good computers for running their Rosetta Stone lessons.
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Get a Mac.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Hussein” for the heads up.]
