The United States military, mired in three conflicts at this time (in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya), has gone out of its way to give this generation of soldiers access to computers and to the Internet. This has enhanced training techniques, as much of today’s sophisticated weapons systems require a certain degree of computer literacy, but has also allowed America’s warriors to better stay in touch with their loved ones back home – a morale booster like no other.

The IT Offensive

However, in November of 2008, the military’s computer networks came under attack by a computer virus, a worm named Agent.btz, also known as the “SillyFDC” worm. This virus lurked in the thumb drives used by both enlisted troops and officers alike. The worm would replicate itself onto any computer its host device was plugged into, and would then piggyback a copy of itself onto those USB storage devices which would engage with the computer thereafter.

Multiple Fronts

The Pentagon’s geek-squads came up with a simple, if draconian, solution. They banned the use of thumb drives and CDs among the rank and file. While top brass readily acknowledged that this posed an inconvenience to the troops, it was the best solution to safeguard against a cyber-enemy that may have placed their lives at risk in the field. Just about the time they thought they had it under control, something else came along that they approached with equal gravity.

The shock and awe that beset the armed forces was nothing so stealthy as a computer virus. It came from a website called Wikileaks. The cynical brainchild of Julian Assange, Wikileaks dug up and released tens of thousands of documents related to everything from diplomatic gaffes to alleged abuses perpetrated by the troops. Again, the Defense Department banned USB storage devices. The military has flash drives that can withstand nuclear fallout. They don’t have one that can deal with the negative tide of public opinion.