Videos feeds taken by unmanned military drones have been captured by Shiite militants until just this summer. Suspicions arose when a Shiite militant was apprehended with a laptop containing drone video feeds. Another incident in July led the U.S. military officials to conclude that militant groups were regularly duping the video feeds.
The feeds being broadcast by the American military drones were unencrypted, allowing Shiite militants to easily capture them with a software program such as SkyGrabber — a satellite downloading tool that’s available online for less than $26. Although days of video were discovered within enemy hands, U.S. officials report there was no evidence of direct interference. Those militants did not take control of any drones or interfere with any U.S. military flights. It is true that this incident may have given away a few tactical advantages though, such as the element of surprise and intel regarding surveilled locations.
I tried to learn more about the now infamous SkyGrabber program, but their site was down (down for everyone, not just me). Rummaging other sites, I found that it proudly boasts the ability to capture satellite feeds even while you are not connected to the internet — deadly.
Read more about this intriguing discovery at the Wall Street Journal.
