Raytheon unveils Linux 'Insider Threat' rooter-out routers

US armstech mammoth Raytheon has announced that its "government insider threat management solution" for information security will be powered by Linux. Penguin-inside crypto modules to be used in Raytheon's mole-buster tech have now passed tough federal security validation, apparently. The insider-threat detector gear in …

[Destroy All Monsters]

Making Himmler proud

"government insider threat management solution"

Because of course the "government" must be "protected" from "insiders" (aka. the nominally in-charge public). Wouldn't want to take the blinders of the horse, now would you?

But it's good to know that all those "leaks" appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other neocon watering places will no longer just be under suspicion that they are deliberate misinformation.

A grenade, to be tossed into various undisclosed locations.

[Iain]

Does it

Detect someone taking a screenshot with a mobile phone camera?

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

router or rootkit?

Because from the description in the article, it seems to fall into the latter category. No actual mention of routing functions there either.

[James O'Shea]

errm...

and exactly what is stopping our would-be miscreant from doing something like, oh...

1 printing out the page and putting the paper into a briefcase and walking out the door?

2 getting out his cell phone and snapping a pic of the screen?

or

3 getting out a sheet of notepaper and a pencil and <gasp> <shock> <horror> writing down the info?

Why, depending on his job, the miscreant may even be able to produce a valid reason to do (1) or (3), though explaining away (2) may require creative thinking.

I'm sure that Reg readers can think of several other methods of abstracting info from 'secure' systems, even systems secured by legions of rabid attack penguins.

Pirate icon. We really need a blood-thirsty Attack Penguin icon.

[sandman]

New icon please?

Can we have an evil Penguin icon now?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yawn - old kit

I just happened to have a good discussion with a company that has been doing this stuff for years. Sure, their kit would need mil-speccing for in-theater use, but it is at present securing almost every Swiss banking infrastructure, and unlike what Raytheon appears to assume, network layer only will not suffice there.

Add to that the trend towards NEC* based force interaction and it strikes me that this is coming somewhat late to the party, unless I've missed something..

* NEC = network enabled capability

[Anonymous Coward]

I think this software will be very unpopular

...as soon as the government realises that 99.99999999 of its "security issues" are actually "dumbass issues".

How's that going to pay for helicopters and guns and fingerprint scanners and all the other things that add excitement to an otherwise boring paper shuffling job?

I wonder if Gary McKinnon will be able to use it as evidence?

[Anonymous Coward]

Raytheon's SureView™solution

Does this 'solution' run on the client desktop, the server or the gateway. And if so, how is the client protected if all activity can be remotely recorded. A breach of the 'solution' would result in your total network being compromised.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: errm...

1. On a certified to a security rating solution printing is not a given right. You may not actually have that option.

2. Ditto for cellphones. Cameras can be centrally managed on gov issue phones and turned off, non-gov issue can be prohibited and a suitably located and programmed femtocell can pick up anyone who was stupid enough to bring in a non-gov-issue phone without turning off the radio first.

3. Wanna try doing it in an open office with 20 coworkers eager to get a christmas bonus in a year when no bonuses are to be issued?

[Michael Fremlins]

Can it stop...

me with a pen and paper?

[Paul 4]

RE: Re: errm...

RE: 3) All you need to do too avoid people checking what your writing on a pad of paper in an office is wait until the guy with the tinfoli hat leaves. As for bonuses, its rare (at least in the UK, and I asume in the US it is much the same) for anyone working for the government to get bonuses.

[Cantankerous Old Buzzard]

Properly specified

Since this product claims the ability to handle the "bonehead users" category, it has to be Linux, since Windoze would most certainly collapse under the stress of that many incidents to flag and report.

[Adam Salisbury]

@ Paul 4

I think what our AC friend is alluding to is the possibility of reward for reporting your screen-snapping, note-taking co-workers to the authorities.

Let's be frank here though; it's not there to prevent data leakage, it's there to prevent government embarrassment such as the recent expenses scandal. Think of what it would've flagged were it deployed in Damien Green's office, Nu-lab are gonna love it!

Black helicopters because at the click of the Post comment button they'll be coming

[Anonymous Coward]

Makes me wonder

Why not running this on Windows 2008, the best OS ever ?

[Inachu]

Oh noes!!!!!!!!!

That means anyone on a .gov network can't email their domestic enemy friends at aipac.

[MinionZero]

"government insider threat management solution"

Does that also mean putting their own spying threat in as well as taking everyone elses spying threats out?

I can't believe any government organisation would miss the oppotunity to sneek their own monitoring software in, (but not call it spying), its for threat management you know, its all to protect you (and us (c) Government Inc.).

Others spy, we protect you by monitoring you. (c) Government Inc.