Here's what the US Army picked for soldier-worn tactical USB hubs

The US Army has long sought to give its soldiers a connected-tech edge, and has finally settled on a vendor to deliver a much needed piece of hardware to connect the various smart wearables it plans to field.  The contract was awarded to aerospace and defense firm Elbit America for some 33,000 Next Generation Hubs (NGH), a …

[elDog]

"One could imagine that opponents are lining up for a try at cracking this."

If it hasn't already begun while it was still in some TS trials.

I'm still wondering if they have solved the problem of BadUSB (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BadUSB) where a device gets to tell the host what it is, leading to some unintended consequences. AFAIK, there are no software or controller-resident solutions for this.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "One could imagine that opponents are lining up for a try at cracking this."

"I'm still wondering if they have solved the problem of BadUSB (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BadUSB) where a device gets to tell the host what it is, leading to some unintended consequences. AFAIK, there are no software or controller-resident solutions for this."

Sure there are solutions or, at least, mitigations.

We only allow specific USB classes in production systems. USB storage is allowed case by case, and only by specific mfgr ID / device ID combination. Plugging in a random Kingston into a machine will generate an alert. Of course, if the "keyboard" tries to launch a terminal and type commands - well, can't easily prevent that.

There's been talk of getting some sort of apparatus that would be used for all incoming USB devices. Scans for unwanted device classes as well and does an AV scan for files if it's storage.

[Claptrap314]

Re: "One could imagine that opponents are lining up for a try at cracking this."

All you need is a sane driver--one that does NOT let the device tell you what it is.

I swear, I have no idea HOW the floppy viruses weren't enough to warn the industry off this nonsense, but no. We MUST be insecure by architecture.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: "One could imagine that opponents are lining up for a try at cracking this."

Lessons were learned.

But those people moved on and the new generation of hip young things gave us autorun.inf on CDs and other devices

Lessons were learned again.

But those people moved on and the next generation of hip young things gave us self-identifying USB devices.

That lesson has not been learned yet.

[An_Old_Dog]

Generations Discarding the Lessons of Those Who Went Before

As we're watching the insecurity parade, let's remember U3!

It was another useful idea with no security. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3_(software)

[Anonymous Coward]

Wearable USB hubs

What a time to be alive.

[NapTime ForTruth]

Re: Wearable USB hubs

...however briefly.

[ThatOne]

Re: Wearable USB hubs

> What a time to be alive.

Indeed. That I've lived to hear somebody pronounce the words "Tactical Assault USB Hubs"...

[Jellied Eel]

Re: Wearable USB hubs

That I've lived to hear somebody pronounce the words "Tactical Assault USB Hubs".

I think the Battlefield USB Yoke would be better. Especially if it's used to facilitate tactical tweeting. I just pity the PBI who gets volunteered to be the unit's walking WiFi AP.

(Also.. Elbit? Isn't that a totally trustworthy US company that in no way, shape or form has been linked to a nation that's been caught numerous times helping itself to it's allies technology? Kinda suprised none of the US's own usual suspects could make a tacticool hub.)

[Robert Carnegie]

Re: Wearable USB hubs

At least BUSBY comes with its own acronym. It saves the PBI inventing one. BUSBY being, as you know, bub, the tall furry hat worn by guards at Buckingham Palace, and by nobody anywhere else. I suppose you could make an antenna of it

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Wearable USB hubs

Clearly, it is multiple targeted uses of the word 'tactical' that is the definite sure-fire way to give military beancounters a hard-on (of course they're all men) and therefore ensure that they sign off on the budget for such projects…

[Fruit and Nutcase]

USB

Universal Soldier Bus

[david 12]

Re: USB

Based on "secret military technology", it's really a military system. Like GPS.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

USB in the (Royal) Navy

A few years back, having omitted a tactical data link on cost grounds...

"New Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters can't transmit vital data

Crews have to land and move tactical info around via USB sticks. No, really"

https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/17/lynx_wildcat_has_no_tactical_data_link_royal_navy/

[Jellied Eel]

Re: USB in the (Royal) Navy

Sometimes that can make sense. So figure on data rates for a TDL vs just moving data on/off USB sticks or back in the good'ol days, removable drives.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: USB in the (Royal) Navy

Indeed

https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/10/pigeon_v_broadband/

[Jellied Eel]

Re: USB in the (Royal) Navy

Back in the good'ol days, it was cheaper and faster to do data transfers/backups for large data users by Concord. A suprising number of frequent flyers weren't always the rich & shameless, just BoFHs hauling data between London and NY. I think BA even introduced a data cargo service to free up seats, but it was a bigger, louder, faster and cheaper way to move bits than the old SDH transatlantic cables.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: USB in the (Royal) Navy

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a helo full of USB sticks buzzing over the battlefield.

AKA a mil-spec implementation of RFC 1149. Encapsulation is harder to do, and fragmentation is more likely in many real world scenarios.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

New drill ?

<shouty voice> Present keys

By the left, attempt to insert key.

Rotate key

Attempt insert key

Rotate key

Attempt insert key

[Death Boffin]

Sand in the gear(s)

Wonder how they will weatherproof those? Sand and salt water are still really rough on even ruggedized electronics.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Sand in the gear(s)

Lots of military connectors tend to have waterproof connectors secured with either a bayonet or screw sleeve locking ring. Per the existing connectors, the data pins would have to be shorter to make contact after the ground and power.

Unit cost would of course be several orders of magnitude (tens, hundreds?) of those of COTS connectors.

May be they could call the connectors USB-M or USB-Mil

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Sand in the gear(s)

I'm picturing wrist mounted mil-spec Apple watch, but with GB602 Aquaddie proof 55way metal Amphenol connectors

[NATTtrash]

Re: Sand in the gear(s)

Really? You think? Because what I read was:

"Nett Warrior is cross-platform, with apps developed for Android, Windows, Linux and web browsers.

So no Apple. Slip up of author? Especially since the former colony is rather fond of the fruity offerings...

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Sand in the gear(s)

You think the DoD budget would stretch to Iphones?

[blackcat]

Re: Sand in the gear(s)

Admittedly this was the best part of 2 years ago but they were using USB-C on IVAS.

[ThatOne]

World Peace, at last

> has embarked on for Nett Warrior with partner Microsoft

"To access this rifle please sign in with your Microsoft account"

Why do I see pictures of soldiers playing Candy Crush on their gear, at least those who are not currently updating and/or rebooting, while the enemies try to not disturb them?... I see officers trying to give orders through Microsoft Teams ("Sarge, your mike is muted!"), I see squaddies desperately searching the setting for firing their guns, I see assaults being interrupted by an imperious yet exiting offer for Office 365, while others desperately try to ask Cortana for artillery support, only managing to order BBQ charcoal, lots of it.

[Francis Boyle]

"exiting offer"

That's what you call having a bullet go through your skull while you were distracted by MS's latest exciting offer.

[osxtra]

What's Your 20?

Putting aside that it's skiffy and certifiably creepy to consider having one of these in you, John Scalzi's BrainPal from the Old Man's War series sounds like a great, secure way for the troops to communicate, though even the author talks about hacking that network in the books...

[An_Old_Dog]

BrainPals

... like "toots" in David Weber and John Ringo's "Empire of Man/Prince Roger MacClintock" series ("March Upcountry", "March to the Sea", "March to the Stars").

Slang phrase "toombie" c.f. "toot-zombie", e.g., someone whose brain-PC has been compromised. Such persons are forced to carry out actions against their wills (assassination, etc.).

[Claptrap314]

Re: What's Your 20?

In battlefield coms, DOS is generally far easier to effect than any other sort of attack--and just as effective.

This does not go well against a technically sophisticated adversary.

[Doctor Syntax]

But if radio communications are still unreliable how does all this help? Soldier-to-soldier Bluetooth & a whole line of squaddies from battalion HQ to the front line?

[osxtra]

Dick Tracy's Two-Way Foxhole Radio

Well, it *is* science fiction, so who knows what's going on under the hood. In the books I got the idea some far-flung outpost troop could talk to sector HQ as easily as whispering to the person in the next barracks bunk.

How that would actually get built, who knows? Would I want one in *my* head? Probably not.

(Reminisces on "The President's Analyst" wherein the ATT robot was explaining to James Coburn how everyone in the future would have a phone injected into their brains at birth. Yuck! What if they call me at 3AM because I'm late on the bill? Or worse yet, just cut off the "service"? And how would one go about having an unlisted brain?)

[Anonymous Coward]

Neuralink

You just know that Elon Musk will be very annoyed that his crazy Neuralink "device" didn't get this project (while everyone else, including the poor grunts in question, will be highly relieved). I guess (worriedly), there's always version 2 to consider…

[FirstTangoInParis]

It doesn’t exist yet!

Reading write ups on the contract award, this hub does not yet exist. Presumably the tender was to propose a design rather than but something already made. This is where left and right pondian military procurement differs. Right pondian procurement assumes that some company has already developed such a product even though there will be a vanishingly small market and returns on investment will be risky. Left pondian funds developers to make what they want, plus there’s a massive market on the end of it.

I despair.

[Surreal]

The few, the proud, the Gargoyles: a server closet of one!

Gargoyles, per Neil Stephenson's Snowcrash:

"Instead of using laptops, they wear their computers on their bodies, broken up into separate modules that hang on the waist, on the back, on the headset. They serve as human surveillance devices, recording everything that happens around them. Nothing looks stupider; these getups are the modern-day equivalent of the slide-rule scabbard or the calculator pouch on the belt...".

I imagine that if they roam about heavily armed they won't be teased too badly. By civilians, anyway.

[Dropper]

Rugged..

Does that mean a $10 Amazon basics usb hub in a zip-lock baggie?