Leak Gives Marine One Helicopter Details to Iran

IT IS STRANGE TO ME THAT THIS TYPE OF "ACCIDENT" OCCURS AT AN INSTALLATION WHERE "ANY" DEMOCRATE MAY BE A CONSULTANT AS IS BROKEBACK GENERAL WESLEY CLARK


Leak Gives Marine One Helicopter Details to Iran

Monday, March 2, 2009 10:56 AM

By: Dave Eberhart




A file-sharing glitch reportedly has put engineering, cost, and communications details about President Barack Obama’s Marine One helicopter in the hands of Tehran.


NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported Saturday that a Pennsylvania-based security company called Tiversa uncovered the classified information at an IP address in Iran’s capital city.


Tiversa CEO Bob Boback told the TV station, “We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One, which is the president’s helicopter.”


Boback also disclosed that employees of his company had pinpointed the source of the leak. “What appears to be a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file-sharing program on one of their systems that also contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One,” he said.


The Tiversa CEO hypothesized that an employee of the defense contractor may have downloaded a file-sharing program -- without considering the potential security issues. “When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive,” he advised.


Furthermore, Boback told the station that file-sharing has in his opinion become a windfall for intelligence to foreign governments — particularly Pakistan, Yemen, Qatar, and China.


Tiversa consultant, retired Gen. Wesley Clark advised that the company had located the individual computer and employee that left the information vulnerable. “I’m sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job.”


Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., said he would ask Congress to investigate how to prevent such breaches of security in the future.




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