Lockheed-Martin has tightly integrated its Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) into the F-35, and now nations that are taking deliveries are concerned about the massive volumes of data being sent back to servers in Fort Worth, Texas, and they are demanding that they gain control of this data:
Lockheed Martin received a $26.1 million contract to develop data transmission controls for foreign customers of the F-35 and its autonomic logistics information system (ALIS).The F-35 does not fly without ALIS after a few days without a deep access to the source code, which only LM and the DoD have.
International development partners and foreign customers of the F-35 have expressed concern that ALIS, which manages and analyses the fighter’s systems, training and flight logs, would automatically transmit information back to Lockheed’s hub in Fort Worth, Texas, possibly giving the company and the USA insight into their military operations.
“This effort provides F-35 international partners the capability to review and block messages to prevent sovereign data loss,” says the contract notice online. “Additionally, the effort includes studies and recommendations to improve the security architecture of ALIS.”
Previously, international development partners and foreign customers of the F-35 had programmed short-term software patches for ALIS that allowed them to control what data was sent back to the USA.
It isn't just a matter of the ALIS system being a massive security hole for our allies, it is an off switch.
2 comments :
ALIS. Possibly the stupidest architecture decision made in the entire history of defense procurement.
I mean, what can possibly go wrong? If somebody hacks mother, the entire fleet goes down.
Actually ALIS makes sense: It lets Lockheed lock in maintenance and upgrades forever, and it gives the Generals who signed off on it lucrative consulting gigs when they retire.
Post a Comment