Report: Computer virus hits military drone program

Predator drone
In this Jan. 31, 2010 file photo, an unmanned U.S. Predator drone flies over Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan, on a moon-lit night. A computer virus that captures the strokes on a keyboard has infected networks used by pilots who control U.S. Air Force drones flown on the warfront, according to a published report.
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - A computer virus that captures the strokes on a keyboard has infected networks used by pilots who control U.S. Air Force drones flown on the warfront, according to a published report.

Wired magazine reported Friday that the spyware has resisted efforts to remove it from the computers in the cockpits at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where pilots remotely fly Predator and Reaper drones in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The story said there are no confirmed reports that classified data was stolen and that the virus did not stop pilots from flying any of their missions. Network security specialists are uncertain if the virus was part of a directed attack or accidentally infected the networks, the story said.

The Air Force said in a statement it doesn't discuss threats to its computer networks because it can help hackers refine their tactics.

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