U.S. Army Acquires More Macs To Enhance Cybersecurity

[ryanw]

A rate of approximately 2,000 per year, eh?

If the Army has 20,000 Macs and we estimate a four-year lifespan per Mac, they'd need 5,000 Macs per year "entering the Army" just to keep the numbers constant. So what the article actually says is that Mac numbers are dropping fast.

If we assume what was meant was an increase of 2,000 Macs per year, (20,000, 22,000, 24,000, etc) and we generously assume a matching decrease in Windows numbers (700,000, 680,000, 660,000), then the Mac will have achieved parity with Windows (360,000 each) in a mere 170 years.

Whoopee.

In what world do you live in? In the enterprise environments I've been in, the unix servers have more of a 10 year life span than a 5 year life span. They don't interchange unix servers like they do windows boxes. A Dual 1GHz G4 XServe is just as good of a webserver today as it was 4 years ago, stores files just as well, and could also still be running the same installation of the operating system (with security updates of course). Of course it doesn't crunch numbers nor run photoshop as well as the new stuff.

Unix driven hardware from Sun Microsystems (solaris), IBM (AIX), and even HP (HPUX) all seem to stay around forever once implemented. I know of several Sparc 10's still acting as servers for DNS, time servers, NIS, NIS+, print servers or whatever functions they had from a LONG time ago... and this is on MAJOR corporations. It's hard to find money to replace servers that are 'working'... corporations fight fires more than fix stuff that should be fixed.

 

[kaiwai]

In what world do you live in? In the enterprise environments I've been in, the unix servers have more of a 10 year life span than a 5 year life span. They don't interchange unix servers like they do windows boxes. A Dual 1GHz G4 XServe is just as good of a webserver today as it was 4 years ago, stores files just as well, and could also still be running the same installation of the operating system (with security updates of course). Of course it doesn't crunch numbers nor run photoshop as well as the new stuff.

Unix driven hardware from Sun Microsystems (solaris), IBM (AIX), and even HP (HPUX) all seem to stay around forever once implemented. I know of several Sparc 10's still acting as servers for DNS, time servers, NIS, NIS+, print servers or whatever functions they had from a LONG time ago... and this is on MAJOR corporations. It's hard to find money to replace servers that are 'working'... corporations fight fires more than fix stuff that should be fixed.

Reminds me of a university who had a Sun machine 15 years old. Unless one needs major number crunching power - the need to replace the PowerPC servers will because of hardware faults rather than 'not being fast' given that the CPU is hardly stressed.

 

[Eidorian]

I still with the turnaround on my thin clients.

 

[bête noire]

In what world do you live in?

I live in a world where an increase of 2,000 Macs per year (per original post which, incidentally, made no mention of servers) is a constant increase, no matter how long each Mac lasts. [In] What world do you live in?

The point I am making is that the Army's increase of 2,000 units per year (out of 700,000) is pretty insignificant. Tell me that they are increasing by 20,000 per year and I might get excited.

 

[TurboSC]

Holy crap, I'd love a digital camo dressed MBP... :drool:

 

[ChrisA]

I wonder what Macs they are using. I would expect Mac Pro's with like 3.0GHz Quad Core??

My bet is mostly notebooks. These are used for normal office work, reading email, editing spreadsheets and the like. No one is integrating Macs into tactical systems.

 

[mikeinternet]

i'd rather the army not associated with apple.

( these numbers most likely reflect machines bought so teenage soldiers can make war propaganda with iMovie )

 

[yamabushi]

<deleted>

 

[NMR Guy]

Personally, I'm just waiting for someone to point out that the M1A1 tank feels snappier.

It does! With high-res textures too.

 

[surferfromuk]

Given that Microsoft is displaying the first signs of 'crumbling empire syndrome' - it sounds like a sensible move.

The 'genuine authentication' process ALONE is enough to warrant complete abandonment of the Window platform - the last thing you'd need in battle is to have to 'call up Microsoft' to keep your copy of Windows from shutting you down.

Don't think anyone wants to drive a 'Vista Battle Tank'!

Imagine the split second accuracy of a take down been fubar'd by the little blue spinning wheel of death popping up and proceeding to do nothing for the next 30 seconds...

 

[Amuraivel]

i'd rather the army not associated with apple.

Why not?

Sure the Army's bureaucracy is dauntingly inefficient and wasteful, but

A. The US Army is by historical standards the most professional fighting force ever fielded (except Sparta's hoplites);

B. The US Army has some of the most cutting edge IT, supporting Apple is a vote of confidence showing the maturity of the OSX platform.

 

[Analog Kid]

The strategy is to avoid a monoculture by diversifying between operating systems like Windows, Linux, and OS X. It should prevail from the server to the desktop.

Exactly. This isn't about Macs being more secure or less secure, this is about adding variety to add security. A Mac vulnerability won't take down the Windows machines, a Windows vulnerability won't take down the Macs.

Boy are they going to feel silly when massive updates come at MWSF

Ok, now *that* was funny...

 

[DarthTreydor]

i'd rather the army not associated with apple.

i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks so.

 

[AdeFowler]

Do the army's macs have colonel panics?



that was cr*p

 

[diamond.g]

My bet is mostly notebooks. These are used for normal office work, reading email, editing spreadsheets and the like. No one is integrating Macs into tactical systems.

Wont use notebooks, the iSight is a security risk. Unless Apple is specially designing notebooks for the military (highly highly doubt).

Given that Microsoft is displaying the first signs of 'crumbling empire syndrome' - it sounds like a sensible move.

The 'genuine authentication' process ALONE is enough to warrant complete abandonment of the Window platform - the last thing you'd need in battle is to have to 'call up Microsoft' to keep your copy of Windows from shutting you down.

Don't think anyone wants to drive a 'Vista Battle Tank'!

Imagine the split second accuracy of a take down been fubar'd by the little blue spinning wheel of death popping up and proceeding to do nothing for the next 30 seconds...

Genuine Advantage/Authentication is irrelevant in the DoD space. DoD pays big bucks for Volume Licensing so it was never a concern.

I would be more impressed if it was the Air Force doing it (the AF's network is larger than the Army's), but there has to be a start somewhere. Now all Apple has to do is convince DoJ and DoE to convert.

 

[drater]

cyber attacks on the OUR government?! NO FRIGGIN' WAY! hahahaha!

But seriously, this is what happens when the government offers people half of what the private market offers to do the same job. And then they wonder why.

 

[EagerDragon]

Great news, more Macs out there, a nice exposure for the Mac at the enterprise level.

Also with all the security concerns, we may see more attention to hardening of Mac OS X, while there are some guides out there including the NIST one, we can go further. Hope this is a close relationship with Apple so there is a full circle of input and the product gets better.

As to "network security", network security is just one of many layers that need to be in place. Most attacks now days are at the application level and not the network or OS level. But any weakness provides the foothold to search for other vulnerabilities that could not be reached otherwise.

Security needs to be baked in, not bolted on and needs to occur at multiple layers.

I remember one very stupid executive that was in charge of security tell us that "we do not need data validation, we have authentication". He lost a lot from that statement and no longer states that, but I think he still believes it even 7 years later.

His statement was basically, "you wont hack us if we know who you are". He used to be in the area of mainframe networking.

We will cheer when this individual no longer has the ability to influence security, we can then concentrate on fixing all the damage he done over the years.

 

[EagerDragon]

i'd rather the army not associated with apple.

( these numbers most likely reflect machines bought so teenage soldiers can make war propaganda with iMovie )

You are letting your political views cloud your judgement. The military has been using all flavors of computers for many years.

As a matter of fact, the military is working in a lot of advanced stuff, they are just not telling you about it. Most people are only exposed to the systems that run the military payroll and other non-sensitive technology.

I left the military in 1982 after close to 10 years, and I was working on stuff in the military over 25 years ago that is now being adopted in civilian life.

The military has a huge budget, a large chunk of it is used in the area of research (yes for weapon systems and networking), some of those dollars also goes to universities for the development of technology that the military thinks can be useful to them. BTW, less than 10% of those projects ever get used in a weapon, some goes into better and more effective communications, devices, vehicles, materials, insulation, cooling, all sorts of stuff.

There is a chance that you could have paid more for college had the military not provided millions to your university.

A lot of advancements in communications, computers, radios, plasma screens, batteries, cooling, and many others would not be available today had the military not decided it was interesting.

 

[Nicky G]

The army and DOD at large use all sorts of Macs, everything from Mac minis to Mac Pros to laptops to Xserves and Xserve RAIDs.

 

[weezer160]

Most of the time, the security flaws in Macs are more "proof of concept" situations. I'm sure there are some serious ones out there, but if you were to scrutinize the security to no end, you will find something regardless. With windows, you don't need any scrutiny, just go online and get something, where as the flaws in Mac OS X seem to be reliant on very specific circumstances, in which most people drop their guard and download and/or install something questionable in the first place.

 

[Bobthemonkey]

Wont use notebooks, the iSight is a security risk. Unless Apple is specially designing notebooks for the military (highly highly doubt).

Its not just the Mil. who class cameras as a security risk. Nokia now make phones specifically without cameras for areas where they are not allowed. I'm suprised Apple hasn't followed - just leave out the iSight hardware - even if its only on commercial bulk orders, rather than the machines shipped to retail stores.

 

[Meicyn]

According to Forbes, the Army has quietly begun to integrate Macs into its systems.

Am I the only one who sees the irony in this sentence? I mean, if I were developing some new defense mechanism, I wouldn't go around broadcasting what it is to mainstream news sites. That's not exactly what I would consider quiet.

 

[lkrupp]

Boy are they going to feel silly when massive updates come at MWSF

Yeah, I can see it now. Defense Secretary Gates bitching and whining about how they bought Macs a couple of weeks ago only to have Apple release new ones at MWSF. Then he'll start crying about how Apple should have told him the new models were coming out and how Apple screws over its loyal customers and how Apple should offer some sort of rebate or trade-in for early adopters and how Apple is an evil corporation. Then we'll hear the solemn declaration that he'll never buy Macs again because Apple is arrogant and has become the new Microsoft.

This all sounds familiar to me. I've heard this stuff somewhere before. Can somebody refresh my memory on this?

 

[rockosmodurnlif]

i'd rather the army not associated with apple.

( these numbers most likely reflect machines bought so teenage soldiers can make war propaganda with iMovie )

Because of what? What does the Army do that is so offensive to you?
And too bad for you, Apple sells computers, the Army buys computers, it works out great for both of them.

I, like everyone else, will simply ignore your second sentence.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Mods note: Let's keep the thread clear of the off-topic political issues, thanks. It's understandable that people have strong feelings about the issue but this isn't the thread for it.

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