• EDUCATE
    EDUCATE

    ...our citizens to be cyber smart, and develop pathways for the future cyber workforce.

  • ENGAGE
    ENGAGE

    ...and convene partners to address emerging cyber and cryptologic issues.

  • COMMEMORATE
    COMMEMORATE

    ...our cryptologic history & those who served within the cryptologic community.

THE NCF VISION

Advance the nation’s interest in cyber and cryptology through leadership, education, and partnerships.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*** Remember to check out our "On This Date in History" calendar. See link below.

Saturday, May 4, 2024
8:30 am2:00 pm
TAC's TheLink, 7000 Columbia Gateway
Suite 150
Columbia, MD 21046
US

Thursday, October 3, 2024
Waverly Woods Golf Course
2100 Warwick Way
Mariottsville, MD 21104
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
5:00 pm7:00 pm
The Hotel at Arundel Preserve
7795 Arundel Mills Blvd
Hanover, MD 21076
US

EC-130: The airplane created by US Air Force to hack enemy military networks.

EC-130, the airplane created by US Air Force to hack enemy military networks
By Vijay Prabhu on September 20, 2015 for www.techworm.com
Full Article with more Photos

US Air Force Creates an Airplane for Hacking Enemy Military Networks

The need of hacking military networks in event of a war is well known and almost all armies in the world have jammers and other equipment to block the communications network. However none of the armies around the world have any full fledged hacking equipment to jam the opposing military’s network and bring down enemies command and control apparatus. And this is what the US Air force seems to be targeting on.

Major General Burke Wilson, commander of the 24th Air Force, a division of the US Air Force that is specialized in cyberspace operations, has revealed a new US Air Force project which involves using an airplane to provide an airborne hacking platform. Major Wilson made the comments at the Air Force Association Air & Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

It is well known that all military networks around the world usually use air-gapped systems (without access to Internet connection) to protect sensitive data from being hacked by external actors like hackers or another country’s cyber-army. The only way to hack such military networks is by infiltrating the networks using infected USB drives or infiltrating the network’s local WiFi capabilities from somewhere near in its vicinity.
US Airforce’s new hacking weapon : EC-130

As per military news website Breaking Defense, US Air Force researchers have modified an EC-130H Compass Call aircraft to perform cyber-attacks on ground-based enemy military networks. The EC-130 airplane is often used by the US Air Force to jam enemy transmissions in war zones.

“We’ve conducted a series of demonstrations. Lo and behold! […] we’re able to touch a target and manipulate a target network, from an aircraft,” said Major General Wilson. Maj.Gen Wilson also said that the EC-130 could touch even air-gapped networks. Wilson told reporters at the Air Force Association conference here, this flying wireless attack can “touch a network that in most cases might be closed” to traditional means. While he didn’t give details, many military networks around the world are deliberately disconnected from the Internet (“air-gapped”) for better security.

Such hacking has been done before by Israeli military earlier. Israeli aircraft used BAE’s Suter system reportedly hack into the air gapped Syrian air defenses in 2007’s Operation Orchard. The US Navy has been interested in this technology but this is the first time a US Major General accepted that the USAF was working on such a platform.

This means that if the plane tests successfully in the future, the US Air Force will be able to deploy it alongside its air fleet, wreaking havoc with its bombs and viruses at the same time.

THIS MONTH on the

On This Day In History

Calendar

  • The first hire at SIS was Annie Louise Newkirk, hired as a cryptographic clerk. Interesting note, when a phone call came in for someone working in the vault room, Ms. Newkirk would buzz the back room using a Morse code equivalent for the first initial of the individual's name. In honor of Women's History Month - click to learn about more female cryptologic pioneers!

About Us

The NCF's Vision is to strengthen trust in the digital ecosystem.

The NCF Mission: Advance the nation’s interest in cyber and cryptology as we:

Educate citizens to be cyber smart individuals, 

Develop pathways for the future cyber and cryptologic workforce, 

Engage and convene partners to address emerging cyber and cryptologic issues and, 

Commemorate our cryptologic history and those who served. 

The Foundation provides exceptional cryptologic programs, encourages young minds to learn about cryptology and to explore cyber-related career opportunities, hosts educational, cryptology-related exhibits at various community events, and honors the people— past and present—whose contributions to our national security protect and make possible our way of life.

The NCF also provides needed support to the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM), the first public museum in the U.S. Intelligence Community. Located adjacent to the National Security Agency (NSA) in Maryland, the NCM houses a unique and priceless collection of artifacts that represent our Nation's history in code making and code breaking, as well as a world class library of cryptologic media. The NCF has acquired rare and invaluable artifacts for the Museum and helps to support new educational and interactive exhibits.

The NCF is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Learn more about our MISSION, VISION, and VALUES.