US fixed drones hacked by Iraqis: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (AFP) The US military has fixed a problem that allowed Iraqi fighters to use cheap software to intercept the video feeds of US-operated drones, a defence official said on Thursday.
This is an old issue thats been addressed, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.
The problem has been taken care of, he said.
The official spoke after the Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian-backed fighters had used software programs such as SkyGrabber - available online for 25.95 dollars (18 euros) - to capture live video footage from drones.
The official confirmed the report was accurate but would not discuss details of efforts to encrypt the link between drones and operators on the ground.
The case raised questions about the security of the countrys highly valued drones that are central to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as CIA manhunts against Al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan.
James Clapper, the Under-Secretary of Defence for Intelligence, reviewed the problem on orders from Defence Secretary Robert Gates and concluded the hacking by Iraqi fighters revealed a flaw in the security of the drone fleet.
The practice was uncovered in July 2009, when the US military found files of intercepted drone video feeds on the laptop of a captured fighter, intelligence and defence officials told the Journal.