UPDATE: I quoted an article from Business Insider who apparently completely lack the ability to quote another news source approproiately. I, in turn, did the same it would appear. I will make sure to drop “Business Insider” as a source (of anything) in the future.
Oops. So, it would appear that this chip deal wasn’t nearly the bargain that was hoped. I wonder which reseller brought that trash to the table?
From Business Insider:
Last year, the U.S. Navy bought 59,000 microchips for use in everything from missiles to transponders that turned out to be counterfeits from China.
Wired reports the chips weren’t only low-quality fakes, they had been made with a “back-door” and could have been remotely shut down at any time.
From Wired:
The U.S. has been worried about its foreign-sourced chips in its supply chain for a while now. In a 2005 report, the Defense Science Board warned that the shift towards greater foreign circuit production posed the risk that “trojan horse†circuits could be unknowingly installed in critical military systems. Foreign adversaries could modify chips to fizzle out early, the report said, or add secret back doors that would place a kill switch in military systems.
I would be very interested to learn more about this story as it unfolds. The potential fall out could be significant.
Grumble…farking assclowns at Business Insider….grumble.
Read on.
(Image used under CC from steve r watson)