geekosystem

They shoot hackers, don't they? Well, not yet, but give cyber warfare some time to get its feet and that could change. A new report commissioned by NATO finds that applying the rules of conventional war to cyber warfare makes sense, meaning that countries could be in the clear as far as international law is concerned if they strike beck against virtual attacks with real life force.

If you're looking for a unique home with tens of thousands of square feet, space for a submarine, and is mostly buried under a mountain, than the Royal Norwegian Navy has got a deal for you. After nearly 50 years in service, the nordic country is looking to sell off the Olavsvern naval base. Warm up your credit cards, because this underground sub base will cost you a cool $17.3 million.

So, let's pretend you're the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and you're trying to conduct an air campaign over Libya in support of local rebels. But the UN mandate for your mission does not allow any ground operations. Without any eyes on the ground, how do you plan your attacks? If you answered, "Twitter," than you might have a future in tactical planning. AFP reports that many publicly available sources like Twitter and other social networking services are being monitored around the clock for actionable intelligence. One unnamed NATO official is quoted as calling Twitter a "great source" for information. From tweets, NATO has learned of troop movements, tank columns, and other tidbits of battlefield info. Of course, bombs aren't falling out of the sky based on tweets alone; what is gleaned from the internet is used in conjunction with satellite imagery and other more "traditional" forms of intelligence. In the past years, we've seen Twitter and online social media become closely associated with movements for social change. During the fallout from the 2009 elections in Iran and as part of the Arab Spring, these services have come to be known as integral tools for harnessing and motivating populations the world over. But that open, public nature also means that people are watching, and listening. (AFP via Gizmodo)