How vulnerable are we to kill switches imbedded in America software holding us to ransom

Calahonda52

Portugal has just cancelled a F35 contract on that basis as the US Gov has the final say as to maintenance and upgrades

Food for thought.

It taken as read that all Chinese EVs have kill switches

tabby aspreme

This is something I've thought about regarding a cyber attack, if a car or machinery manufacturer were hacked, how bad could the consequences be

thatsdaft

never minds cars there are now thousands of homes (including my one) that have Chinese made and controlled via servers in China solar controllers/inverters and batteries that could in theory cause mischief on local grids and networks of that house

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058402620/how-vulnerable-are-we-to-kill-switches-imbedded-in-america-software-holding-us-to-ransom

Why would it be limited to EVs? A bad OTA update to any connected vehicle (which almost all new cars are), regardless of engine type, will brick it.

Talking about kill switches only in the context of an EV is just more fud designed to make people more reluctant to purchase.

Wanderer78

relax folks, you re overthinking things, go about your lives, you ll be grand!

Kermit.de.frog

Well, Ireland isn't vulnerable anyway.

SeanW

Given that the US just basically stabbed Ukraine in the back by blocking their paid access to even commercial US satellites, I just take it as a given that the EU needs to develop its own military industrial capabilities. In the case of fighter jets, that means things like the Eurofighter, French Mirage, Swedish Gripen etc.

Separately it's also clear that drone warfare is going to be key, both defensive (protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure) and offensive.

Yellow_Fern

It was not a stab in the back. They still have Starlink. By the way y, the US owns Ukraine or, us nothing. We should be grateful to Trump for making selfish European community to start to pay its own way to protect our interests.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265105#Comment_123265105

actually the US and Uk do owe Ukraine, they owe them security

it was part of the deal that lead to Ukraine nuclear dearment

They were the 4th most nuclear arms in the world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum

A Dub in Glasgo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265105#Comment_123265105

You are absolutely correct, it was not a stab in the back…. it was a stab in the front

Vic_08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265221#Comment_123265221

And now thanks to the behaviour of Putin and Trump, no other nuclear power will ever willingly give them up.

skimpydoo

Anytime Israel gets Military Jets from America, they get them in kit form. So as they build them they can make sure there is no American kill switches on them.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265610#Comment_123265610

Awww. Bless your naivety. A kill switch is not a physical thing. In the kit instructions it doesn't say "Step 27: Wire kill switch to the motherboard".

Flinty997

Israel usually upgrades military equipment with its own software and systems. So it's largely Independent of other nations.

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2025/02/15/israel-awaits-eight-upgraded-f-35is-with-improved-software/

Kaybaykwah

Canada has had a contract for F35s that have been delayed for years now. Several hundred billion dollars worth with maintenance costs. I am sure that the kill switch probably is a lively topic in our Air Force’s top staff.

The present US administration is knocking Canada for its lacking military capability, but the truth is the US has not delivered and has huge reliability issues with the F35s.

Black Swan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265598#Comment_123265598

Thanks to Putin’s nuclear weapons threats during his invasion of Ukraine, and (He Who Shall Not Be Mentioned) threats to not honor NATO article 5 if a member state is attacked by Putin, tactical and strategic nuclear weapons may proliferate in NATO and non-NATO EU nations. Such proliferation may push South Korea to the nuclear deterrent option as they face Putin’s already nuclear armed ally North Korea, which may in turn prompt Japan to amend its constitution and nuclear arm. Of course, Iran will follow suit and nuclear arm, which may prompt Israel to proclaim they already have nuclear weapons and to build more.

This may increase the likelihood that one of these nations (or their allies) will eventually make a strategic mistake and use a nuclear weapon preemptively in anticipation of war, or strike against a larger invading opponent like Russia attacking one of the small Baltic nations once held by the former USSR.

A small nation threatening to nuke a larger invading nation may be “The Mouse That Roared,” that could escalate to global nuclear war when the Mouse’s allies honor their mutual defense pacts, and the larger invader replies with nukes.

“But we can be thankful, tranquil and proud,

That man has been endowed with the mushroom shaped cloud.

And I know for certain that some lovely day,

Someone will touch the spark off, and we will all be blown away!” (Kingston Trio).

csirl

Not a problem for us - our Air Corps fighters are essentially upgraded WW2 technology.

beachhead

No mention anywhere here about the Israelis Mossad et al and their technology exported all round the world.Wouldn't they be interested in installing kill switches for whomever they happen to dislike

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123266170#Comment_123266170

Well if their pagers are anything to go by...

Economics101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123266150#Comment_123266150

What fighters?

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265725#Comment_123265725

I know its not physical, I ain't that stupid. They make sure that only Israel has 100% control of the airplanes.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123266170#Comment_123266170

Israel is a big supplier of cybersecurity software, and if any Irish company or government department is using them, it's time to change supplier pronto.

SuperBowserWorld

Imagine if all the android and apple devices were bricked remotely. Productivity would go up 1000%

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123268145#Comment_123268145

Yeah massive productivity boost when nobody could log into their work accounts via MFA…

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123268268#Comment_123268268

I could get on via SMS and my cheap text phone 😁

Anyway, you know what I meant.

Huge amounts of hours wasted per day per person scrolling shite, porn, "news", social media. I'd say most of the data centers are processing, regurgitating useless data. Yet, it's made out to be essential stuff.

What a time to be alive !

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123265066#Comment_123265066

The thing is, or the ugly thing is, that different nations get different treatmeny by Trump.

What Trump did with Zelinskyy he would never do with Ireland or the Irish, considering that a good portion of US Americans who voted for Trump do have Irish ancestry.

I don't think Trump would dare putting Ireland under some kind of pressure, for US American investment to Ireland to return to the US. Trump rather blames the EU in general, but not the Irish specifically, he can't afford to do that.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058402620/how-vulnerable-are-we-to-kill-switches-imbedded-in-america-software-holding-us-to-ransom

Probably an overreaction. What Trump wants is that EU countries are buying US products, and that NATO countries are doing their defence themselves, and spending their own money on that. By buying F35s any military is doing exactly what Trump and the current US administration wants.

It's a bit different for Canada, as Trump wants Canada to become a 51st state, the discussion in Canada is about buying SAAB instead of US planes.

beachhead

Trump wouldn't give 2 sh1tes about the Irish.What would worry him is his investors(supporters)who have shares in the American companies here reacting to him

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123268393#Comment_123268393

Don't forget the hugely resource-hungry AI services, draining our supplies of power and water, because it's easier to set up a chatbot than to design a website properly in the first place.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264736#Comment_123264736

That's a relief! I was having visions of driverless cars causing armageddon in 30 years time all of a sudden!

thatsdaft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123269656#Comment_123269656

Putting aside the hilariously funny irony of complaining about online services on an online service

Most of those are not hosted in Ireland because our backward green watermelons want to drag us back into Stone Age

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123269774#Comment_123269774

If you want to have another go at reading the complaint, you'll see that it is specifically about overuse of resource-hungry AI services, rather than about online services in general.

Maybe the backward green watermelons want to drag us back from having over 20% of our power supplies going to power data centres?