Soldier Internet use could pose security threat
8:28 p.m. Thursday, May 22, 2008
Fort Riley — The ring of a text message, the sound of an e-mail...
Fort Riley soldiers use several tools to communicate with their families here and abroad.
But at a click of a mouse, these soldiers could potentially threaten national security.
Military staff tell us the use of Web sites makes the Fort Riley network vulnerable to Internet hackers and viruses.
“Because you don’t know who you’re dealing with on the other end,” says Lance Sheldon, of Fort Riley information management. “People have a tendency to discuss things, you know, openly. Most people don’t think of security when their doing day-to-day business.”
Sheldon and his growing staff teach soldiers about the importance of limiting information they release, even something as simple as soldiers blogging about when they’re coming home.
“Well, that’s a big problem because if a soldier is moving and they lay out when they’re going, when they’re stopping, things like that. The enemy or terrorist or whoever is out to get it,“ Sheldon says.
The military does restrict use of certain Web sites for those on post, but it even imposes a restriction for soldiers abroad. Soldiers, in face are encouraged not to use Web sites like MySpace or Facebook because it can make troops vulnerable overseas.
A lot of families use these tools to communicate, so we went to the streets of Junction City to find out how they would feel if these communications were cut off from their loved ones.
“They use that for their morale,” says Chris Bosse, who’s father used the Internet to communicate with his family this past year while in Iraq. “It makes them feel, like, with higher spirits.”
“I don’t know. I’d just be worried about them,” says Kayla Buckner, who has family who’ve been deployed abroad. “Cause they are friends and family. You want to know how they’re doing.”
“It’d be upsetting because they don’t get phone privileges as often over there, so when they get on the Internet, it’s kind of cool to get to talk to them,” says Elizabeth Perez, who says she’s understanding on military restrictions, but would be upset if she couldn’t speak to family abroad.
Though the risk of a terrorist is always possible, Sheldon says the bigger threat is an internal spy because he says they have access to so much information.
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