This article explains how US drones operating in Afghanistan are having their unencrypted signals picked up by the Taliban for the cost of a satellite dish and a $26 piece of software.
It is typical that electronic hardware developed, typically at unbelievable cost, for the military has lower functionality than you can buy in your local branch of PC World. Who would, these days, not bother to encrypt his wireless router with at least WEP if not WPA?
Years ago I remember talking to someone who designed printed circuit boards for a living. He explained that the boards that were being used for military satellites were a generation or two behind boards in the then-current production of mobile phones. As Adam Smith observed, the bigger the demand for a product, the cheaper it is produced. Our image of a supply-demand curve is that as the quantity demanded goes up so does the price. But of course a big demand translates into large volumes of production which then allows the development of more specialisation and investment in production equipment. To hand-craft a cheap modern car would cost millions, even using current metal working equipment. Because there is huge production there can be whole factories devoted to production of the tiniest component which then is available at fantastic quality for very low price.
Thanks to FGH for alerting me to the drone story.
