US armed drones struck by tenacious computer virus

Armed U.S. Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles flown remotely over Afghanistan and other areas from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, have been hit by a computer virus that logs pilots' keystrokes but has not prevented their operation in war zones, reports Noah Shachtman on Wired's Danger Room blog.

The virus, which was detected two weeks ago by the military's Host-Based Security System, has been able to resist multiple efforts to remove it from Creech's computers, according to network security specialists familiar with the problem.

The infection is a key example of the continuing security risks that the U.S. military faces in operating what has become its most important weapon system, the blog states.