Russian Armed Forces launch new internet communication system
The Russian Armed Forces have completed a deployment of the military internet communication system officially called “a closed segment of data transmission” (or CSDD). The military network is not connected to the global internet, and all computers connected to it are protected from connections with uncertified USB drives or external hard drives. Within the network, military personnel have deployed their email service by which classified information, including top secret documents, is transmitted.
As a representative from the Russian military department familiar with the situation told Russia's Izvestia newspaper, a portion of the infrastructure of the military internet has been deployed on the infrastructure leased from Rostelecom, and certain parts of it are deployed on distributed infrastructure of the Ministry of Defense, which is not connected to the internet.
Each military unit has servers which encrypt the information, divide it into several packages and pass it on. Access to the server rooms is restricted.
Like the global network, the military internet has its own websites. The main resource of the network is available at mil.zs. Many third-level domains have been created on it, for example, domain.mil.zs. These websites can be seen on the computers that run on the MSAR (mobile system of the Russian Armed Forces) operating system, and are certified by the State Secret Protection Service, also known as the eighth department of general staff. Connection to these computers by third party uncertified devices (such as flash drives, printers, scanners, etc.) is impossible; each attempt to connect a store-bought flash drive is registered and controlled by special software.