enjoy the show >>20891926
EPA warns of increasing cyberattacks on water systems, urges utilities to take immediate steps
https://apnews.com/article/water-utilities-cyberattack-epa-russia-1435b3e6a569aa046e05c7947f0a0f3d
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water.
About 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over the last year violated standards meant to prevent cyberthreats, the agency said. Officials urged even small water systems to improve protections against cyberattacks, noting that recent assaults from adversarial nation states like Russia and Iran have impacted water systems of all sizes.
Some water systems are falling short in basic ways, the alert said, including failure to change default passwords or cut off system access to former employees. Because water utilities often rely on computer software to operate treatment plants and distribution systems, protecting information technology and process controls is crucial, the EPA said. Possible impacts of cyberattacks include interruptions to water treatment and storage; damage to pumps and valves; and alteration of chemical levels to hazardous amounts, the agency said.
“In many cases, systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to have completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities that includes cybersecurity and to make sure that plan is available and informing the way they do business,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.
Attempts by private groups or individuals to get into a water provider’s network and take down or deface websites aren’t new. More recently, however, attackers haven’t just gone after websites, they’ve targeted utilities’ operations instead.
Recent attacks are not just by private entities — many have government backing in a bid to derail the supply of safe water to homes and businesses. McCabe named China, Russia and Iran as the countries that are “actively seeking the capability to disable U.S. critical infrastructure, including water and wastewater.”
Late last year, an Iranian-linked group called “Cyber Av3ngers” targeted multiple organizations including a small Pennsylvania town’s water provider, forcing it to switch from a remote pump to manual operations. They were going after an Israeli-made device used by the utility in the wake of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Earlier this year, a Russian-linked “hactivist” tried to disrupt operations at several Texas utilities.
A cyber group linked to China and known as Volt Typhoon has compromised information technology of multiple critical infrastructure systems, including drinking water, in the United States and its territories, U.S. officials said.
“By working behind the scenes with these hacktivist groups, now these (nation states) have plausible deniability and they can let these groups carry out destructive attacks. And that to me is a game-changer,” said Dawn Cappelli, a cybersecurity expert with the risk management firm Dragos Inc.
The enforcement alert is meant to emphasize the seriousness of cyberthreats and inform utilities the EPA will continue its inspections and pursue civil or criminal penalties if they find serious problems.
REVEALED: 'Shameless' Amal Clooney masterminded war crimes charges against Netanyahu along with Hamas leaders in 'outrageous' move condemned by White House
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13439313/Amal-Clooney-played-key-role-ICC-bid-request-arrest-warrants-Israeli-PM-Hamas-leader-keeping-dignified-silence-faced-online-abuse-not-speaking-Palestine.html
Amal Clooney played a key role in the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes, it has been revealed. Clooney, a renowned human rights lawyer, was named as one of the six legal experts who helped British prosecutor Karim Khan come to the decision, announced today, to seek warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders. Clooney, who is married to Hollywood legend George Clooney, revealed that she had been asked to help Khan evaluate the evidence of alleged war crimes in Gaza and Israel four months ago.
>Cloudflare founder
>early dementia
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13439069/bruce-willis-dementia-husband-diagnosed-symptoms.html
A woman whose husband developed dementia in his 30s has revealed how the condition was almost dismissed as a mid-life crisis.
A woman whose husband developed dementia in his 30s has revealed how the condition was almost dismissed as a mid-life crisis. Suddenly, the notoriously early riser struggled to get out of bed in time for work, which soon turned into missing whole days of work at the cybersecurity firm Cloudflare he had helped build. He lashed out at coworkers, became withdrawn, and eventually couldn't leave the couch, choosing instead to watch Home Alone for the tenth time that week. Kristin feared it was a problem in her marriage - maybe this life was not what Lee wanted after all.
Kristin married Lee Holloway in Maui in 2015, and they had a baby in 2016 - but within months her 'brilliant, amazing husband’ became an entirely different person.
But in January 2017, a neuropsychologist told the couple that 35-year-old Lee was experiencing one of two things: a severe psychotic break or the beginning stages of frontotemporal dementia, rare and aggressive form of the disease that strikes people in their 30s and 40s.
https://www.wral.com/story/computer-systems-down-at-nc-driver-s-license-offices-no-timeline-for-restoration/21441428
Computer systems down at NC driver's license offices, no timeline for restoration
The computer systems at North Carolina Driver's License Offices are down.
The statewide outages began Monday afternoon, and there is no estimate on when they'll be back functioning again, according to Division of Motor Vehicles [DMV] spokesman Marty Homan.
In May, the the DMV had delays issuing driver licenses and IDs.
Blaming a third-party contractor for the lag, a spokesperson with the NCDMV said a typical 15-day turnaround to receive IDs in the mail has jumped to roughly six weeks.
The state had a backlog in distributing tens of thousands of IDs, according to the NCDMV.
Earlier this month, Homan said a new vendor starts in May to help with the backlog.
The NCDMV issues a temporary paper ID, which is only valid for 60 days.