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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Biden turns to Obama to help boost health care enrollment
Nearly 31 million people have received coverage in 2021 as a result of the law, a HHS report says, much higher than the usual 20 million estimateComment
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Biden administration seeks to reverse Trump-era changes to Endangered Species Act protectionsComment
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
America is going down the shitter rather quickly under Biden.
SSG assured me that Biden was on top of this. More bullshit from SalesServiceGuy.
Ransomware attacks are closing schools, delaying chemotherapy and derailing everyday life
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SAN FRANCISCO — It can feel abstract: A group of organized but faceless criminals hijacking corporate computer systems and demanding millions of dollars in exchange for their safe return. But the impact of these ransomware attacks is increasingly, unavoidably, real for everyday people.
hese crimes have resulted in missed chemotherapy appointments and delayed ambulances, lost school days, and transportation problems. A ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in May led to gas shortages and even dangerous situations caused by panic buying. This past week, hackers compromised the JBS meat processing company, leading to worries about meat shortages or other key food providers being at risk. Last fall, the Baltimore County Public Schools system was hit with ransomware and forced to halt classes for two days, which were being held virtually.
As recently as Wednesday, ransomware attacks were causing problems across the country. In Martha’s Vineyard, the ferry service transporting people to and from the Massachusetts island said it had been hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted its ticketing and reservation process. Ferries continued operating all week, but the ticketing system was still affected, causing delays, on Friday.
The recent spate of high-profile ransomware incidents is exactly what cybersecurity professionals have been warning about for years. But it’s partially the impact on everyday people — far from the executive suites, cybersecurity companies, or government agencies that regularly fret about the criminal enterprise — that has made the risk more visible. The ripple effects of ransomware can result in everything from mild inconvenience to people losing their lives, and it’s only increased in frequency during the pandemic.
Ransomware attacks could reach ‘pandemic’ proportions. What to know after the pipeline hack.
“It’s not only that it’s getting worse, but it’s the worst possible time for it to happen,” said Robert Lee, chief executive of Dragos, an industrial cybersecurity firm. He says on average, there are likely 20 to 30 big ransomware cases happening behind the scenes in addition to the ones making headlines.
Ransomware attacks are not new. The money at stake has changed drastically, however, inflating from thousands to millions of dollars, and the targets are more sophisticated as well. The increasing number of companies connecting their systems and adding more remote access points, along with things like the widespread use of bitcoin, have widened the pool of targets. Cybercriminals once focused on small companies and individuals but have made headlines this year for attacks on higher-profile victims.
“Now you’ve got ransomware affecting whole corporate networks, interrupting critical national function, causing disruption in people’s lives. It’s really become a national security, public health and safety threat,” said Michael Daniel, president and CEO of the nonprofit group Cyber Threat Alliance.
The ransomware industry has grown but the underlying techniques for gaining access have largely stayed the same. Hackers commonly access companies’ systems through “phishing” attacks — emails sent to try to trick employees into giving up passwords or access. Once inside a company’s system, ransomware outfits will find critical information and lock it down, then contact a company to demand a ransom for it to be released.
These criminals generally work in loosely defined groups, sharing tips and resources that make it possible for individual hackers to easily extort multiple targets. Companies occasionally have backup copies of their systems that they can restore rather than pay a ransom. But that can result in delays, and sometimes hackers make copies of the information they access and threaten to leak private information online if they are not paid. A big data leak could be a huge issue for consumers, not just the companies.
“There’s this awful downward spiral of societal harm that happens from ransomware,” said Megan Stifel, co-chair of the ransomware task force and an executive director at the Global Cyber Alliance.
The Colonial Pipeline attack was one of the many worst-case scenarios experts have been warning about, and planning for, for years. A ransomware attack last month caused the company to shut down its pipeline connecting Texas to New Jersey.
Colonial hack exposed government’s light-touch oversight of pipeline cybersecurity
Panicked that they wouldn’t be able to get enough fuel, drivers swarmed gas stations, resulting in long lines and barren gas pumps in parts of the U.S. Drivers hoarded fuel as stations ran out of their supply, exacerbating the issue. The attack sparked a real-world fire in a Florida town, according to local news reports, when a Hummer burst into flames after the driver filled up four gas containers. The panic buying even prompted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a long tweet thread about gas safety, including a message that quickly went viral: “Do not fill plastic bags with gasoline.”
People’s safety has been even more directly threatened by attacks on health care systems. Hospitals have been particularly hard hit, as far back as 2016 when the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical hospital paid $17,000 in bitcoin to a ransomware hacker. Last November, the University of Vermont Medical Center was hit by ransomware and it took nearly a month for it to regain access to its medical records. Chemotherapy patients had their treatments delayed, and were sent to other health centers where some had to recreate their medical history.
Joshua Corman, the chief strategist for health care and covid on the government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency COVID Task Force, has been studying the potential impact of health-care attacks on mortality rates. For example, if a hospital has to close suddenly, ambulances might take longer to reach people in distress.
“Minutes can be the difference between life and death for heart attacks, and hour or two can be the difference for a stroke,” said Corman.
Lee, the head of Dragos, recently worked with a power company that got hit with a ransomware attack but was able to maintain operations. However, attacks like that could easily result in localized power shortages, he says. Attacks on pharmaceutical companies, or any of the manufacturers in their pipeline, could delay critical medicine like insulin or even vaccines. The increased targeting of industries with the most potential for disruption may be the criminals’ business decision.
“It feels like these groups realize industrial companies are more ready to pay out and more quick to pay out, because if you impact industrial operations you have to get up and going for safety and community,” said Lee.
Beyond the physical inconveniences, ransomware attacks can also hurt public trust in technology and systems, and cause people to worry they’ll be a victim or to panic-buy products they think will see a price hike or be in short supply, according to Stifel.
The Biden administration seeks to rally allies and the private sector against the ransomware threat
Panic after attacks is part of the problem. This past week’s attack on JBS, one of the largest meat-processing companies in the world, resulted in temporary factory shutdowns. While there were not yet any confirmed meat shortages in the U.S., worried meat suppliers still warned consumers not to panic buy beef, which could cause otherwise still stable prices to go up.
From higher gas prices to canceled surgeries, real-world financial and consumer safety implications of these hacks have spurred the federal government to crack down on ransomware. It’s investigating the causes, working on guidelines, and urging corporate America to take cybersecurity protections seriously.
“We’ve been warning about this overtly for more than eight years and a lot more quietly for longer, but now that its manifested, the silver lining is that we’re not starting ice cold,” said CISA’s Corman.
Adversity temporarily visits a strong man but stays with the weak for a lifetime.Comment
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
The White House press briefing room will return to 100% capacity on Monday after 15 months of social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It will be another step toward normality for President Joe Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki and the press corps — and a reminder of the renewed centrality of the daily briefing. Under President Trump, there were long stretches when the press operation didn't schedule any briefings at all.
Jen Psaki said she has "a responsibility not to allow the briefing room to become a forum for propaganda or for pushing forward falsehoods or inaccurate information."
Psaki cited her experience serving as State Department spokesperson during the Obama administration, when representatives of the Russian and the Chinese media were "in the briefing room asking me questions that were directed by their government."
The press secretary's comments alluded to the obvious contrast between the Biden and Trump years.
"I think sometimes we forget how strange the last four years were," Psaki said in response to a question about what she thinks the media gets wrong in political coverage. "When we return to a place where democracy is working, where we're talking with Democrats and Republicans, where we're trying to get bills and legislation passed, it feels foreign — but this is actually how it's supposed to work."
Psaki would not commit to stepping up the frequency of Biden's formal news conferences. (Biden has only held one of those since taking office.) She said he is regularly available to the media in less formal settings.
"He takes questions several times a week" and "is always, almost always, open to have that engagement with reporters. And I expect that will continue to be the case," she said.
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Obama Legacy Casts Doubt on Biden's Promise Not to Spy on Journalists
First AmendmentJen Psaki reaffirmed the commitment to freedom of the press. But she also said discussions with the Justice Department were still underway and that no new policy was ready to be announced.Justice DepartmentHillary Clinton email investigation.
The story included classified information about a document obtained by Russian hackers that helped persuade then-FBI Director James Comeyemployed during the Obama administration,Comment
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Bone Spurs Biden! Isn't that what you pukes accused Trump of? SO now that the shoe is on the other foot how do you feel about that?
How would he know about the Vietnam war ??? He never served in it!USA Today noted:
He received four student draft deferments while an undergraduate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.bone spurs in his heels, per The New York Times.
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Bone Spurs Biden! Isn't that what you pukes accused Trump of? SO now that the shoe is on the other foot how do you feel about that?
How would he know about the Vietnam war ??? He never served in it!USA Today noted:
He received four student draft deferments while an undergraduate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.bone spurs in his heels, per The New York Times.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...am/5809482002/
Joe Biden's Draft Record Looks a Lot Like Donald Trump's. Do Democrats Care? – InsideSources
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Re: The Shining City Upon a Hill
Biden Neglects to Mention D-Day, Tweets About 1921 Tulsa Massacre Instead
Sunday, June 6, was the 77th anniversary of D-Day, one of the most significant dates in the history of World War II. The Allied invasion of Normandy was the largest amphibious assault ever carried out.
It marked the start of the two-month-long Battle of Normandy and the eventual liberation of France from the German occupation.
Historians have calculated the number of confirmed Allied fatalities on that first day alone to be 4,415, according to the National D-Day Memorialmemorial notes.
Allied heads of state have traditionally marked the day of remembrance by honoring the brave men who sacrificed so much on the shores of Normandy so that we may enjoy freedom today.
Two years ago, then-President Donald Trump delivered one of the most powerful speeches of his presidency on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. He even drew praise from critics such as Joe Scarborough and Jim Acosta.
It was a different story this year for President Joe Biden, who neglected to acknowledge the momentous date at all. Instead, he chose to pay tribute to the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
Twitter account on Sunday. The otherhere.
For those who may be unfamiliar with this event, in the early 1900s, a large number of African-Americans settled in the Greenwood district of Tulsa.
According to History.comtraveled to Tulsa last Tuesday to commemorate the occasion.
He spoke to survivors. His comments ranged from the ludicrous to the downright dangerous. Please read my postmemory of D-DayFox News programNancy Pelosi spewing their stupidity? Desperately trying to take away our liberties for the sake of political power?
Or Dr. Anthony Fauci conspiring with his cronies in the world scientific community to turn the lab leak theory into a conspiracy theory? What if they were shown a clip of Rep. Adam Schiff trying to impeach a president over what he knew to be lies? What would they think about H.R. 1
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