Register here to join me on February 11th for HardenStance's webinar on "Telco Strategies for Consumer Security" estiamting and discussing the rate of adoption of the three layers of endpoint security, network (DNS) security, and home router agent security.

https://events.hardenstance.com/consumer-security/

Register here to join me on February 11th for HardenStance's webinar on "Telco Strategies for Consumer Security" estiamting and discussing the rate of adoption of the three layers of endpoint security, network (DNS) security, and home router agent security.

https://events.hardenstance.com/consumer-security/

Feels like we're all in the last chapter of a Graham Masterton novel.

I spoke with Richard Hummel , Director of Threat Intelligence with NETSCOUT about the political clues surrounding the likely whys and wherefores of the sharp spikes in #DDoS traffic that hit South Korea and Romania in July. Take a look:

https://youtu.be/PPtFlcMc1Bs

In March of 1945, the US Army issued this "fact sheet" to guide conversations with soldiers on the topic of fascism, paying particular attention to the ongoing threat that domestic fascist movements posed to the US. Their analysis of what a homegrown US fascism would look like is interesting.
The central point is that when fascism came to America it wouldn't call itself that, nor would it be wearing a swastika. It would call itself "patriotic" and "100% American."
The first fascistic tactic to look out for is a hate campaign against a particular religious, racial, or ethnic group. Like, for example, let's say a candidate emerges who calls all people of one nationality "rapists" and "criminals," while promising to ban immigrants from only one religious group.
The second fascistic tactic to look out for is anyone who tries to amp up nationalistic animosities toward other nations or peoples, framing attempts to foster international cooperation as forms of weakness. The idea that all humans share the earth as equals is anathema to fascists.
The third fascistic tactic to watch out for is their tendency to label anyone they disagree with who is to their left "a Communist." Fascists claim that they alone can save their nations from "the communist menace." Anyway, the 2024 GOP platform contains the phrase "Christ-hating communists."

https://archive.org/details/ArmyTalkOrientationFactSheet64-Fascism/mode/2up?view=theater

If you've been wondering about the cybersecurity and national security implications in the policy goals espoused in Project 2025, look no further:

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3477366/project-2025-could-escalate-us-cybersecurity-risks-endanger-more-americans.html

tl;dr:

-Abolish the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
-Move the office of National Cyber Director to the National Security Council, and require NSC employees to submit to something akin to a political loyalty test.
-Scuttle DHS and give most of its constituent agencies into a cabinet-level border and immigration agency
-Purge mid-level civil servants responsible for implementing the work of the above agencies.

The next time a security professional tells a colleague to stay in their lane and not bring politics into everything, you can ask them why any of the above would be necessary or desirable.

From where I sit, these policy goals will only weaken and confuse the United States' national and cybersecurity posture (there is very little difference between the two these days), stymie international cooperation on cybercrime, and strengthen our adversaries.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3477366/project-2025-could-escalate-us-cybersecurity-risks-endanger-more-americans.html

View my Linked-In blog on the ⁦Cyber Threat Alliance’s excellent report on cyber threats to the Paris Olympics. An excellent source too for those planning major national and international events over the next couple of years. #Paris2024

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patrick-donegan-53ba00_threatintelligence-threatintel-cyberthreats-activity-7221899701397172224-tClk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

Remarkable stat on ‘The Intelligence’ from @TheEconomist: The Pentagon spends less than 1% of its budget on software.

NHS urged to prioritise cancer care basics over tech and AI ‘magic bullets’ https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/08/nhs-cancer-care-basics-over-tech-ai-magic-bullets?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Lear. Macbeth. Othello. Biden?

Only in America. Why don't they have one of those giant coin counting gizmos on top? That way, you could just drop your ashtray or cupholder change in there and grab a few rounds after you pick up the diapers and formula.

Wild (if true) !

https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/27/kt_p2p_malware_claim/

Criminal gangs who ‘shoulder-surf’ pin numbers steal ‘20 smartphones a day’ https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/jun/25/criminal-gangs-who-shoulder-surf-pin-numbers-steal-20-smartphones-a-day?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Cyber threats to submarine cable systems can be grouped under 3 headings:
1. Corruption of monitoring systems;
2. Breach of landing sites;
3. Accessing user traffic on the ocean floor by hoisting a cable into a submarine, cutting and splicing it.

Read my new blog for Total Telecom on "Cyber and other threat to submarine cable systems"
https://totaltele.com/cyber-and-other-threats-to-submarine-cables/

Let there be no doubt that NSO Group is using the courts to harass the security researchers who have done the most to shed light on their years of misdeeds and lies.

https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/

Word of the day is #cyberchondria. Anxiety arising from consumption of online information.

“Like-minded govts and AI companies have today reached a landmark agreement. We'll work together on testing the safety of new AI models before they're released" Sunak promised.

No we fucking won't because they've no intention of abiding by the agreement.

https://www.politico.eu/article/rishi-sunak-ai-testing-tech-ai-safety-institute/

“If Russia seals off the Baltic Sea, it would have an enormous impact on our lives", Sweden's supreme commander of the armed forces, told German editorial network RND. "The Baltic Sea must not become Putin's playground where he terrifies NATO members.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-putin-eyes-sweden-gotland-baltic-sea-army-chief/

Russia intends to unilaterally change its sea borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic. Poland has arrested 9 Russia-linked saboteurs. The imperial genie is out of the bottle. Russia can’t put it back herself. Too much chauvinism is at stake. Only we can put it back.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/microsoft_co2_emissions/