Kelly Ayotte, a former Senator from New Hampshire, used a column in The National Interest to highlight something that has been a regular touchstone for me on Yoursurvivalguy.com, grid security. To protect yourself from cyber-attacks, natural disasters, or anything that could take out your access to power, I’ve urged you to prepare. Water, communications, generators; these are […]
Can Russia Cause a U. S. Electric Grid Blackout?
At the American Spectator, Betsy McCaughey explains how Russian hackers can shut down the U.S. power grid remotely. Below is an abridged version of her write up: Kremlin-connected cyber criminals are capable of turning off our electric power from afar, while power plant employees watch helplessly. In the last two weeks, the federal Department of […]
Will You be Ready When the Lights Go Out?
Originally posted on April 2, 2018. A recent Congressional Research Service report warns that since 2014 “security risks to the power grid have become an even greater concern in the electric utility industry.” The report cautions that the power industry “has not necessarily reached the level of physical security needed based on the sector’s own […]
Digital Currency Risks: Sweden Considers Cashless Society
When you consider good governance vs bad governance, Sweden typically falls into the good camp. Life is pretty good if you’re a Swede. But a recent push by central banks to adopt a cash-free-society has put many on edge. Riskbank governor, Stefan Ingves, says going cash-less is for the “collective good” of society. “Most citizens […]
Thieves Now Stealing Identities That Don’t Even Exist
In what is known as “synthetic identity fraud,” thieves are now creating false identities from whole cloth, and using them to dupe lenders and credit card companies out of their money. The Justice Department says this fast growing danger is one of the hardest forms of identity crime to fight. That’s probably because no actual […]
How a Russian Hacking Group Gained Access to U.S. High-Tech Secrets
A Russian hacking group known as Fancy Bear, thought to be associated with the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, has gained access to key defense contractors’ emails reports the Associated Press. It is uncertain exactly what was stolen during the breach, but the hackers have clearly exploited a national vulnerability in cyber security. Employees in […]
Did the NSA Know about Spectre and Meltdown?
White House cybersecurity coordinator Rob Joyce, who formerly worked at the NSA, has said the agency had no knowledge of the Spectre or Meltdown vulnerabilities in Intel processors that came to light last week. Andy Greenberg reports in WIRED: On Friday, White House cybersecurity coordinator Rob Joyce, a former senior NSA official, told The Washington Post that the […]
Data Stolen from Sensitive Military Programs in Cyber Breach
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that about 30 gigabits of commercially sensitive data for the F-35 JSF, C-130, P-8 Poseidon, and the JDAM programs was stolen in a breach from a small Australian defense company. The hacker, dubbed ‘Alf’, stole data that was commercially sensitive but non-classified. A spokesman, Mitchell Clarke, for the Australian […]
Are American Utilities Already Compromised by Cyber Attack?
A team of researchers at Symantec has found that advanced hackers have infiltrated American and European energy companies via cyber attack. The attacks have targeted the U.S., Turkey, and Switzerland and likely other nations reports Reuters. The Symantec researchers blame a hacking group known as Dragonfly. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Dragonfly has been […]
Does Russia Have a Secret Weapon to Bring Down Electrical Grids?
In a Wired article titled, “How an Entire Nation Became Russia’s Test Lab for CyberWar,” Andy Greenberg sheds light on how Russia is fine tuning its cyber assault capabilities by using the Ukraine as a living laboratory for cyberwarfare. “These coordinated attacks are unlike anything the world has seen”, says Andy Greenberg. A Russian group […]