Chicom global enslavement

[Michchamp]

I met a guy who is responsible for cyber security for our energy company and he seemed pretty locked down to me. He essentially said that cyber attacks are more common than anyone knows and it?s a constant, diligent task to prevent them.

he's right. I still very much doubt this same company gives a shit about prudent business practices.

 

[Michchamp]

Just filled my 2003 Jetta TDI with diesel, ...

BTW, didn't VW have to take all those off the market?

 

[Michchamp]

until very recently, I also was a long time Jetta driver. Regular not diesel though

It had more than 135,000 miles on it, but it had developed a bad stalling problem no one could figure out, and rather than dumping more money into it, I finally got something new.

It was a bummer, because mechanically it felt okay; it had always had goofy electronic/software issues that seemed to intermittently affect performance though. Nothing more unsettling than stomping on the pedal, and hearing the RPMs max out, but the car actually slowed down, because some sensor somewhere felt like the engine was overheating, something that only happened in heavy rain.

 

[byco42]

BTW, didn't VW have to take all those off the market?

No. The Jetta models affected by VW?s miscreant acts were from 2009-2015.

 

[Michchamp]

I read an article the other day that the "pipeline hack" was only a hack of their billing software, but they shut the whole pipeline down, rather than figure out a way to manually bill customers.
I'm sure they were an easy mark; "cybersecurity" is less of a priority for energy companies than handing out whale-sized bonuses to their execs

if that's the case, it's pretty amazing that this doesn't happen more often. Since you're such an expert, tell us more about cybersecurity deficiencies in the energy industry - or were you just using this as another opportunity to complain about executive compensation (I'm sure you know about as much about that as you do about IT security in the energy industry).

I like when I make a point here, and FoxNewsBots (who claim to never absorb whatever right wing garbage media you accuse them of, even though they're here regurgitating it 5 minutes after it's published or aired, like OH no one here in particular) who can't think of anything without trying to cram it into their left/right, conservative/liberal, democrats bad/republicans good mindset attack my point, but then American Conservative comes out and makes the same point I did:

Why is a Billion Dollar Pipeline Incapable of Defending Itself Against Ransomware?

The person in charge has some serious explaining to do. This sort of risk didn't come from nowhere.
...

This time around there are no foreign spies to blame. According to the FBI the perpetrators are a reluctant crew of internet extortion artists who, when they finally realized what they had done, started to backpedal like mad. (Against the recommendation of the FBI, the Colonial Pipeline Co. chose to pay the hackers nearly $5 million in ransom.)

...
Over the past few decades there has been a corporate mass exodus to the internet. While many large organizations boosted productivity through greater convenience and efficiency the immediate gains overshadowed genuine security concerns. Short-term smart, long-term dumb. Lately the White House has moved to bolster the security of federal systems but the actual impact of these measures on the private sector is unclear. Sound familiar? Which means that the incentives for companies to sacrifice convenience and efficiency on behalf of security won?t exist? until it?s too late.

Which leads us back to the Colonial Pipeline incident. History shows that eventually random hackers come sniffing around for an easy payday. And if the necessary precautions haven?t been taken, they?ll find it. The very fact that a gang of digital crooks somehow succeeded in inadvertently turning off fuel spigots in several states implies that few, if any, of the appropriate countermeasures were properly applied. That, dear reader, is the real story that?s being drowned out. Honestly, what person in their right mind makes infrastructure equipment and sensitive data about it accessible from the internet? Granted air-gap defense won?t necessarily thwart professional spies, but it does go a long way towards fending off the opportunists in the crowd. Especially when your server passwords are something like solarwinds123.
​

 

[Spartanmack]

I like when I make a point here, and FoxNewsBots (who claim to never absorb whatever right wing garbage media you accuse them of, even though they're here regurgitating it 5 minutes after it's published or aired, like OH no one here in particular) who can't think of anything without trying to cram it into their left/right, conservative/liberal, democrats bad/republicans good mindset attack my point, but then American Conservative comes out and makes the same point I did:

Why is a Billion Dollar Pipeline Incapable of Defending Itself Against Ransomware?
​

yeah, this doesn't even come close to making a point resembling anything you've said. It's a bit of a stretch to say you made any point at all - it was just more of your "corporate executives are evil money grubbers" bullshit. Let us know when you find some evidence that indicates cybersecurity isn't a priority for energy companies. If that's the case, why hasn't this happened more often? Even your American Conservative article only cites this one example. You've made some really lazy defenses of the stupid things you've posted in the past, but this has to one of your top 3 worst. Also, I don't watch Fox News.

Edit: If what this articles says is true, that

According to the FBI the perpetrators are a reluctant crew of internet extortion artists who, when they finally realized what they had done, started to backpedal like mad. (Against the recommendation of the FBI, the Colonial Pipeline Co. chose to pay the hackers nearly $5 million in ransom.)

If they really tried to "backpedal like mad" after they realized what they had done, why'd they take the $5mm. It doesn't seem to me that they backpedaled at all.

 

[byco42]

Why is a Billion Dollar Pipeline Incapable of Defending Itself Against Ransomware?

Answer: It is capable. The unanswered questions are what really happened and why.

"The very fact that a gang of digital crooks somehow succeeded in inadvertently turning off fuel spigots in several states implies that few, if any, of the appropriate countermeasures were properly applied. That, dear reader, is the real story that?s being drowned out."

I don't buy this Bolivian Bandidos-Yanquis yarn for a second.

But ... you know .. government to the rescue!

"Congress needs to pass a comprehensive digital infrastructure investment bill that authorizes and funds grants to state and local agencies to modernize their technology platforms and obtain the support they need to manage those systems, and safeguard against cyber attacks like ransomware."

The new enemy are nameless, faceless, hackers. There is always an enemy now.

 

[Michchamp]

Hey, tigermud, I found a place you can go:

A cult-like group that incorporates AR-15s into its worship ceremonies and embraces Donald Trump's MAGA politics has bought a compound for its "patriots" 40 miles from Waco in Texas.​

It's founded by the son of Rev. Moon, who founded that goofy church in Korea& the US:

he has called for his members to prepare for war and issued dark warnings that the federal government and the "globalists" were out to get to them.

?The internationalist Marxist globalists are trying to start a civil war here, so that they can bring in the U.N. troops and Chi-Com Chinese military to come in and destroy and kill all gun owners, Christians, and any opposition, i.e., Trump supporters,? he said in a sermon. ?We are in the death of America right now, and that?s why, of course, God is allowing for our expansion.?​

 

[tinselwolverine]

Hey, tigermud, I found a place you can go:

A cult-like group that incorporates AR-15s into its worship ceremonies and embraces Donald Trump's MAGA politics has bought a compound for its "patriots" 40 miles from Waco in Texas.​

It's founded by the son of Rev. Moon, who founded that goofy church in Korea& the US:

he has called for his members to prepare for war and issued dark warnings that the federal government and the "globalists" were out to get to them.

?The internationalist Marxist globalists are trying to start a civil war here, so that they can bring in the U.N. troops and Chi-Com Chinese military to come in and destroy and kill all gun owners, Christians, and any opposition, i.e., Trump supporters,? he said in a sermon. ?We are in the death of America right now, and that?s why, of course, God is allowing for our expansion.?​

That?s pretty cool.

The Branch Davidians were to the east and north of Waco in a place called Axtell; this place is further east and to the south in a place called Thornton. The two places are about 40 miles apart. Crawford is 25 miles west of Waco.

Must be some weird cosmic shit goin? on around that area.

Do you get a free MAGA hat if you join?

 

[Michchamp]

That?s pretty cool.

The Branch Davidians were to the east and north of Waco in a place called Axtell; this place is further east and to the south in a place called Thornton. The two places are about 40 miles apart. Crawford is 25 miles west of Waco.

Must be some weird cosmic shit goin? on around that area.

Do you get a free MAGA hat if you join?

I'd think after what happened to the Branch Davidians, cult leaders would avoid locating anywhere even remotely near Waco, but then again, I'm not some messianic cult leader, so...

GW Bush's ranch is outside of Crawford. I assume that's why you mentioned it.

You can find it on google maps, along with the security at the exterior gate, which someone helpfully posted a pic of.

Maybe GW Bush can visit them for some milk and cookies, Bible study, and AR--15 polishing once and a while?

 

[tinselwolverine]

I'd think after what happened to the Branch Davidians, cult leaders would avoid locating anywhere even remotely near Waco, but then again, I'm not some messianic cult leader, so...

GW Bush's ranch is outside of Crawford. I assume that's why you mentioned it.

You can find it on google maps, along with the security at the exterior gate, which someone helpfully posted a pic of.

Maybe GW Bush can visit them for some milk and cookies, Bible study, and AR--15 polishing once and a while?

That would be nice, but doesn?t he spend most of his time in Dallas these days when he?s not out and about, running around and doing that thing guys do once they become former presidents?

 

[Michchamp]

That would be nice, but doesn?t he spend most of his time in Dallas these days when he?s not out and about, running around and doing that thing guys do once they become former presidents?

I think he's more of a Dallas guy. He was photographed in a luxury box at a Cowboys game with fellow sociopath Ellen Degeneres a while back. Waco is also geographically much closer to DFW.

His dad, GHW Bush, lived in Houston, in the Tanglewood subdivision not too far from my old company's offices. When he died, they closed off most of the streets around there, making the evening commute a nightmare. Fuck him.

I assume GW Bush choose Dallas to separate himself from his old man.

The Bush family's connections to Texas are as shallow as mine, so it's not like any of them have any reason to be in either place.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I think he's more of a Dallas guy. He was photographed in a luxury box at a Cowboys game with fellow sociopath Ellen Degeneres a while back. Waco is also geographically much closer to DFW.

His dad, GHW Bush, lived in Houston, in the Tanglewood subdivision not too far from my old company's offices. When he died, they closed off most of the streets around there, making the evening commute a nightmare. Fuck him.

I assume GW Bush choose Dallas to separate himself from his old man.

The Bush family's connections to Texas are as shallow as mine, so it's not like any of them have any reason to be in either place.

Much closer than what?

Than Waco is to Houston/Hobby?

Neither is a place one would fly in and out of from or to Waco.

 

[Spartanmack]

I'd think after what happened to the Branch Davidians, cult leaders would avoid locating anywhere even remotely near Waco, but then again, I'm not some messianic cult leader, so...

GW Bush's ranch is outside of Crawford. I assume that's why you mentioned it.

You can find it on google maps, along with the security at the exterior gate, which someone helpfully posted a pic of.

Maybe GW Bush can visit them for some milk and cookies, Bible study, and AR--15 polishing once and a while?

what happened to the Branch Davidians happened at the hands of federal agencies, not local or even state authorities. Those people can descend upon cults en masse anywhere in the United States in no time.

 

[tinselwolverine]

what happened to the Branch Davidians happened at the hands of federal agencies, not local or even state authorities. Those people can descend upon cults en masse anywhere in the United States in no time.

This was a good biopic/mini-series about the event.

Good performances by name actors.

Based on the book about the event written by Gary Noesner, the FBI Hostage Negotiator on the scene, who is played by two time Oscar nominee Michael Shannon.

 

[Spartanmack]

This was a good biopic/mini-series about the event.

Good performances by name actors.

Based on the book about the event written by Gary Noesner, the FBI Hostage Negotiator on the scene, who is played by two time Oscar nominee Michael Shannon.

very good actor, stupid human being.

edit: I started watching it but my wife wasn't interested at the time. Maybe I should go back to it.

 

[tinselwolverine]

very good actor, stupid human being.

edit: I started watching it but my wife wasn't interested at the time. Maybe I should go back to it.

I don?t know anything about the guy except for the performances I?ve seen.

 

[Spartanmack]

I don?t know anything about the guy except for the performances I?ve seen.

as I recall, he was a very vocal and angry anti-Trump hollywood dbag. said something about how Trump voters are all old people who he wished would die or something like that.

really good actor though - think the first movie I recall seeing him in was Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Great film if you haven't seen it - his role is quite small (main characters are played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawk and Marissa Tomei).

 

[tinselwolverine]

as I recall, he was a very vocal and angry anti-Trump hollywood dbag. said something about how Trump voters are all old people who he wished would die or something like that.

A person can certainly engage in discourse without using such incendiary rhetoric toward people with whom they disagree.

 

[Spartanmack]

A person can certainly engage discourse without using such incendiary rhetoric toward people with whom they disagree.

maybe I'll try that some day. In the meantime, in case you didn't see my edit, and you haven't already seen it, check out "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" - pretty solid flick.