RSnake Report 20241014

Table of Contents

• Geopolitical

• Technology

• Cybersecurity

• Business

Hello, and thanks for reading! We just got back from Boise, Idaho—apparently home of some great potatoes and world-class hackers. But the Internet was a little flakey just about everywhere we were, so apologies for not getting a newsletter out this weekend. That said, we have plenty to discuss!

Let's start with Russia/Ukraine. Kursk is still a bit of a mess with no clear winner yet. While Russia does make some slight gains here and there, it is not close to dislodging Ukraine from the Kursk oblast. Russia appears to potentially have taken some towns in short order, in the direction of Niu York, near Pokrovosk and Levadne.

Ukraine launched another big bombing campaign using drones against the Maykop airfield on Thursday. These attacks tend only to be a delaying tactic when the runways are hit because they are relatively quickly fixed, though from time to time, there is some severe damage done to personnel and aircraft.

In one hilarious situation, the misinformation campaigns being utilized by Russian field commanders are working a little too well. It is causing Russian artillery to avoid destroying certain regions because they believe that they are Russian-held when, in fact, they are Ukrainian-held. Whoops! This was likely an attempt to make their situation look better to their own team and reduce scrutiny for their failures, as that is a tactic sometimes used by senior Russian leadership to avoid "falling out of windows" or prolonged vacations to the gulag.

On the Ukrainian side, a Russian FPV drone struck what was reported as a marked Ukrainian humanitarian vehicle. If that were the end of the story, it would just be another example of Russian aggression against Ukrainian civilians. However, in another analysis of the same event, not only was the vehicle they were traveling in unmarked, but the Ukrainians were caught on video using those civilian vehicles to transport and evacuate soldiers. This is terrible form and gives the Russians full moral authority to bomb any suspicious vehicle regardless of markings. It is a bit failure on the Ukrainian military side. If you're going to use this tactic, you absolutely cannot be caught, and it appears they were. Not good.

I had an interesting conversation with a guy working at a drone manufacturer, and one of the significant issues is the command and control infrastructure that is easily identified and destroyed. It is one of the reasons they are working so hard to make AI-infused drones that can fly autonomously without fear of jamming and are far stealthier than their electronically steered counterparts. To be clear, it's actively being worked on if not widely advertised. If that's not nightmare fuel, I need to find out what is. On the Ukraine front, because they are evolving this field in real-time with limited resources, they are moving to directional antennas that can be attached to gimbals to give very long and directional "line-of-sight" of their signaling infrastructure.

Briefly, it's worth talking about a thread I spotted that discussed some of the major issues with Russian supply missions. It has a lot to do with the fact that they never adopted pallets or forklifts. Trent Telenko, an expert on supply logistics, often discusses why this isn't just a minor issue. It's causing the entire Russian military to be extremely inefficient and, in some cases, even dangerous in how they handle fragile or explosive military material. Trent is fascinating about the most tedious aspect of any war: moving things around for the front-line forces.

With regard to Ukrainian use of Western weaponry and the Russian response to that increased aggression... well, it's now a big question mark in my mind what will happen for two reasons. The first is that the Ukrainians are now fielding AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles from ground-based Norwegian-built NASAMS. I wasn't aware that sidewinders could be fired from ground positions, but apparently so. They are tried and true and field-tested munitions, so why not?

But at the same time, a Russian Su-34 fighter was shot down inside of Russia - likely dropping glide-bombs into Ukraine from stand-off positions. However, there is a Russian theory that this was shot down by Northrop Grumman F16, possibly shooting Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles that have a range of greater than 100km. If that isn't Western weapons attacking Russia, I have no idea what is. Now, the only slight difference is that this wasn't a ballistic weapon, and it wasn't attacking ground-based targets. If that is the one last distinction, maybe we're safe from escalating tensions for now. Oh, and btw, AMRAAMs can also be fired from those same NASAMS that Norway provided Ukraine.

Speaking of escalation, North Korean troops have allegedly begun to appear on the Ukrainian front. This is interesting because does that mean North Korea is fair game for Ukrainian offensives? I don't see why not if they enter the war, in the same way Russia would feel the same if NATO troops were on the front line. Zelensky gave a speech on the topic. At the same time, North Korea has put its eight brigades of its artillery corps on standby due to drones that flew over Pyongyang dropping leaflets. Interesting times, in the prophetic sense.

There was also a huge explosion at a gas station in occupied Chechnya. The video was rather impressive, with a giant tanker truck flying by the camera. It is amazing that more people weren't injured. I don't think we've heard the cause, but the Chechen leader is saying he will find out who did it. It's unclear if this was done maliciously or just an accident.

In an interesting thread, the super rich in Russia may be flourishing due to Putin’s policies. It’s an exciting conclusion of a thread on the topic, which would explain why we haven’t seen any coup attempts despite deepening sanctions. Of course, the very poor are getting poorer faster. Increasing income inequality tends to spark revolutions, too. It doesn’t always have to come from the oligarchs.

Now let's do a quick stop-over in Europe specifically the EU, which appears to be doing fine. Moritz Körner had a scathing review of Viktor Orbán, the leader of Hungary, where he calls him a valuable idiot for China and Russia and, in no coded terms, tells Viktor to step down. It's a cringe-worthy speech, but at least he's not mincing words. If he’s willing to say this to Viktor’s face, I’d be curious about the conversations behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Polish general Rajmund Andrzejczak said in the theoretical situation of Ukraine falling to Russia, "If Russia attacks even an inch of Lithuanian territory, the response will come immediately, not on the first day, but in the first minute. We will hit all strategic targets within a radius of 300 km. We will attack St. Petersburg directly" I'd say that'’s not clear if it's true or not; either way, Moscow will certainly consider an attack against Poland or Lithuania as a full-scale attack rather than a ’ rather than a minor incursion.

Germany, on the other hand, has had massive protests, where Islamists are demanding, among other things, like freedom for Palestine and removing support for Israel, the introduction of Sharia law in Germany. It is unclear if Germany can thread the needle of protecting their country from outsiders and not come across as literally Nazis. But it's becoming clear it does need to find that middle ground and fast.

Onto south-east Asia where China's fragile economy is looking terrible. They have said they expect a $283 billion stimulus, which quickly got changed to $325 billion. It is aimed to be issued imminently. Where does the money come from? Debt, of course. This is designed to prop up their failing economy, which has, from every indication I have seen, no chance of surviving without a massive change. But as we saw from the US stimulus package, it was inflationary and made things less affordable, even if, yes, it caused a soft landing for some banks just as Chinese stocks hit an insane height - possibly due to China buying their own stocks to pump them up.

China also had a huge exercise where they created a blockade around Taiwan in a practice invasion of the country. The operation was called Joint Sword 2024A and 2024B (the naming convention implying there may be more). It used many different naval vessels to test its ability to hold Taiwan and key ports/positions around it. This gives me a small amount of comfort they won’t attack Taiwan this month because they are likely still testing their abilities and unsure if their tactics will work. Hopefully anyway. It could also be the start of a long-term exercise that is the blockade in disguise, even if 2024B has ended already. By the way, many of these were Coast Guard ships - which gives us the last bit of evidence we need to know that China’s Coast Guard is the Navy with a different paint job.

Let's head over to the Middle East, where Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah's internal security, was eliminated by the IDF. This is happening at the same time that approximately 320 rockets were launched by Hezbollah towards Israel on Yom Kippur. Also, the dining room at the Golani military base near Binyamina was hit by an Iranian drone reportedly killing at least four and injuring many more. So much for that unconditional ceasefire we discussed in the last newsletter, huh? It’s likely days at most before we see Israeli bombs on Iran.

There is at least one example of where a Hezbollah tunnel was dug well within easy eye-sight of a UNIFIL lookout post (more here). That this is even possible means that UNIFIL was infiltrated by terrorists or are themselves hiring Iranian proxy forces to allow this. There was also another example of where a weapons cache was found 500 meters from another UNIFIL base - they’re either negligent or complicit. Either way, those in charge of at least those two bases should consider their mission a failure. But is it systemic or just a few bad apples? That is the question.

Israel continues attacking both Hamas and Islamic Jihadist targets as well as refugee camps. Sometimes they are the same thing it turns out, as was the case with one command post getting hit with secondary explosions.

Iran has threatened a number of follow-up attacks against power plants, gas fields, airports, desalination plants, and 'combat' systems. If I didn't know better, the Iranians are telegraphing where the missiles will land as a performative attack, meant to alert Israel as to where they need to defend, as to limit casualties, so that they can look better to their theocrats, while still not escalating beyond the new-normal of regular missile strikes with near-zero effect.

Onto domestic news, where for the first time in decades of increases in the rate of obesity, we are finally seeing a decline. It's not clear what this can be attributed to, but quite likely Ozempic and the like because one in 8 Americans have used the drugs, which is staggering. The net result appears to be trending downwards. So, we may have hit peak obesity in the United States through Pharma!

Trump's security team arrested a man named Vem Miller outside Coachella for having loaded firearms. Details are thin, but the reporting doesn’t add up as he is both a Republican and ran on Second Amendment issues for a government role. So, we shall see how this pans out. Not that Trump is safe, but this, one doesn’t make sense. Not just that, but Trump’s own people are saying it wasn’t an assassination attempt, too.

An upsurge of unknown drones has been spotted doing overflights near US military bases inside the United States. It's unknown who is responsible for these flights, the Washington believes this is possibly China or Russia. Given everything we know, this is almost certainly the case and likely a prelude to a much bigger conflict, where they have already mapped out exactly what needs to be attacked, and our logistics/supplies in each of those locations.

On the US drone front, the C-100 drone is a new heavy-bomber and ISR platform for the US Army. It appears to have pretty substantial lift capacity/range and a relatively flexible platform in general for various missions it may be tasked to engage in.

In tech news, 1.9 million users of the site muah.ai were compromised, along with their queries, which included extremely personal sexual preferences. As you might expect, there was a lot of underage material being produced, and now their queries are public. This is causing attackers to use that information for the purpose of blackmail already in at least a handful of cases. This reminds me a lot of the Ashley Madison breach and how it was used against people who were cheating on their spouses.

Tesla and SpaceX are up to some fantastic things. The Tesla Optimus autonomous robot made its debut, where it interacted with people, poured drinks, danced a bit, and so much more. I see a lot of utility for these robots if they can do other tasks around the house, like watering plants, doing dishes, laundry, taking out trash, etc. It's just a matter of time. Nay-sayers will say it's too slow, still not dexterous enough, or even that it is much more likely that it was actually a mechanical turk and it was being controlled by humans elsewhere, etc. But I think it's showing some real breakthroughs already, and it's still very early tech.

Also, this weekend, SpaceX was able to catch the Super Heavy Booster using their Mechazilla tower. Absolutely amazing that it worked, and a huge congrats to their team for that technical accomplishment. It's one for the history books and worth a watch if you have yet to see it.

This week, there was a new exploit found against Palo Alto Networks that used a simple get-request to re-set the password for the administrative user. This is incredibly sloppy security for one of the world's largest security companies. It is likely easy to fix and only can be attacked internally, but there are a lot of internal adversaries out there, so if you are a Palo Alto shop, you're gonna want to get that patched ASAP.

The .io ccTLD is at risk because the associated territory is being dissolved as a British sovereign atoll, and it will be handed over to Mauritius. The ISO rules say the ccTLD needs to be depreciated if the associated territory no longer exists, but Mauritius is capitalistic and doesn't appear to care about Chagos natives, so they would likely negotiate to keep the ISO code for their territory and the TLD as a way to keep the revenue flowing. The Chagos protests have been going on for at least a decade, and it doesn't appear to be changing.

FBI crypto wallets were also doxxed, insofar as all of their wallets are not de-cloaked and it is now feasible to find all of their wallets and where they transferred money. Very interesting for adversarial use and a big blow to the FBI's ability to transact in undercover operations.

Lastly, WordPress has taken an even greater hard left in terms of forcibly trying to exert control on the community. This time, it’s not aimed at WPEngine directly; it’s against the Advanced Custom Field plugin. WordPress unilaterally took control of the plugin under active development without the authors' consent. If you are on WordPress, things look uncertain, but at this point, I’d never consider contributing to the project due to this uptick in protectionist behavior. This is also a strange example of supply chain attacks. It’s also one of the reasons I stay away from building apps entirely reliant on app stores with fickle humans who are eager to censor anything they disagree with.

Okay, onto the articles!

Geopolitical

Nine Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly executed by Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, on October 10, 2024. The Ukrainian Ombudsman has notified the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross about this alleged violation of international law, amidst ongoing accusations of similar actions by Russian forces during the conflict.

• Ukrainian authorities allege systematic executions of POWs by Russian troops.

• International organizations have been informed of the reported war crimes.

[RSnake: This almost always backfires. Torture and executions only make the opposing forces fight harder to avoid capture.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=298178

Israeli airstrikes have resulted in casualties in Gaza, including the deaths of an entire family, while also destroying historical structures in Lebanon, including an Ottoman-era market. The ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah continues to escalate, with Israel conducting military operations aimed at what it claims are militant targets, amidst allegations of humanitarian crises in affected areas.

• An Israeli strike in Gaza killed a family of eight and caused numerous casualties, prompting rising tension in the region.

• Israeli airstrikes resulted in significant destruction in southern Lebanon, including the demolition of a century-old market.

[RSnake: As one of my friends says, “Someone has to win for this to end.” I don’t think Israel has any intention of losing, so where does that leave Hamas and Hezbollah and, of course, Iran herself.]

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/10/13/israeli-strikes-kill-family-of-8-gaza-and-destroy-century-old-market-lebanon.html

The U.S. Navy is undergoing a strategic initiative led by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, focusing on revitalizing the maritime industry through comprehensive shipbuilding and workforce development. This effort seeks to enhance America's maritime capabilities to counterbalance China's dominance in global shipping and shipbuilding sectors. Del Toro's approach emphasizes collaboration across multiple government agencies and private sectors to strengthen the United States' position in maritime competitiveness.

• Secretary Del Toro advocates for a holistic approach to maritime statecraft, emphasizing the need for collaboration among government, industry, and academia.

• The initiative aims to increase U.S. shipbuilding capacity and workforce development in response to China's maritime influence.

[RSnake: We aren’t even in the top 10 of ship-building countries anymore. We will continue to have attrition as a result. I’ll give you a guess who is number 1.]

Source: https://gcaptain.com/?p=215015

On October 13, 2024, Ukrainian and Russian forces engaged in 169 combat clashes, with particularly intense fighting on the Kurakhove front. Russian forces launched extensive airstrikes and attacks across various fronts, resulting in significant casualties, including 1,260 Russian soldiers over the course of the day, and Ukrainian defenders successfully repelling multiple assaults.

• Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 169 times on October 13, 2024.

• Russian forces conducted over 4,200 attacks, suffering significant casualties.

[RSnake: On any given clash, Russia is getting their butts handed to them. But on the whole, they have just a lot more resources to throw at it, both human and supply logistics, even if those supplies are poorly maintained and decades old.]

Source: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/13/7479535/

China has deployed an aircraft carrier group near Taiwan, signaling potential military escalations as tensions rise between the two sides. Taiwanese officials are monitoring the situation closely, with concerns that China may conduct military drills in response to recent speeches by Taiwan's president rejecting China's claims over the island. Additionally, China's commerce ministry has threatened Taiwan with further trade sanctions amid these growing tensions.

• China's aircraft carrier group is approaching Taiwan, indicating heightened military readiness.

• Taiwan is reacting to threats and preparing for possible military exercises from China.

[RSnake: Two are still docked, though, so I think we still have time.]

Source: https://gcaptain.com/?p=214999

Election workers in the United States are preparing for heightened tensions and potential threats ahead of the 2024 presidential election, following incidents of intimidation and violence linked to false claims of voter fraud from the previous election cycle. This year, many officials are implementing safety measures such as panic buttons and advanced training to manage emergency scenarios, as concerns over the integrity of the election process continue to loom.

• Election workers are facing increased threats and violence, prompting many to reconsider their roles ahead of the 2024 election.

• Measures are being taken across various states to enhance security and readiness for potential emergencies during the election process.

[RSnake: Good thing. They may need it. Especially in light of the planned terror attack that was thwarted that we discussed previously. The problem is, while that was a lone-wolf attack, it is by far the only two people who have ever considered where to mount mass casualties on American soil.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/10/13/prepping-for-the-worst-election-workers-anticipate-threats-in-us-vote?traffic_source=rss

U.S. intelligence indicates a significant increase in the likelihood of Russia utilizing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, elevating concerns within the Biden administration. President Biden communicated directly with President Putin, warning against the use of nuclear weapons, while national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed the U.S.'s strong opposition to such actions.

• U.S. intelligence assessed a 50% chance that Putin would use tactical nuclear weapons to prevent battlefield losses.

• Biden and top officials warned Putin of severe consequences if nuclear weapons were deployed in Ukraine.

[RSnake: It would be a very strange move, but it is possible. If Russia nukes Kursk, who, exactly, are they to be held accountable to? It’s their own country! But if they nuke Kyiv - it’s unclear what NATO would do, if anything. Would NATO risk further belligerence with Moscow?]

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/10/09/us-scrambled-urge-putin-not-use-nuclear-weapons-ukraine-woodward-book-says.html

Russia has appointed new defense minister and deputy defense ministers to execute long-term war plans, increasing defense spending by 41% in the 2025 budget, with a goal of grabbing as much Ukrainian land as possible before peace negotiations.

• Russia has allocated 13.5 trillion rubles ($U.S. 145 billion) to national defense expenditures in 2025 and plans to increase spending by 2.4% from the previous year.

• Putin has postponed the nation-wide census until 2029 to disguise the fact that 70,000+ working-age Russians have been killed in the war to date.

[RSnake: I hope Andrey Belousov works on the first floor. Russian defense ministers have a lot of “accidents.”]

Source: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/10/12/putins_plans_for_a_long-term_war_1064706.html

Russian forces intensified their military offensive against Ukraine, launching over 4,200 attacks within a 24-hour period. The assaults included artillery bombardments, missile strikes, and airstrikes targeting various locations across multiple regions in Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces engaged in combat and successfully hit specific Russian military targets.

• Russian forces carried out 4,243 attacks on Ukrainian positions and populated areas in one day.

• Ukrainian forces successfully targeted Russian military assets, including air defense systems and ammunition storage points.

[RSnake: The coordination necessary to launch that many attacks in such a short time is showing that Russia has been getting better with logistics since the beginning of the war. The question is if it is sustainable and if it’s making a meaningful dent.]

Source: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/13/7479464/

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are locked in a competitive race for the presidency in the United States, with polls showing them within two percentage points of each other in six key battleground states. Control of the Senate and House of Representatives is also at stake in the upcoming election, with the Democrats facing challenges in maintaining their majority amid shifting voter sentiments.

• Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are tied in polls across crucial battleground states before the November election.

• The outcome of the election will significantly impact control of the Senate and House of Representatives, which are also at risk for the Democrats.

[RSnake: I think it is too close to tell at the moment. But leading up to the election you will get better and better polling data out of these companies, as they are forced to make more accurate guesses rather than appease their buyers. What they have to do is get it right at the last minute. I saw a great presentation on this from Eli Schwartz, and when I asked him about how many of these polls have bias built in, he said 100% of them because they have to fudge certain things all over the place in their data. But what they don’t want to do is get it wrong, because that looks bad and makes it harder to sell their data on the next election cycle, so they’ll clean things up right before the election.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/11/donald-trump-kamala-harris-locked-in-close-election-race-wsj-poll?traffic_source=rss

Northrop Grumman has introduced an upgraded version of the M230 Bushmaster Chain Gun, named the M230LF, which features a dual-feed capability for switching between two types of ammunition during operations. This new iteration aims to enhance both air and ground missions by providing increased flexibility and effectiveness against various threats, including drones and armored vehicles. The M230LF is now deployed in over 1,400 platforms for military forces worldwide, reflecting its significance in modern combat scenarios.

• The M230LF is designed for both air and ground missions, allowing for quick adaptation to evolving combat situations.

• Its dual-feed system enhances flexibility by enabling operators to switch ammunition types without interruption.

• The weapon has been widely adopted by military forces, indicating its critical role in contemporary military operations.

[RSnake: I could easily see this getting mounted on autonomous tracked vehicles and sent to the front to use as cover for ground troops.]

Source: https://sofrep.com/?p=209463

A UN peacekeeper was recently wounded in southern Lebanon amid ongoing military activities, marking the fifth injury to peacekeepers in a short period. Israel has intensified military operations against Hezbollah, resulting in civilian casualties and significant displacement in Lebanon, while international leaders condemned Israel's actions targeting UN personnel.

• Israel's military actions in Lebanon have escalated significantly, leading to multiple injuries among UN peacekeepers.

• International condemnation is growing against Israel's targeting of UN forces and civilian casualties in Lebanon.

[RSnake: I think the chances that Israel targeted UN personnel is virtually zero unless they were meeting with Hezbollah, in which case…]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy92zjq508o

A U.S. Army soldier, Cole Bridges, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to aid ISIS in planning attacks against American troops. He was found guilty of providing training, sharing military manuals, and advising on ambush tactics targeting U.S. forces.

• Cole Bridges conspired to murder American soldiers by supporting ISIS.

• He shared U.S. Army training materials with ISIS operatives.

[RSnake: Once upon a time, we used to hang people for treason. I'm not sure why that went out of vogue.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-soldier-sentenced-to-14-years-for-aiding-isis-and-conspiring-to-murder-american-troops/articleshow/114178075.cms

Technology

SpaceX successfully landed the booster stage of its fifth Starship test flight, a remarkable achievement in reusable rocket technology, with potential applications in various fields including space exploration and protein-structure prediction using AI.

• SpaceX could use this technology to land on the moon, make long-duration missions more feasible, and potentially establish a human settlement on another planet.

• The achievement also marks an advancement in protein-structure prediction using AI, which has applications in fields such as medicine and biotechnology.

[RSnake: So very cool - congrats, team!]

Source: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/10/13/elon-musks-spacex-has-achieved-something-extraordinary

A new approach called Norm Voting (NoVo) has been developed to improve the factual accuracy of large language models (LLMs) by addressing their tendency to produce hallucinations. This method leverages attention head norms in LLMs, allowing for significant improvements in predictive accuracy across diverse datasets, and demonstrates potential advancements in model interpretability and robustness.

• Norm Voting is designed to enhance factual accuracy in LLMs, particularly in zero-shot multiple-choice scenarios.

• NoVo achieves substantial improvements in prediction accuracy, outperforming existing methods by a considerable margin.

[RSnake: If you ever want to see it hallucinate, ask ChatGPT to give you information about a Google Patent URL that you feed it. Straight-up garbage data. So it’s great for brainstorming but awful for facts.]

Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.08970

The US government is considering breaking up Google due to accusations of monopolistic practices in the online search market. The Department of Justice is evaluating remedies that could significantly alter Google's business operations, which may set a precedent for regulating other major tech companies. Google has responded by arguing that these proposed changes could raise prices for consumers and harm competition.

• The US government is contemplating breaking up Google to address its alleged monopolistic practices.

• This case may lead to significant regulatory changes affecting other major tech companies.

[RSnake: It can’t come fast enough - they continue to use their position to do all sorts of awful things, and it is making the publisher space nearly impossible to operate. Not that I am in love with journalists or journalism in general, but still.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62504lv00do

Leaked documents reveal that far-right militias have organized plans for surveillance at ballot drop boxes, particularly during the upcoming presidential election. Election officials are concerned that these actions could lead to voter intimidation and disrupt the electoral process amidst a backdrop of violent rhetoric and election denialism.

• Militias are organizing efforts to monitor ballot boxes, justified by claims of election integrity.

• Federal officials warn of potential voter intimidation tactics ahead of the presidential election.

[RSnake: Intimidation is… an overstatement. How about just “making sure people aren’t cheating since the government refuses to do voter registration”? Like that idea or not, it is not the same as intimidation unless you think police presence is also intimidation. It’s only if they interfere that there is an issue. I heard an interesting statement the other day, “If a theory makes you feel unsafe, it’s not true.” ]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/leaked-messages-militias-ap3-voter-intimidation-plan/

Tesla has announced the launch of its automated electric vehicles, including the Cybercab, a fully autonomous van called the Robovan capable of carrying up to 20 people, and a humanoid robot named Optimus. Elon Musk claims that these advancements are set to revolutionize transportation and personal robotics, although concerns about their safety and effectiveness remain prevalent as Tesla navigates significant technical challenges and recalls in its existing product lines.

• Tesla revealed its Cybercab and Robovan, signaling a move towards fully autonomous vehicle technology.

• Musk introduced the Optimus robot, envisioning a future where robotics could assist in various daily tasks.

[RSnake: I like the aesthetic of the van, but it does look a little low to the ground. Knowing how awful parking lots and roads are in the Bay Area, as an example, I’d want a bit more ground clearance.]

Source: https://mashable.com/article/tesla-robovan-reveal-optimus-robot-self-driving-van-musk

The U.S. government is expanding the use of facial recognition technology for identity verification through platforms like Login.gov, which serves over 100 million users seeking government services and benefits. Additionally, advancements in facial recognition technology have been integrated into devices like smart glasses, allowing users to access personal information about strangers without their consent, sparking concerns about privacy and security in public spaces.

• The U.S. government is introducing optional facial recognition as a means of identity verification for accessing government services.

• Facial recognition technology is being incorporated into consumer devices, posing significant privacy risks by enabling the retrieval of personal information from individuals on the street.

[RSnake: Traveling through several airports over the last few weeks, it’s obvious they are ramping up this feature. It’s faster and more convenient, and they say they delete the photos after taking them. Well, they say that anyway…]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/us-government-dramatically-expanding-use-facial-recognition-technology

The U.S. Space Force is transitioning its space domain awareness satellite programs to a cloud-based ground system using a consortium of small commercial firms. This initiative aims to modernize satellite operations with a budget of $1 billion over the next five to seven years and focuses on dynamic space operations to improve operational efficiency.

• The Space Force has awarded initial contracts to 20 small businesses for a cloud-based ground system for satellite operations.

• This program aims to develop tools for dynamic space operations and is structured for rapid delivery of new capabilities.

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/space/2024/10/11/why-space-force-chose-commercial-firms-to-build-its-new-ground-system/

Cybersecurity

Chinese hacking groups are actively infiltrating U.S. critical infrastructure with the potential to execute destructive cyberattacks during future conflicts, particularly tensions over Taiwan. Recent discoveries reveal various groups such as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon have compromised networks and telecommunications systems, posing significant risks to national security and the operational capabilities of U.S. entities.

• Chinese government-backed hackers are targeting U.S. critical infrastructure in preparation for potential conflicts.

• Recent activity includes compromises of telecommunications systems used for law enforcement purposes.

[RSnake: I don’t like the term government-backed in this context. It is the government. It is the CCP. We are at war; we’re just not tossing bombs yet.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2896751

Open source software is increasingly central to innovation in both startups and major enterprises, but it also presents significant security vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. Leaders from Sequoia Capital, CISA, and Tidelift are participating in discussions about balancing the benefits of open source development with the need for improved security measures amidst threats from state-level actors. The upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 event will focus on these critical issues regarding the future and protection of open source ecosystems.

• Open source software plays a crucial role in digital innovation and infrastructure.

• Security vulnerabilities in open source projects pose risks, particularly from state-sponsored threats.

[RSnake: I see no reason to believe open source is any more secure than closed source, and many times, it is worse. So this is a valid question. The second question is, who will pay to audit all this code? Government endowments? Private industry? JoeBob, who just cares about the product in question?]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2896892

A critical FortiOS remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2024-23113) has been actively exploited in the wild, impacting FortiOS 7.0 and later, FortiPAM 1.0 and higher, FortiProxy 7.0 and above, and FortiWeb 7.4. U.S. federal agencies are required to secure these devices within three weeks.

• Chinese hackers exploited another critical FortiOS RCE vulnerability (CVE-2022-42475) between 2022 and 2023 to breach and infect at least 20,000 Fortigate network security appliances with malware.

• U.S. federal agencies are required to secure FortiOS devices on their networks against these ongoing attacks within three weeks, by October 30.

[RSnake: Three weeks. Think about that for a second. If you are a foreign military and you realize you have two weeks and six days left, approximately, before the government has to be in compliance. This is why I think patching as a strategy is a losing concept. We have to choose compartmentalization and assume breach over patching.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-says-critical-fortinet-rce-flaw-now-exploited-in-attacks/

Archive.org has suffered a data breach affecting approximately 31 million user records, which include email addresses and bcrypt-hashed passwords. The organization experienced a DDoS attack that temporarily brought its website down, and notifications of the breach circulated on social media shortly after it occurred.

• 31 million user records were exposed in a data breach.

• Archive.org experienced a DDoS attack that temporarily disrupted access to its site.

[RSnake: Time to rotate those passwords and God help you if you re-use passwords. I have been on the Internet so long I have to go back and check to see if I had an account at these places when they get breached. Thankfully not, but that’s the issue with these very old sites that are widely used by many Internet professionals. Their passwords are super valuable for an adversary.]

Source: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/10/archive-org-a-repository-storing-the-entire-history-of-the-internet-has-been-hacked/

Research by Pillar Security reveals alarming trends in the security of generative AI applications, showing a 90% success rate in data theft, with attackers only needing an average of 42 seconds to execute an attack. The study indicates a significant increase in the frequency and complexity of attacks, pointing to the urgent need for organizations to strengthen their AI security measures as the landscape evolves alongside advances in artificial intelligence.

• 90% of attacks on generative AI applications result in sensitive data leakage.

• Attackers require minimal interaction to successfully breach AI systems.

• Organizations must implement advanced security measures to combat evolving AI threats.

[RSnake: Or, how about we abandon the idea that an LLM that is designed to hand you information is ever going to be able to secure it?]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/90-of-successful-attacks-seen-in-the-wild-resulted-in-leaked-sensitive-data

Scammers in Southeast Asia are increasingly utilizing AI, deepfakes, and advanced malware to enhance their fraudulent activities, including diverse schemes like pig butchering scams. This rise in technologically sophisticated scams has led to an estimated $37 billion in earnings for criminal networks, with operations now spreading globally beyond Southeast Asia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warns that these developments significantly complicate the fight against cybercrime and human trafficking.

• Scammers are leveraging advanced technologies like generative AI and deepfake tools to execute more convincing and effective schemes.

• The global spread of scam operations has resulted in significant financial losses, estimated at $37 billion for criminal networks.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/pig-butchering-scams-go-high-tech/

Iranian authorities are forcing journalists and political activists to delete their social media posts and publish favorable content, with at least three individuals facing charges related to their online activities.

• The moves come after a wave of SIM card disconnections and summonses ordered by security agencies followed by interrogations targeted activists and journalists.

• At least three people, including a journalist and two women’s rights activists, have faced charges related to their online activities.

• They have been accused of propaganda against the regime, spreading false information to disturb public opinion, and defaming regime officials with the intent to weaken the Islamic Republic.

[RSnake: Ah, authoritarianism. I thought Israel was the one putting out fake news. Hm? The funny thing is most of these journalists don’t even need to be threatened, they happily spew any anti-Israeli rhetoric, faithfully towing the party line. If Iran did nothing, it wouldn’t change much.]

Source: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202410111051

Australia has introduced the Cyber Security Bill 2024 into parliament, which aims to establish security standards for smart devices and improve ransomware reporting. The bill includes the formation of a Cyber Incident Review Board for analyzing significant cybersecurity incidents and seeks to enhance the government's role in managing critical infrastructure security.

• The Cyber Security Bill 2024 aims to codify security measures for smart devices and improve incident reporting.

• The legislation includes reforms to enhance government assistance in managing critical infrastructure security.

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-operations/australia-intros-first-national-cyber-legislation

Business

The Federal Reserve's recent rate cuts are not resulting in the expected decrease in U.S. debt interest costs, which have risen substantially. Current U.S. debt stands at $35.3 trillion with a budget deficit of $1.8 trillion for the past fiscal year, exacerbating the challenge of servicing this debt amidst fluctuating Treasury yields.

• U.S. debt has increased significantly, now totaling $35.3 trillion.

• Interest expenses on U.S. debt rose to $950 billion for the fiscal year, marking a 35% increase from the prior year.

[RSnake: If you add up all of the wealth of the billionaires in the United States, they couldn’t cover that debt. So, how are we going to tax our way out of this? Or maybe they can cover this year’s Interest payments, but what about next year? Who shall we tax next year? The idea that we can take more money from our own citizens to have any chance of covering this debt does not understand the economics of the situation. The only way out of this is hard spending cuts. This tax concept is like paying more on your credit card balance but then spending even more the next month.]

Source: https://fortune.com/2024/10/13/us-debt-interest-expense-fed-rate-cuts-budget-deficits-treasury-bond-yields/

Boeing is planning to cut 17,000 jobs, which constitutes 10% of its workforce, due to financial losses exacerbated by a month-long strike that is costing the company $1 billion each month. The company has also delayed the delivery of its 777X jet by a year and is facing significant challenges in its defense sector, indicating a need for strategic financial restructuring amid escalating debts and ongoing operational difficulties.

• Boeing is cutting 10% of its workforce due to financial strain from a worker strike.

• The first delivery of its 777X jet has been delayed by a year, and the company is at risk of losing its investment-grade credit rating.

[RSnake: Can’t say I didn’t see this coming. I bet it’ll get a lot worse too.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/10/11/boeing-to-cut-10-workforce-delay-777x-delivery-as-strike-takes-toll?traffic_source=rss

WordPress.org has implemented a policy requiring users to deny any affiliation with the hosting platform WP Engine in order to log in or register. This decision, made by co-creator Matt Mullenweg, arises from an ongoing legal dispute with WP Engine, which has accused Mullenweg of disparagement and extortion. The situation has created significant turmoil within the WordPress community, with many contributors expressing confusion and anxiety regarding their status and participation in the ecosystem.

• WordPress.org users must declare lack of affiliation with WP Engine to access their accounts.

• Matt Mullenweg's actions stem from a legal conflict with WP Engine, escalating tensions within the WordPress community.

[RSnake: So unbecoming, Matt. This ultimately comes down to their general dislike for the fact that WPEngine wasn’t contributing enough. Might there be an easier path to that end beyond this performative nonsense?]

Source: https://www.404media.co/wordpress-checkbox-login-wp-engine/

A coalition of major aerospace companies proposed reforms to enhance the security and traceability of aircraft spare parts following the discovery of fake jet-engine components linked to falsified records. This issue led to significant operational disruptions and financial losses for airlines globally, prompting recommendations for improved digital records and supplier verification systems. The coalition is collaborating with regulatory authorities to implement these voluntary measures.

• A coalition involving major aerospace companies called for reforms to tighten supply chain regulations after discovering counterfeit jet-engine parts.

• Recommendations include enhancing digital record-keeping and improving supplier accreditation to ensure part authenticity.

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/40471-fake-jet-engine-parts-case-prompts-call-for-supply-chain-reforms

Return fraud has become a significant issue for retailers, with losses reaching $101.1 billion last year. Retailers are exploring ways to tighten return policies while still maintaining customer satisfaction and are implementing various innovations to combat the problem.

• Retailers face substantial financial losses due to return fraud in e-commerce.

• Companies are seeking a balance between strict return policies and customer satisfaction.

[RSnake: Wow - I didn’t realize it was that large. It is probably worth looking at return policies and working with the credit card companies to detect who is doing this rather than passing the cost to the merchant, who is only the victim.]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/40468-podcast-consumer-return-fraud-how-bad-is-it

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