Col. Michael Brown, USMC, Retired:
The Russians and Chinese are the most active in offensive attacks. I worry a lot about the vulnerability of our electrical grid and even our water supply network.
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA refers to ICS (industrial control systems) used to control infrastructure processes (water treatment, wastewater treatment, gas pipelines, wind farms, etc), facility-based processes (airports, space stations, ships, etc,) or industrial processes (production, manufacturing, refining, power generation, etc).
To what extent are the “offensive attacks” (is there another sort?) meant to disguise internal dirty work?
In other words, if China has several agents inside institution X, will it disguise their activities by staging “offensive attacks”?
So, for example, if you put a server in your bathroom, and ……….
I’m less worried about automatic systems crashing than I am the organized media campaigns by the Russians (less so the Chinese). The Estonians have developed their own “counter-troll” teams to beat back Russian agit-prop. The old Soviet anti-nuclear push (supporting fronts like the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament) were very effective. Only when Reagan called their bluff were they knocked back. I suspect that similar efforts on energy, US defense activities and others are going on today.
The Estonians have developed their own “counter-troll” teams to beat back Russian agit-prop…I suspect that similar efforts on energy, US defense activities and others are going on today.
That is absolutely the case. They’re all over YouTube like a swarm of bees. Pick a topic, say the new Ford class carrier or the F-35, and you will find video after video of something they’ve copied (stolen) and put up on one the channels they’ve created, then used as an anti-American, anti-NATO propaganda outlet. They do similar things with videos on Dresden or Hiroshima or the native Americans or Israel. Why there is no effort to remove them or push back, well, you’d have to ask the Obama administration. Or ask Google, who I am sure is well aware of it.
As for energy, you’ll find hundreds of anti-fracking videos full of comments about how it contaminates ground water but government has covered it up, or creates earthquakes, whatever.
There are also lots of videos on HARP or other secret weapons the US government is supposedly testing on people all over the world, again full of anti-American comments. It’s all Russian propaganda. And I have no doubt most people are fooled by it.
“offensive attacks” (is there another sort?)
No, I guess not. Repetitively, redundantly, restated.
The Stupidest thing we are doing is the “Smart” grid. Dumb idea putting the grid control on a common carrier. Dedicated wires are safer.
The Ukraine smart grid got hacked a while back.
I got fired from a writing job for refusing to write of the smart grid in glowing terms.
The Stupidest thing we are doing is the “Smart” grid. Dumb idea putting the grid control on a common carrier. Dedicated wires are safer.
Damn straight! The “smart grid” is nothing but another crony tax money scam designed to make easy money for GE. It keeps getting billed as a great money saver for the consumer and the utility, to which I answer “If it is so great, then why is a federal subsidy needed for every smart meter that is installed?”
“It’s all Russian propaganda. And I have no doubt most people are fooled by it.”
I just visit rt.com, for my daily dose. You need to understand, I think everyone is lying to me.
“I think everyone is lying to me”: I suspect that Russia is ruled by the sort of intelligent people who will lie, or tell the truth, according to the advantage they calculate they’ll gain by it. By contrast, Hillary lies by instinct.