Short Takes – 11-3-22

EU Expands Cyber Rules for Airline Flight Safety. WSJ.com article. 2025 effective date. Pull quote: “EASA said the regulation has to cover a web of suppliers because the aviation industry is so interconnected. A cyberattack could target one company but could damage customers and suppliers.”

Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, 2022. Federal Register proclamation. Pull quote: “This month, we recommit to improving the resilience of our Nation's critical infrastructure so it can withstand all hazards—natural and manmade. By building better roads, bridges, and ports; fortifying our information technology and cybersecurity across sectors, including election systems; safeguarding our food and water sources; moving to clean energy; and strengthening all other critical infrastructure sectors, we will lay the foundation for long-term security and prosperity.” No politics here, keep moving.

European chemicals industry struggling to compete as costs surge. ChemistryWorld.com article. Pull quote: “‘We are approaching the point of no-return: if no emergency solution to the energy prices is provided to our sector, we are not far off the breaking point,’ says Marco Mensink, Cefic’s director general. ‘Hundreds of businesses in the chemical sector are already in survival mode and we have started seeing the first closures. We need action now.’ Cefic wants the European commission and member states to agree a pan-European plan to limit the impact of energy prices, increase energy supply and encourage reductions in energy consumption.”

The problem isn’t that Elon Musk owns Twitter – it’s that you don’t. Substack.com article. Looks like some interesting things coming down the road. Pull quote: “We’ve been saying that Substack is about more than just newsletters and that the communities people are building on this platform are like private social networks. We’re only beginning to execute on an expansive vision of a new media economy, one that will be richer, more valuable, and more exciting than any that has come before it. And we’re moving fast. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll release a slew of new features that allow writers and readers to hang out with each other, reference each other, share each other’s work, and show their status on the platform.”

Advanced defensive weapons systems could be delivered to Ukraine in the coming days, U.S. officials say. NYTimes.com article. My contrarian question – are we using Ukraine as a combat testing theater? Pull quote: “The NASAMS, each equipped with radar-guided missiles powerful enough to take down fighter jets, combat drones and cruise missiles, provide short- to medium-range coverage of about 18 to 30 miles. The United States keeps such weapons poised to defend the White House and other sites in Washington in case of an aerial attack.”