Short Takes – 1-30-23

FBI Disrupts ‘Hive’ Ransomware Group. WSJ.com article. “In an operation that began in the summer in Tampa, Fla., Federal Bureau of Investigation agents infiltrated Hive’s network and used the access to identify victims and provide them keys with which to take back control of their networks, officials said. The effort blocked some $130 million in demanded ransoms, department officials said.”

Who would work for Rep. Santos? Capitol Hill is watching closely. WashingtonPost.com article. Another side of the Santos’ story. Pull quote: “Even as he has had to answer — or not answer — those myriad questions, Santos has been assembling a staff for his Washington and district offices, the No. 1 priority for first-term representatives. That means interviewing job candidates, vetting résumés, running background checks and finding people willing to work for a member who appears allergic to truth-telling.”

‘Flying with one engine’: why global food supplies are at risk despite falling crop prices. FT.com article. Pull quote: “Last year’s Black Sea grain deal between Moscow and Kyiv played a crucial role in subduing prices, along with plentiful supplies from Russia, while lower natural gas prices have calmed fertiliser markets. However, analysts warn the grain deal could unravel, while volatile energy prices and climate change also threaten to undermine crop production.”

What three hard-line conservatives plan to do with their seats on the Rules Committee. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““We just need to make sure that we’re applying the rules, the germaneness rules, the, you know, single-subject rules, and then figure out how that’s all gonna get down to the floor under the right rules. Is it going to be a structured rule, an open rule?” Roy said.”

Infrastructure Companies Say Suppliers Pose a Growing Cyber Threat. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: “During her tenure at Rockwell, she said, manufacturing companies struck by ransomware would be unable to produce parts Rockwell needed to build its products, sometimes for weeks or months at a time.”