Short Takes – 3-14-23

Securing Control Center communications is more than encryption. AmpereSec.com blog post. Pull quote: “To secure RTA/RTM [Real-Time Assessment and Real-Time Monitoring] data and achieve compliance, the obvious and most common approach utilized is the usage of Virtual Private Network (VPN) Encryption between Control Centers owned by the entity and other entities with whom data is shared. While encryption meets the security objective of CIP-012, entities can utilize additional security controls to provide a defense in depth approach and in some cases utilize controls other than encryption.”

‘National Customer Rage Survey’ points to troubling trend among US consumers. TheHill.com article. Is this a problem with customers or the businesses? Pull quote: “The 2022 edition of the National Customer Rage Survey, conducted by Customer Care Measurement & Consulting, shows evidence that more Americans are not only having problems with various products and services, but also that our “rage” toward the companies providing these goods or services is growing.”

Pentagon budget puts focus on munitions production as war in Ukraine hits stockpiles. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Hicks [Deputy Defense Secretary] also said for several key munitions the department is “looking to make unprecedented use of new multiyear procurement flexibility provided by Congress” to “help us lock in critical investments, getting the most bang for the taxpayer’s buck, send industry a clear demand signal and be even better prepared to respond quickly to future contingencies.””

High winds can worsen pathogen spread at outdoor chicken farms. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “"We've spent a century raising birds indoors and forgotten about all of these parasites and pathogens that chickens used to be afflicted with, but they didn't go away," he said. "Now you have this rapidly exploding market of producers who want to raise their birds outside, but they have no background knowledge of the disease risk."”

Ransomware Attacks Have Entered a ‘Heinous’ New Phase. Wired.com article. Pull quote: “In some ways, the change is a positive sign that efforts to combat ransomware are working. If enough organizations have the resources and tools to resist paying ransoms, attackers eventually may not be able to generate the revenue they want and, ideally, would abandon ransomware entirely. But that makes this shift toward more aggressive tactics a precarious moment.”

Kazakhstan Impounds Property of Russian Cosmodrome Operator in Baikonur. RFERL.org article. Has Russian prestige declined, or what? Pull quote: “Kazakhstan’s move to impound the space company's property came days after the chief of Russia's Roskosmos space agency, Yury Borisov, publicly criticized Kazakh Communications Minister Baghdat Musin for his team's decision to postpone the construction of a new spacecraft launch area at Baikonur.”

What Many (Including Me) Didn’t At First Get about the Silicon Valley Bank Meltdown. StatusKuo.Substack.com blog post. Pull quote: “In sum, when a crisis hits like this, it’s important to contain the damage, assess what happened, and try to prevent it from happening again. So far, it appears the Treasury has done a good job on all three, but it’s too early to tell whether there will be further knock-on effects, or whether other banks have made the same error SVB did in failing to adjust to a much higher interest rate environment.”