Short Takes – 3-9-23

The Silent Spy Among Us: Modern Attacks Against Smart Intercoms. Claroty.com blog post. A detailed look at today’s vulnerabilities from Akuvox. Pull quote: “The vulnerabilities remain unpatched after many unsuccessful attempts to contact and coordinate the disclosure with the Chinese vendor, a global leader in SIP-based smart intercoms. Our efforts to reach Akuvox began in January 2022, and along the way several support tickets were opened by Team82 and immediately closed by the vendor before our account was ultimately blocked on Jan. 27, 2022.”

[Proposed] Budget of the U.S. Government FISCAL YEAR 2024. WhiteHouse.gov document. Explanatory quote: “Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2024 contains analyses that are designed to highlight specified subject areas or provide other significant presentations of budget data that place the budget in perspective. This volume includes economic and accounting analyses, information on Federal receipts and collections, analyses of Federal spending, information on Federal borrowing and debt, baseline or current services estimates, and other technical presentations.”

Senators scrutinize communication lapses in toxic Ohio train disaster. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Pressed by senators at a three-hour hearing on the Feb. 3 derailment, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan H. Shaw apologized for the disaster but stopped short of guaranteeing certain specific cleanup and safety measures, such as paid sick days for his employees or funding for East Palestine residents’ possible medical expenses. He endorsed some parts — but not all — of a rail safety bill Ohio’s senators have proposed.”

Republicans Push Lab Leak Theory on Covid’s Origins, but Lack ‘Smoking Gun’. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: ““There is no smoking gun proving a laboratory origin hypothesis, but the growing body of circumstantial evidence suggests a gun that is at very least warm to the touch,” said another witness at the House hearing, Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who worked in the Clinton administration and described himself as a Democrat.”