Short Takes – 6-9-23

Barracuda Urges Replacing — Not Patching — Its Email Security Gateways. KrebsOnSecurity.com article. Pull quote: ““One of the goals of malware is to be hard to remove, and this suggests the malware compromised the firmware itself to make it really hard to remove and really stealthy,” Weaver said. “That’s not a ransomware actor, that’s a state actor. Why? Because a ransomware actor doesn’t care about that level of access. They don’t need it. If they’re going for data extortion, it’s more like a smash-and-grab. If they’re going for data ransoming, they’re encrypting the data itself — not the machines.””

On the tee, from Washington: Bipartisan anger over Saudi golf mega-deal. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Some lawmakers are calling for congressional investigations. Others are looking to the Justice Department and other federal regulators to first explore the case for blocking the move on antitrust grounds. Only after regulators act, they say, is there likely to be appetite for Congress to enter the picture — even as a majority of its members are openly wary of the deal.”

Republicans buckle down for what could be marathon blockade. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““Let’s face it, when we pass things around here that are messaging bills that don’t do anything, is it really a loss that we’re not passing anything?” Perry said. “And when we do pass things around here that actually hurt the American people, is it a loss that we’re not doing any of that?””

El Niño officially arrives early: What it means for 2023 weather. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “This year’s El Niño has shown up ahead of the typical schedule. In the past decade, El Niños have started in late summer or early fall. Its early appearance “gives it room to grow,” Climate Prediction Center meteorologist Michelle L’Heureux, told the Associated Press.”

Supreme Court Rejects Voting Map That Diluted Black Voters’ Power. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has often voted to restrict voting rights and is generally skeptical of race-conscious decision making by the government, wrote the majority opinion in the 5-to-4 ruling, stunning election-law experts. In agreeing that race may play a role in redistricting, the chief justice was joined by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and the court’s three liberal members, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.”

Watch out Ukraine, here comes the Hungaro-Austrian Empire. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Austria isn’t the only country in the region susceptible to Orbánism. Neighboring Slovakia is also teetering on the brink of a populist revival. The pro-Russian Smer-SD — whose leader, former Prime Minister Robert Fico, was forced out of office in 2018 amid a wave of popular protests triggered by the brutal murder of an investigative reporter and his fiancée — is leading the polls ahead of a snap election set for September. Fico has vowed to end Slovakia’s military support for neighboring Ukraine, if elected.”