Short Takes – 7-5-23

Investigators: Ex-Chemical Safety Board Chief Misused Board Funds. ChemcialProcessing.com article. Pull quote: “Lemos resigned from her position as CSB chair and board member on July 22, 2022. The investigation [link added], which began on May 11, 2021, revealed that Lemos spent more than $50,000 traveling from her home in San Diego to the CSB office in Washington, D.C. in violation of the Federal Travel Regulation. She also took several other unapproved trips, including travel from Washington, D.C., to Norfolk, Virginia, to participate in an embarkation on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, an event that was not official CSB business.”

Inside Ukraine's tech push to counter Russian 'suicide' drone threat. Reuters.com article. Pull quote: “Organisers distributed $3 million in prize money among three teams of experts deemed to have presented the best drones or electronic warfare technology against Russia's "Shahed", drones of Iranian origin which cruise in swarms to their targets and detonate on impact.”

Nagoya Port hit by ransomware, grinding work to a halt. Asahi.com article. Pull quote: “NAGOYA--Ransomware infected a system that manages operations at Nagoya Port, including moving containers at container terminals, the Nagoya Harbor Transportation Association announced on July 5.” Not clear if this IT, OT, or some enterprise mashup of the two.

A Georgia teacher’s plight exposes the essence of anti-woke MAGA fury.  WashingtonPost.com commentary.  Pull quote: “The essence of this mania is that it is forever hunting for new offenders on the flimsiest of pretexts. As GOP legislatures put the force of state power behind this push, they are creating an array of blunt weaponry, which in turn further encourages parents and local officials to sniff out new sexualizers of children, new Marxists, new lunatics and new perverts wherever they can be found. Whatever becomes of Rinderle, the scalps will assuredly continue piling higher.”

EV Charger Hacking Poses a ‘Catastrophic’ Risk. Wired.com article. Pull quote: “Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration finalized a rule requiring states to implement “appropriate” cybersecurity strategies for chargers funded under the infrastructure law. But Johnson says the regulation omits devices installed outside that expansion, not to mention the more than 100,000 units already in place nationwide. Plus, he says, states haven’t offered much detail about what they’ll do. “If you drill down into the state plans, you'll find that they are actually extremely light on cyber requirements,” he says. “The vast majority that I saw just say they will follow best practices.””