Short Takes – 11-1-23

.US Harbors Prolific Malicious Link Shortening Service. KrebsOnSecurity.com article. Pull quote: “.US is overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an executive branch agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. But Uncle Sam has long outsourced the management of .US to various private companies, which have gradually allowed the United States’s top-level domain to devolve into a cesspool of phishing activity.”

Four dozen countries declare they won’t pay ransomware ransoms. CyberScoop.com article. Pull quote: “First convened by President Joe Biden in 2021, this year’s meting of the ransomware initiative will focus on information sharing around incorporating artificial intelligence and blockchain analysis into the ransomware fight, a new information sharing platform for member countries and, in the spirit of fighting back, the first ever policy statement declaring that member nations will not pay ransoms.” It isn’t countries paying ransoms that is the problem….

After decades of dreams, a commercial spaceplane is almost ready to fly. ArsTechnical.com article. Pull quote: “Then, if everything checks out, the spacecraft will ship out to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Sierra Space says the first Dream Chaser flight to the space station is currently slated for April, but there are risks to the schedule. The first flight of a new spacecraft is typically susceptible to delays, and Sierra Space is no stranger to this.” Lots of information on the program.