Short Takes – 8-19-25

EPA, WaterISAC caution utilities on drone threats and cyber risks in evolving security landscape. IndustrialCyber.co article. Pull quote: “In the latest quarterly edition of the National Security Information Sharing Bulletin (ISB), the agencies warn that the heightened threat environment is increasing operational risks for water and wastewater utilities across the full spectrum of hazards, from cyberattacks to physical security threats and natural disasters. The issue underscores how emerging technologies are reshaping the risk landscape, while also outlining recent cybersecurity concerns for utilities and recommending measures to strengthen defenses.”

Data that taxpayers have paid for and rely on is disappearing – here’s how it’s happening and what you can do about it. TheConversation.com article. Pull quote: “While the pace of intentional government data removal appears to have slowed, it hasn’t stopped. New datasets under threat of disappearing are being rescued daily. Restructured federal agencies and related changes to – or neglect of – official websites can make data difficult or impossible to find.”

Climate Change is Coming for Your Bananas. Time.com article.  Pull quote: “For banana lovers, one silver lining remains. Though banana prices might be on the rise, experts predict that bananas will keep their title as the most affordable fruit. “I think that even over the next decade or so, the banana will still be the cheapest fruit on the shelf,” says Abu-Ghazaleh, whose company is a major fruit supplier. "The consumer will still have the opportunity to enjoy a very affordable fruit compared to any other.””

After recent tests, China appears likely to beat the United States back to the Moon. ArsTechnica.com interview. Pull quote: “By contrast, the Chinese are stable, systematic. They pursue a given goal (e.g., human spaceflight, a space station) over decades, with persistence and programmatic (both budgetarily and in terms of goals) stability. So I expect that the Chinese will put a Chinese person on the Moon by 2030 and follow that with additional crewed and unmanned facilities. This will be supported by a built-out infrastructure of lunar PNT/comms. The US will almost certainly put people on the Moon in a landing in the next several years, but then what? Is Lunar Gateway going to be real? How often will the US go to the Moon, as the Chinese go over and over?”

A review of cybersecurity incidents in the food and agriculture sector. ScienceDirectAssets.com article. Pull quote: “A smart farm is a cyber–physical system whose operations can be monitored and controlled by a computer and communication system using a set of networked agents [8,9]. These network agents can be sensors, linear actuators, control processing units, and communication devices [10]. As noted by Zanella et al. [11], smart farming utilizes emerging technologies, and due to their complexity, it incorporates all the security problems present in these technologies into smart farms, making them vulnerable to security threats.”

SpaceX completes investigation into recent Starship failures, clears the way for Flight 10. Space.com article. Pull quote: “The next iteration of Super Heavy and Starship will need to pick up the pace to qualify in time to fly as part of NASA's Artemis 3 moon mission. NASA selected Starship as the lunar lander for the mission, which will put astronauts on the moon for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972. NASA is currently targeting 2027 for the launch of Artemis 3, and Starship's recent test-flight issues are unlikely to quell ongoing concerns at the space agency that Starship's development may delay the mission further.”

EO 14336 - Ensuring American Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Resilience by Filling the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve, Federal Register.

EO 14337 - Revocation of Executive Order on Competition [Executive Order 14036 of July 9, 2021], Federal Register.

 

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