BC INTERNET
Saved by @Alex1Powell

SolarWinds follow up. Very good tweet explaining what happened.

 Basically what this means is that SolarWinds itself was exploited. Someone posted an infected update as legitimate (digitally signed), leading customers to download a bad update.
“Multiple trojanized updates were digitally signed from March - May 2020 and posted to the SolarWinds updates website” https://t.co/8e3bMFWXYu
FireEye then explains that infected organizations were approached and exploited. This is a separate Step 2.
At this point, information is already going to “malicious domains” without extra intervention, after the malware does nothing for “up to two weeks”
But the cyber thieves take the opportunity to move around (“laterally”) inside the infected organization.
Bad actor = UNC42.
Trojan software = SUNBURST.
Basically the intruder tiptoes around the infected network grabbing more stuff.
As Chris Krebs pointed out, the hack is “resource intensive” because it takes a lot of work to do some of this. For example to create a malicious false domain with the same information as in the victim’s network.
What this means is that certain “choice” organizations are such significant targets that the cyber thief dwells on ensuring they can rummage around (spy on emails for example) undetected.
There is no definitive proof I have seen that Russia perpetrated this hack. Why won’t the media say that China or Iran or some other country could have done it?
Six years ago, another company

https://t.co/lzTINHgyAt
“Members of China's military systematically hacked the computers of SolarWorld USA, engaging in corporate espionage with the possible aim of advantaging SolarWorld's Chinese rivals, the US government alleges.” (May 19, 2014)
“Chinese bank forced western companies to install malware-laced tax software

GoldenSpy backdoor trojan found in a Chinese bank's official tax software, which the bank has been forcing western companies to install.” https://t.co/iEcdevXS7q
Another one from China: “execute files downloaded from a remote command and control (C&C) server, and update or uninstall itself.” https://t.co/CpTRlx3n8h
They tell us China is the biggest threat to our security and then refuse to publicly say that China could have done it, instead reflexively naming Russia. https://t.co/4ZOhYgWT03
Even the official denials are well known! https://t.co/29Hd0wJilI
“A bombshell report claims that China has been developing a massive spying operation for a few years that involved building hardware backdoors into critical server components with the help of microchips no bigger than a grain of rice or the tip of a sharpened pencil.”
“Those chips, once placed on motherboards that go into popular servers, would be able to help Chinese spies access information that would otherwise be unavailable to them.”
“Secret Backdoor in Some Low-Priced Android Phones Sent Data to a Server in China”
https://t.co/MQoZ3XEtgc
“Pompeo warns governors of Chinese infiltration into US: 'It's happening in your state'” (February 2020)

https://t.co/inXsE8UxAl
IS THE SOLARWINDS HACK RELATED TO ELECTION INTERFERENCE AS SOMEONE SUGGESTED HERE ON TWITTER (sorry I can’t find your tweet at the moment)
DID SOMEONE GAIN ACCESS TO THE STATES AND MESS WITH THEIR COMPUTERS SO THAT ELECTION DATA WAS SENT TO CHINA
THE REPORT ON FOREIGN ELECTION INTERFERENCE DROPS BY FRIDAY
Pompeo said to the governors: “The Chinese government has been methodical in the way it's analyzed our system... it's assessed our vulnerabilities and it's decided to exploit our freedoms, to gain an advantage over us at the federal level, the state level and the local level."
Pompeo warned them that we know.
“I'd be surprised if most of you in the audience had not been lobbied by the Chinese Communist Party directly."
“He said groups loyal to communist China are operating out in the open in Virginia, Minnesota, Florida and dozens of other states all around the country.”
“Other Chinese groups, however, practice their nefarious actions in the shadows in an attempt to exercise influence over U.S. citizens and lawmakers.”
Examples like “a diplomat from China, assigned here to the United States, a representative of the Chinese Communist Party, in New York City, sending a letter urging that an American elected official shouldn’t exercise his right to freedom of speech”
THEY ARE ATTACKING OUR CHILDRENS MINDS SAID POMPEO THROUGH THE SCHOOLS
“The secretary said ...that Chinese officials based in the U.S. are actively seeking to sow seeds of chaos at the state and local level -- specifically in the realm of education on college campuses and K-12 classrooms.”
“Maybe some of you have heard about the time when the Chinese consulate paid the UC San Diego students to protest the Dalai Lama. It shows depth. It shows systemization. It shows intent.”
WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP REMEMBER CYNTHIA A JOHNSON PLAYING PING PONG IN DETROIT WITH THE CHINESE OFFICIAL
“Chinese Communist party officials, too, are cultivating relationships with county school boards and local politicians -- Often through what are known as 'Sister City Programs' ... This competition is well underway."
REMEMBER THE HARVARD PROFESSOR ARRESTED CHARLES LIEBER NANOTECHNOLOGY GOT PAID FROM “THOUSAND TALENTS PLAN”
“Pompeo also spoke about China's campaign to recruit U.S. scientists and academics to share vital secrets, in exchange for monetary gain through their ‘Thousand Talents Plan,’”
“a campaign that has already targeted scientists and professors on campuses such as Virginia Tech and Harvard and triggered investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ).”
https://t.co/bozYbHtPqb
CHINA TURNS STUDENTS INTO SPIES
“He also explained how Beijing pressures Chinese students in the U.S. to keep an eye on their fellow countrymen and report back to the government about their activities.”
CHINA PROPAGANDA FLOODS KIDS MINDS AND THE AIRWAVES
“China’s propaganda starts even earlier than college. China has targeted K-12 schools around the world”
THE FAKE NEWS OWNERS DO BUSINESS WITH CHINA THAT AFFECTS OBJECTIVITY https://t.co/dnCgXIUOQg
“Pompeo then warned state governors about doing business with China and said it is common to indirectly finance communism without realizing it.”
“I want to urge vigilance on the local level too”
“I hope you will all take on board what I've said today. Don’t lose sight of the competition from China that's already present in your state. Let's all rise to the occasion and protect our security, our economy, indeed all that we hold dear."
@threadreaderapp unroll
@threader_app compile

More from Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD

Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD
Dannielle (Dossy) Blum...
@DrDannielle
Q’s Farewell.

“Anonymous 12/20/20 (Sun) 16:14:32

“Dear Patriots,

“Some of you may recognize my name. I have daily briefings with POTUS and have posted here before a handful of times as a ‘helper’.”

“What I'm about to disclose is the most important post you'll read before the inauguration.”

“Q will not post here again, at least not for a while. The operation is ongoing but must run silent at this point.

“Once we wind down you will not hear from Q again. Don't let this worry or upset you.”

“We are in perhaps the most critical juncture of American history. POTUS is fully aware of the gravity of this time period. We have prepared from before 2015 for this exact moment.”
FOR LATER READ
Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD
Dannielle (Dossy) Blum...
@DrDannielle
Clear communication means people can read or watch, check sources, and debate or criticize.

If your communication relies on advertising or rumor it’s shady.
COMMUNICATION
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Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD
Dannielle (Dossy) Blum...
@DrDannielle
POTUS calling out the Justice Department as corrupt.


To be clear, I would distinguish between regular employees of the Justice Department and the decisions made officially. It's important to do this.

It is also worth noting that "federal agents can be sued for putting Muslim men on the no-fly list in alleged retaliation for their refusal to cooperate with counterterrorism

"The decision, a rare expansion of personal liability for law-enforcement misconduct, was one of four unanimous rulings the court issued Thursday"

"The court also found that there is no statute of limitations on when rape charges can be filed in the armed services"
CORRUPTION
Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD
Dannielle (Dossy) Blum...
@DrDannielle
Follow up thread on Eric Coomer.

New: Dominion Voting Systems employee SUES Trump campaign and allies https://t.co/7dEEapCEYI via @MailOnline
POLITICS
Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal PhD
Dannielle (Dossy) Blum...
@DrDannielle
“We have been reduced to a community of paranoid hypochondriacs, afraid that every breath will kill us” - Rabbi Chananya Weissman

“that the most basic human contact is an unreasonable roll of the dice, that everything we once considered normal and even obligatory must be off limits indefinitely – in some cases even forever.

This is insane. This is against everything the Torah teaches us.”

“not denying that covid is real & should be taken seriously. At the same time, I am denying...the angel of death is roaming among us, felling people left & right like Biblical plagues. This is not a Biblical plague. There are a million ways we can die...covid is just another 1.”

“I don't want to get it, and I don't want to give it to anyone else, but the terror that we have been living with for the last year is unjustified. Because of this terror, one third of Israel is currently living in poverty, with many others barely hanging on.”

“Drug and alcohol abuse are up; domestic abuse is up; suicides are up; social workers are overwhelmed; elderly people are dying from loneliness; children are traumatized; parents are falling apart; thousands of businesses have closed forever; and so much more.”
FOR LATER READ

More from Internet

foone
foone
@Foone
I was hacking a game and accidentally invented a word for when you think someone is trans and you're proud of them for coming out but then you find out they aren't


someone is excited to watch bill nye in science class


This happens because one of the ways I figure out which memory location needs to be modified is by memory-searching for all occurrences and changing the first letter of them

so like if I know the next line of dialog is "Die"
I change it to "Aie" "Bie" "Cie" "Eie" "Fie"

then I see which one shows up in the game
INTERNET
r1es
r1es
@midnightride21
***THREAD***

I’ve been on the phone with colleagues about the hack all morning. None of us can figure out why #CISA chose this particular response to the breach. Couple of things struck us as curious.

The agencies targeted are not responding how you might expect...
INTERNET
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BlackRoomSec
BlackRoomSec
@blackroomsec
Or, you could let us know when you figure out why it was trending yesterday and the users are complaining which is why Vice wrote about it. Why I'm saying what I am.

There's an assumption here that this problem is fixed bc it was already hacked.

It's not.


We have ppl freezing and dying in TX right now because some ppl who thought they were really smart never spoke to anyone with actual experience with energy systems in extreme cold climates.

Texans are waiting for a solution to a preventable problem.

Farmers are saying that now, not during a crisis, they have to wait for a JD tech to arrive to help them.

The assumption that bc SOME farmers said screw this and used hacked firmware to get around that obstacle doesn't mean that all farmers are doing that.

If all farmers were using hacked firmware we wouldn't be discussing this right now would we?

Of course no one has pointed out that another issue here is that no one at John Deere has figured out they don't have enough staff to quickly and reliably SOLVE problems.

The locked firmware is just one of many issues here.

By not giving people a fast solution they're causing this and other issues.

So what I'm saying is somebody at John Deere needs to examine all of this.
INTERNET
Dave Troy
Dave Troy
@davetroy
THREAD: Now that @Amazon @awscloud has announced they will no longer host @parler_app, many have speculated that they will just “find another host.”

Here is why that’s not so simple and what it will likely mean for the app’s future. First, let’s look at where things are...

2/ Google and Apple have removed the app from their app stores, effectively terminating growth on mobile devices. People can still access the (not good) web UI until Amazon terminates them today. CEO Matze has said they may be down “up to a week” while they find new hosting.

3/ Translated to English, that’s code for “we have no idea what’s going to happen next.” No US cloud provider (Microsoft, Google, IBM, Digital Ocean) is likely to touch this, as it could be seen as providing material support for sedition. No CEO or counsel wants to get near this.

4/ They could potentially “roll their own” data center by buying servers and putting them in a co-location facility. But that’s a single point of failure, and many colo providers would be just as likely to decline their business. It would be hard and risky to pursue this.

5/ Imagine, after they sweated like pigs to get this hardware all setup, if they get told their colo provider is booting them. That’s a lot of metal to then move somewhere else. Meanwhile, the user base is deteriorating because chaos and dying apps. They will go to other venues.
INTERNET
Elky
Elky
@Elky_Style
Company
Permanent suspension of @realDonaldTrump
By Twitter Inc.
Friday, 8 January 2021
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter —


we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. 

In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action.

Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. 

However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are

not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement. 

The below is a comprehensive analysis of our policy enforcement approach in this case.

Overview

On January 8, 2021, President Donald J. Trump Tweeted:

“The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form
INTERNET

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Khatvaanga
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Sri Gurubhyo Namah.
Some tweets on Adi Shankaracharya and in particular the Guru Parampara of @sringerimath. [I had done this series earlier 5 years ago on account of Shishya Sweekaram].


Adi Shankara established the Sringeri Peetham as the 1st of 4 amnaaya peetams.

The four being
1. Sarada Peetam at Sringeri.
2. Govardhana Peetam at Puri
3. Kalika at Dwaraka
4. Jyothir at Badarikashramam.

He installed his 4 most prominent shishyas as heads of the peetams.

Sureshwaracharya was assigned to Sringeri as its head.

Sringeri is a corruption of Rshyashrunga giri.

Rshyashrunga maharshi [and his father Sri Vibandhaka Maharshi] did their tapas at this place.

It is at Sringeri that Shankara spent 12 of His precious 32 years!!

That gives you and idea how much He loved this place.

Rshyashruga maharshi had a horn on his forehead, a result of being born to a deer. His mere presence was enough to shower rains!!

Rshyashrunga was one who led Putrakamesthi Yaagam of Dasaratha Maharaj and which resulted in Sri Rama's birth!!
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Antonio Garc\xeda Mart\xednez
Antonio García Martíne...
@antoniogm
Observing the public conversation around FB, and the private ones happening among techies and ex-FBers, I think the mutual misunderstanding is worse than when I set out two years (and 500 pages) ago to (in a small way) bridge that gulf.

We're basically fucked.

The tech world has gotten so huge, self-reinforcing, and insulated from reality they can no longer even vaguely look at themselves (and their actions) as others do. They just live on a different planet than most people.

Conversely, the average tech consumer doesn't understand the technology that has slowly taken over their lives, and their designated emissaries to figure it out--politicians, pundits, regulators, journalists--understand it barely better than they do, and have their own agendas.

To say more than generalities for a moment, here's what I think is likely the core problem.

Techies take weird, improbable visions, and make them realities: some BS pitch deck to a VC, mixed with money and people, really does turn into some novel thing.

Most people work inside a legacy industry that's evolved that way over time (usually for good reasons), and they think about the future via some analogy with their present (which is a function of a long-ago past). The interruption that tech will introduce is often hard to grasp.
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sriram \U0001f1ee\U0001f1f3
sriram 🇮🇳...
@SriramKannan77
Saptapadi

The most essential rite (Sanskrit: rītī) of a Hindu marriage ceremony is Saptapadi (English: seven steps, saptapadī). Saptapadi is a Sanskrit term that means "seven steps." The wedded couple walks seven steps after tying the Mangalsutra, which is known as Saptapadi.


The couple legally becomes husband and wife after the seventh step.
Hindu wedding rituals: During Saath Phere, the bride and groom exchange their marital vows while circumambulating (walking around) the sacred fire seven times.


This is because the bride and groom exchange marriage vows and hope for a happy married life together.

1. The first marriage vow, out of seven, is a petition to the Lord for nutrition and nourishment for the Hindu bride and groom.


2. Hindu Bride and Groom: The second marriage promise is for strength in sickness, health, good times, and terrible times.

3. For the Hindu Bride and Groom - The third marriage promise is for the Hindu bride and groom's prosperity.

4. For Hindu Bride and Groom - The fourth pledge is to stand by their families in good times and bad.
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Reshu Nath
Reshu Nath
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'Tera mera rishta kya, hindu, hindu,hindutva' is a clear take on 'tera mera rishta kya,la ilaha illallah'. As much as Hindutva hates the monotheistic religions especially Islam, there's a strange wistfulness and subliminal need at display now, to BE that they hate. 1


Charlie Hebdo doesn’t come up as a cautionary tale now but rather 'why cant we be like that'?
Growing up, Hanuman was an adorable deity for us, who swallowed the sun, or who couldn’t figure out what was Sanjeevani booti so he picked up a whole mountain and came back with it. 2

Or he was loyal, admirable and when he cleaved his chest, you saw both Ram and Sita. Now we have a lot of “Angry Hanuman” stickers. Why is a cute childlike God angry? We don’t know. It's a convenient blank space where to paint all the angst of Hindu Khatre mein hain narrative. 3


The other strange thing that has started happening is pictures of Ram appearing sans Sita. “Jai Siya Ram” has become “Jai Shri Ram”. Some people disingenuously explain it as being the same thing - because Shri is a name of Lakshmi. Not really. Siya is an apbhransh of Sita. 4


Shri is a prefix of respect in this case. Hinduism is being militarised. A woman/Sita has no place in it. Even the militaristic Goddess that is Durga has no place in this conception of neo-Hindu divinity, as evidenced by Dilip Mandal wondering where Durga came from. 5
RELIGION
RadioChinar
RadioChinar
@RadioChinar
Demystifying Ghazwa-e-Hind. A #thread.

A recent video of Shoaid Akhter surfaced in social media creating a lot of controversy where the #Pakistani Cricketer can be seen suggesting invasion of India by using the term Ghazwa-e-Hind.
Radicalization of sportsmen seen off late
(1/10)


Some radical Islamic preachers believes that Ghazwa-e-Hind means a “Holy War against India”. As per this irrational & profane concept, there will be a fierce battle to secure victory over #India.
#Kashmir
(2/10)


#Pakistan-based terror groups, like JeM have been using Ghazwa-e-Hind as a Hadith to recruit, fund and justify its terror strikes as a religious holy war against #India.
#Kashmir
(3/10)


Some machiavellian people claim it is a prophecy that Muslim warriors will wage war against the #India.
Jaish & others falsely propagate that Jihad against India is considered holy in Islam & that those participating in it will be granted an easy entry into paradise.
(4/10)


However prolific scholars says that this is a made-up interpretation of some verse in The Holy Quran to mislead the gullible youth of #Pakistan into picking up arms and fighting its Army's personal battle against #India.
#Kashmir
(5/10)
SOCIETY