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Nation-sponsored hackers have penetrated the operational networks multiple US and European energy companies use to control key parts of the power grid that supplies electricity to hundreds of millions of people, researchers warned Wednesday.
The incursions detected by security firm Symantec represent a dramatic escalation by a hacking group dubbed Dragonfly, which has been waging attacks against US and European energy companies since at least 2011. In 2014, Symantec reported that Dragonfly was aggressively establishing beachheads in a limited number of target networks, mainly by stealing the user names and passwords used to restrict access to legitimate personnel. Over the past year, the hacking group has managed to compromise dozens of energy firms and, in a handful of cases, install backdoors in the highly sensitive networks the firms use to supply power to the grid.
[...] After this Ars post went live, several security professionals with expertise in electric grids downplayed the likelihood of the operational network compromises being used to cause blackouts or take down parts of the grid. Robert Lee, the founder and CEO of Dragos Security, said the hackers would need more than the mere ability to control human machine interfaces that flip switches and open and close breakers. While he said an attack that mimicked the techniques that disrupted Ukrainian power in 2015 was possible, he said differences in the US grid would make those tactics much less effective.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 11 2017, @01:42AM (9 children)
Having money in the bank won't mean a thing if the things really go to shit and nobody can buy anything with plastic. Either you have your house before the shit or you won't be able to buy it after it.
Which raises the question: what is the "money" that will allow one to "barter for survival" if the things go to shit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jelizondo on Monday September 11 2017, @03:57AM (3 children)
Immediately, guns; medium- and long-term, salt. You see people think that gold, silver or diamonds will allow them to barter once apocalyptic events happen but they are wrong, neither of those is edible nor will help you survive. Salt will allow you to keep food for longer and it is necessary for bodily survival. (Salt gets a bad rap because processed foods contain too much of it, but it really is necessary for your body.)
For the first 4 to 6 months, canned food and guns; longer than six months, salt is worth its weight on… wait, salt!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 11 2017, @04:44AM (2 children)
Unless you live by the sea or in Salt Lake City.
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Looking into the pyramid of human needs, the first two levels (survival and safety) will be the most valuable.
Which may include: food, water disinfection tablets and antibiotics, preservatives (salt is one of them, aspirin is better), defense (guns, yes, but a place easy to defend may be even more valuable than a gun with not enough ammunition), hand tools (saw/hacksaws, hammers, knives).
Medium term (1year+): seeds. Mobility may also be an issue: horse/donkey/camel - if you can afford their care and defense.
Longish term - community (one won't last long alone) and knowledge of basic pottery, forging and agriculture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by jelizondo on Tuesday September 12 2017, @02:07AM (1 child)
Thank you for your reply. I was being kind of flippant, but your reply is very thoughtful.
I have been in a couple of hurricanes (not any of the current ones, thank $deity) where I had money but banks are closed, no power so no ATM so no money. One can starve with a lot of money in the bank!
However such events are transitory but a full collapse would take a lot of lives simply for lack of experience. Even bullets eventually go bad and so does aspirin, so you have to think about not having ANY modern stuff around, and as you point out, one needs to know some valuable skills such as pottery or agriculture.
Cheers,
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 12 2017, @02:19AM
Some clips I enjoyed over the weekend on the Primitive Technology [youtube.com] channel (a young bloke in northern Queensland).
I found the fire lighting [youtube.com] and the forge blower [youtube.com] quite ingenious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday September 11 2017, @11:57AM (4 children)
Let's go with choice #1. A few hundred million can buy the prepared person a lot of future after the fall of society. I think though we will find that most such people die of old age first.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 12 2017, @02:29AM (3 children)
If living by its own (as "King of the castle") they won't have that time against determined adversaries who hold a grudge - attrition warfare is easy against an isolated immobile adversary. The castle will deter only the opportunists.
The other chance: that person is not alone but live in a "fenced" community of like minded and like abled - like an island large enough [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday September 12 2017, @06:50AM (2 children)
What determined adversaries? What grudge? I imagine if they don't put up billboards boasting about their role in the collapse of society, are well out of the way, and manage local politics well, they'll have a hard time finding such determined adversaries.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday September 13 2017, @11:55AM (1 child)
My guess is that a lot of the people who fomented the worldwide mess will ride it out hunkered down in New Zealand.
Surrounded with people they have not screwed.
Once people know where "they" are, its gonna be Masada all over again.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 13 2017, @01:18PM
Sorry, that's fantasy. With a hypothetical collapse of global society, one of the things that gets lost is the ability to project force on a global scale.
For example, if the survivors of the US are enraged at a certain um... friend of mine, and he happens to be hiding in New Zealand which has survived rather well the collapse, then how are they going to get to New Zealand and how numerous are they going to be versus the New Zealanders when they get there? Odds are good that a single oil-powered destroyer can eliminate the entire invasion fleet, assuming it makes it to New Zealand in the first place. Even if not, the New Zealanders may well greatly outnumber said invaders since population crashes usually accompany collapses of civilization. Sure, it may still turn out badly for my friend once the New Zealand navy starts interrogating prisoners to find out why they're so pissed that they're willing to sail halfway across the world, but it's still pretty good odds for the collapse of society.