Barbara 🇺🇦 @babs_at_masto@qoto.org

I am frequently and highly critical of The Washington Post. But *this* is the way to play this story and write this headline about betrayal of an ally and surrender to an enemy: direct, true. More of this, please. #GoodPost

Musk and his incel cyber-terrorist crew has left vital government websites wide open for vandalism.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7296906241954512896/

From hummingbirds to bees: discover how different pollinators influence Rhododendron flower traits across continents. New study explores climate's role in this complex relationship.

https://wp.me/pdRZhH-lJU

Bruce Schneier Davi Ottenheimer have written a tremendous piece for Foreign Policy that everyone should read called "DOGE is Hacking America." It clearly explains why what DOGE is doing has to be stopped, and what's at stake here.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/11/doge-cyberattack-united-states-treasury/

I used to subscribe to FP but then found it came with my Apple News subscription. But I realize not everyone has that, so:
https://archive.ph/lSHkJ

Here's an excerpt:

"But the most alarming aspect isn’t just the access being granted. It’s the systematic dismantling of security measures that would detect and prevent misuse—including standard incident response protocols, auditing, and change-tracking mechanisms—by removing the career officials in charge of those security measures and replacing them with inexperienced operators.

The Treasury’s computer systems have such an impact on national security that they were designed with the same principle that guides nuclear launch protocols: No single person should have unlimited power. Just as launching a nuclear missile requires two separate officers turning their keys simultaneously, making changes to critical financial systems traditionally requires multiple authorized personnel working in concert.

This approach, known as “separation of duties,” isn’t just bureaucratic red tape; it’s a fundamental security principle as old as banking itself. When your local bank processes a large transfer, it requires two different employees to verify the transaction. When a company issues a major financial report, separate teams must review and approve it. These aren’t just formalities—they’re essential safeguards against corruption and error.

These measures have been bypassed or ignored. It’s as if someone found a way to rob Fort Knox by simply declaring that the new official policy is to fire all the guards and allow unescorted visits to the vault.

The implications for national security are staggering. Sen. Ron Wyden said his office had learned that the attackers gained privileges that allow them to modify core programs in Treasury Department computers that verify federal payments, access encrypted keys that secure financial transactions, and alter audit logs that record system changes. Over at OPM, reports indicate that individuals associated with DOGE connected an unauthorized server into the network. They are also reportedly training AI software on all of this sensitive data."

The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified:

Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the US govt could be.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/02/elon-musk-doge-security/681600/

"“This is the largest data breach & the largest #IT #security breach in our country’s #history—at least that’s publicly known”...

nobody yet knows which info #DOGE has access to, or what it plans to do with it...

“I don’t think the public quite understands the level of danger.”"

#Musk #Coup #Tech #News #USA

Can anyone explain to me why Trump's World Liberty Financial is making dozens of small ETH buys an hour? Thanks!

#crypto #ETH #finance

https://intel.arkm.com/explorer/address/0x5be9a4959308A0D0c7bC0870E319314d8D957dBB

Wired has been killing it lately on covering what may well be the biggest security breach this country has ever seen. They obtained an email sent by an intelligence team within the U.S. Treasury Department that referred to Musk's actions to unilaterally slash and burn government agencies as "the single greatest insider threat risk" they have ever faced.

"There is ongoing litigation, congressional legislation, and widespread protests relating to DOGE’s access to Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service,” the email reads, per the tech-focused outlet. "If DOGE members have any access to payment systems, we recommend suspending that access immediately and conducting a comprehensive review of all actions they may have taken on these systems."

"There is reporting at other federal agencies indicating that DOGE members have performed unauthorized changes and locked civil servants out of the sensitive systems they gained access to,” the ‘Recommendations’ portion of the email continues. “We further recommend that DOGE members be placed under insider threat monitoring and alerting after their access to payment systems is revoked. Continued access to any payment systems by DOGE members, even “read only,” likely poses the single greatest insider threat risk the Bureau of the Fiscal Service has ever faced.”

https://www.wired.com/story/treasury-bfs-doge-insider-threat

https://archive.ph/q26im

Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports the warning came from a Treasury threat center run by the govt contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. The Post reports that late Friday, Booz Allen said it had “removed” a subcontractor who wrote the warning and would seek to retract or amend it. “The draft report was prepared by a subcontractor to Booz Allen and contained unauthorized personal opinions that are not factual or consistent with our standards,” company spokesperson Jessica Klenk said. Booz Allen won more than $1 billion in multiyear U.S. government contracts last year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/07/doge-treasury-payments-system-warning/

https://archive.ph/lJ3oi

I've started posting on LinkedIn all the unconstitutional shit Trump and Musk are doing to undermine the security and integrity of our government. Mainly because that crowd needs to hear it most. It's incredible how many people in the infosec space are still defending the actions of DOGE and its dear leader(s). And they're not all crypto bros and AI peddlers; we're talking about people in some pretty important roles, tech-wise.

But at least when they reply with the inevitable "stay in your lane" or "I used to like you when you stayed out of politics," they are on record as complicit and totally okay with what is going on.

French newspaper Le Monde has decided to stop sharing content on Xitter where they have 11m followers. This lengthy editorial explains their ethical decision.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/01/20/fighting-for-facts-in-the-era-of-trump-and-musk_6737224_23.html

#LeMonde #Twitter #Musk

Are you wondering why #TikTok says it's back, when in fact the law that shut it down is still in effect?

Trump can't nullify a law with an executive order, no matter what he says. Starting tomorrow, he's going to pretend that he can. He's going to pretend he has the power of a despot. But he only does if we let him.

The world is drowning in plastic.

Experts say we need to stop making so much. But the plastics industry is peddling a "solution" that works like magic.

Don't be fooled.

(Published June 2024)
https://propub.li/4eYp8RR

#News #Plastic #Environment #Sustainability #Recycling

#Russia is ready to carry out cyber attacks on the UK and other allies in a bid to weaken support for #Ukraine, acc to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, whose role includes responsibility for natsec. In this latest warning he'll say the Kremlin could target British businesses and leave millions without power.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqxezer7nqo

The #plastics industry has heralded a type of #chemical #recycling it claims could replace new shopping bags and candy wrappers with recycled ones — but not much is being recycled at all, and this method won’t curb the #plastic crisis.

#News #Video #Environment #EPA #Business #Oil #Chemicals #Government

https://youtu.be/06wOoPngOwM?feature=shared

A lesson for journalists, scientists and really anybody who cares about #climatechange:
Using terms like
“Climate crisis”
“Climate emergency”
or
“Climate justice”
doesn’t increase people’s sense of urgency, willingness to support climate-friendly policies or willingness to act.
https://theconversation.com/if-you-want-americans-to-pay-attention-to-climate-change-just-call-it-climate-change-235002

BREAKING - Joe Biden proposes 3 major Supreme Court reforms

1) 18 year term limit
2) binding and enforceable ethics code
3) constitutional amendment stating that ex-presidents do NOT have immunity

Wonderful news — and then let’s add 4 more justices and a maximum age of 75

"Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy but by sophisticated networks relying on kleptocratic financial structures, a complex of security services — military, paramilitary, police — and experts in surveillance, propaganda, and disinformation.”
https://on.ft.com/3WRLWfT