Folks,
Mea culpa. It looks more and more like the “ransomware” attacks were not after money, but destruction. That, coupled with the timing in Ukraine right before their Constitution Day, would tend to indicate it was Russian operatives that did this. At first, I assumed that a major attack in Ukraine was Russian-sourced, but as the day unfolded with reports from around the world, I surmised that it was actually NK hackers, making it look like an anti-Ukraine operation, and after even more Bitcoin like the previous wave of ransomware. The fact that there was a major dip in Bitcoin value right before the attack started seemed like an echo from a previous attack.
Well, it looks like I was wrong – the attacks had a poorly-designed ransom function that didn’t work, and in reality, the payload destroyed files of certain types without recording the encryption key used. In other words, it was irreversible – the payload was destructive and not ransomware, it was just built to resemble one. So in this case, paying or not paying had the same result – if you contracted it, your files were toast.
Still, the suggestions I made about updating current systems, using good security software, backups, not clicking on ANY link in email, etc. hold. And, should you be running a dead Windows operating system, do plan to upgrade soon – either get a newer pc, upgrade to Windows 10, or install something like Linux Mint or Ubuntu. Right now, you’re a sitting target with adversaries that are evolving while your old machine likely doesn’t have functional anti-virus software, much less modern defenses built into operating systems.
And now an overdue announcement – tomorrow at noon Eastern, we’ll have part 2 of Boussinesque’s Intro to Oceanography, this time on Ocean Acidification. As a huge fan of all forms of seafood, learning of the effects of this trend on plankton, the root source of all life in the sea, has me quite concerned.
It will be interesting, and he’ll be manning staffing in the comments to answer questions, etc. – thanks to both for nudges
A brief note to mobile site users – expect some changes over the next day or three. I intend to bring a lot of the tweaks and tools from the desktop site to the mobile site, where appropriate. I’m sure some will complain, feel free to do so and I’ll adjust it like always! Should you have any mobile site complaints or suggestions, this is the thread for them; I’ll come back here a few times to see if any late readers have added their 2 cents.
Finally, about 3:30 today I will do some backend tweaking and that may make the site boogered for a few seconds. Should this happen, comments you just submitted might get eaten, so if it’s important, around that time, copy comments to notepad or something in case it doesn’t go through. I’ll comment right before and after the change.
Open thread!
Alain the site fixer
Sorry for semi-crappy formatting, WordPress is not cooperating with me. I suspect she knows I’m working on the mobile site today….
Brachiator
Yep. The point was apparently to cause destruction, not to make money.
The TWIT Network program Tech News Today, available as a podcast and on YouTube here, has a good, non-technical discussion about this threat, Red Queen Situation.
The segment begins around the 29 minute mark of the program.
ETA: A takeaway again is the importance of backing up important files, even if it baby and family photos. If it’s important to you, keep it safe.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
Thank you. Alain, for the edifying, if alarming, information AND arranging for Bouissinesque’s post. There are some brilliant minds doing great work here.
nightranger
Such great advice. Never heard that before.
What year is this? 2000?
If someone still needs to be told that they are not qualified use a computer, or scissors.
It does still amaze me that a lot of people don’t know that they can hover over links to see where they are really linking to.
scav
Hurray and thanks to both for a summertime trip to the oceans! I’ll be good, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@West of the Rockies (been a while):
Oh. And I hear Frederick Douglass is doing great work, also, too!
TaMara (HFG)
Well, thanks to you, I made sure everything was backed up (I get a little lazy and just back up my current work everyday – but really needed to update all my backup files).
Eventually I need to turn on my older computer and get everything updated…
Mike in DC
That new recruiting ad for the Sturmabteilung looks inspiring. Oh, wait, sorry, it’s by the NRA.
Booger
Boogered, you say?
Alain the site fixer
@nightranger: the thing is, these days you can’t trust your eyes! Thanks to Unicode, there are characters that look like the correct one, but are not, and so it’s plain easier to never click a link in an email. Always type it in yourself. Simple and safe.
randy khan
My wife would point out that it’s better to say “staffing” than “manning,” even when the person doing it is a man because “staffing” is gender neutral. (I’ve taken up this cudgel on her behalf because, well, she’s right.)
Karen
my Norton updated and messaged that they had patch aimed at latest attack ware
Major Major Major Major
Does this mean we’ll be getting the mobile pie filter? :)
@nightranger: Why do you come here?
EBT
If you have a very decrepit system that modern OSs can’t run on, I suggest a flavor of Ubuntu called Lubuntu. It’s specifically designed for old hardware that doesn’t have the specs for much else. I have an original Acer netbook that could just run 7 if you didn’t want anything else at all, and it functions decently as a browser and word processor with the most recent Long Term build of Lubuntu.
Alain the site fixer
@Major Major Major Major: yes, soon. I added the menu correctly now so Quick Links now shows up there, and tweaked some new settings, etc. I just downloaded the files to edit, now to decipher how the mobile theme works.
Alain the site fixer
@randy khan: I appreciate the nudge.
Alain the site fixer
@randy khan: I was about to leave it as is as I am often more concerned with language reflecting how people speak than how they should speak, but then I remembered how important it is to control the language and make it work for as many as possible. So my short answer and correction actually spurred a nice interior dialogue. Thanks!
Gin & Tonic
@Major Major Major Major: To shower us with his expertise.
Wayne
Alain, I appreciate the info you bring to this site, Thanks.
I see your warnings about older computers. I have an xp that is networked but only used to connect and print to an old plotter I have. That is its only use, no internet, no email, nothing else. Is this computer at risk too?
ThresherK
@randy khan: I’ve used “waitstaff” for some time, because WaitersAndWaitresses is too long, and Waitrons just makes people think “Oh, the Country Bear Jamboree are bringing me my food”.
Plus when it comes to bidness buzzwords “Staffing Solutions” sounds a lot better than “manning solutions”.
Amir Khalid
I would have put it this way:
EBT
Question!
The pie filter saves to LocalStorage right?
pb
@Wayne: Ditto x 10 thanks for the computer information, Alain. I use the machine hours/day but know little about the intricacies of its innards. Your explanations are very clear and very helpful.
Major Major Major Major
@EBT: correct.
Roger Moore
@Brachiator:
I would add: protect it more than one way. If it’s something important and reasonably small, have both an off-line backup and keep a copy with a trustworthy cloud provider. If it’s too big to keep on the cloud, have both on-line and off-line backups. If it’s something like family pictures, make sure you share copies with everyone in the family- and that you get copies of the rest of the family’s pictures, too- so there’s a chance of getting a copy from a relative if you’re completely wiped out. Keep a thumb drive with your critical information (e.g. taxes, financial statements, etc.) in your safe deposit box. Basically, make sure things that are important to you are replicated as many times and in as many different places as you can think of.
Roger Moore
@TaMara (HFG):
This is a big reason to have an incremental backup program, i.e. one that checks the difference between the master and the backup and updates the backup with any changes. It gives you the best of both worlds. It’s about as fast as just backing up today’s work, but it also guarantees that nothing slips through the cracks so you don’t need to backup everything from scratch to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Alain the site fixer
@EBT: yes. And it’s live on the mobile site!
Alain the site fixer
@Wayne: technically, yes because something else could infect it, like an infected USB stick or a guest with an infected laptop you let use your WiFi or something similar, but your risk level is pretty low.
Alain the site fixer
@ThresherK: But “Staffpower” sounds like a V-gra knockoff as opposed to “Manpower”.
Major Major Major Major
@Alain the site fixer: woohoo!
ETA: looks great, thanks Alain!
Roger Moore
@ThresherK:
“Waiter” is rapidly being degendered. I hear people referring to women as waiters all the time. Another alternative is “server”, which doesn’t have the same gendered connotations to remove.
Major Major Major Major
@Roger Moore: I can’t wrap my brain around the degendered “actor”, I will say.
Brachiator
@Roger Moore: RE: ETA: A takeaway again is the importance of backing up important files, even if it baby and family photos. If it’s important to you, keep it safe.
Yep.
Some people don’t trust or don’t like the cloud, but it should be considered as well. Earlier I noted a CPA who had a backup at home and at his office. But a flood damaged both home and office locations.. Fortunately, he also had a copy of essential data files stored in the cloud and was soon up and running again. You never know.
Alain the site fixer
@Roger Moore: Agreed. I’ve taught my mom to save everything important to Dropbox because before that, she would use USB sticks and before that, disks. She uses multiple computers and so cloud storage was an easy sell to her for convenience and simplicity, but getting her to save everything to her Dropbox took a while, but now she is safe from most issues should anything bad happen to her machines.
Alain the site fixer
@Major Major Major Major: What about comedian?
Major Major Major Major
@Alain the site fixer: doesn’t bug me, probably because you grow up hearing ‘actress’ a lot, but not ‘comedienne’.
randy khan
@ThresherK:
I usually go with “servers,” but “waitstaff” works, too.
randy khan
@Roger Moore:
My solution is two backup drives in different locations. For my wife’s desktop, I swap the two drives every couple of weeks.
randy khan
@Major Major Major Major:
Some of us did grow up hearing “comedienne.” I’m actually pretty much fine with “actor” as a non-gendered term, in part because that’s what female actors have adopted.
randy khan
@Alain the site fixer:
All credit goes to my wife (which I could say about a lot of things).
Major Major Major Major
@randy khan: I didn’t say I had any objection to it, just not used to it.
I mean, I grew up around the word ‘comedienne’ I guess, but not in the same way as ‘actress’ which was ubiquitous.
Roger Moore
@randy khan:
I do something similar. I keep one backup at home (in addition to RAID1 on my /home drive) and one locked in my desk at work. I swap them periodically.
J R in WV
Alain
I assume (yes I DO know assume can make a Ass of U and Me) that the pie filter has a little DB full of witty sentences with pie as subject noun or action verb, and/or both. Any way the commenting jackals could propose new pie sentences for the DB? New button on the pie filter control panel… just begging here, that’s all. I love me some pie chat.
Major Major Major Major
@J R in WV: Not as currently implemented.
p.s. thank you for the nice comment on my comic, I responded if you didn’t see.
Wayne
@Alain the site fixer: Thanks for the reply.
Alain the site fixer
@J R in WV: Yes. Next week, I’m going to solicit some pie sayings as well as quotes for the rotator. I will run those by John and other Front Pagers.
J R in WV
@Major Major Major Major:
Hoping you keep it up regularly!! Good job, great introduction to the protagonist and his situation. Lots of potential for a young guy to learn about being a jackal.
Mnemosyne
I can see the pie filter on my phone now! Yay!
nightranger
The media love a good shit show. They will just talk about it more. Unfortunately the talk will be the usual both sides BS. They won’t be bullied into submission. I wish they would go even further and stop reporting both sides like they are both valid realities.