#security agencies in Canada | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aaksconsulting · 6 months

Text

Website Security: Best Practices For Protecting Your Site From Cyber Threats

Welcome to the digital age, where websites have become the virtual front doors of businesses around the world. However, with this unparalleled convenience comes a lurking danger – cyber threats. In today’s interconnected world, no website is safe from potential breaches and attacks which can wreak havoc on your online presence.

But fear not! In this blog post, we will unveil a treasure trove of best practices that you can implement to fortify your website’s defenses and safeguard it against any malevolent forces out there. So tighten your seatbelts and get ready to navigate through the maze of website security – because protecting your site has never been more crucial than now!

INTRODUCTION TO WEBSITE SECURITY AND CYBER THREATS

In today’s digital age, websites have become essential tools for businesses, organizations, and individuals to connect with their audiences. However, with the increased reliance on websites comes an increased risk of cyber threats. Cyber threats are malicious activities that can compromise the security of a website and its users’ sensitive information.

As technology advances, cybercriminals also evolve their tactics and techniques. It is no longer enough to rely on basic security measures; website owners must be proactive in safeguarding their sites against potential attacks. This section will provide an overview of website security and the various cyber threats that it faces so that you can better understand how to protect your site from these risks.

What is Website Security?

Website security refers to the protection of a website from cyber attacks or unauthorized access to its data or services. A secure website ensures that any information exchanged between the site and its users remains confidential, accurate, and available when needed.

The Importance of Website Security

According to a report by Verizon, 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses. Many assume that only large companies are at risk; however, this is far from the truth. Hackers often target smaller websites as they have fewer resources dedicated to cybersecurity compared to larger organizations. The consequences of a cyber attack on a website can be severe. It can lead to financial loss, damage to the site’s reputation, and loss of customer trust. In some cases, a data breach can also result in legal action and fines.

Types of Cyber Threats

1. Malware: Short for “malicious software,” malware is any type of software designed to harm a computer system or steal sensitive information. It includes viruses, spyware, ransomware, and Trojan horses. Malware can infect a website through vulnerabilities in its code or by tricking users into downloading malicious files.

2. Phishing: Phishing is an attempt by cybercriminals to obtain sensitive information from users by posing as a legitimate source, such as a bank or reputable company. This usually involves sending fake emails or creating fake websites that look similar to the real ones.

3. DDoS Attacks: A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack floods a website with excessive traffic, overwhelming its servers and making it inaccessible to legitimate users.

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF WEBSITE SECURITY

Understanding the importance of website security is crucial in today’s digital age, where cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent. As a website owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your site is properly protected from potential breaches or attacks.

Website security refers to the measures and protocols put in place to protect a website from malicious attacks, unauthorized access, and data theft. It encompasses all aspects of web development, including code integrity, server-side security, user authentication, and network security.

Here are some reasons why understanding the importance of website security is essential for any business or individual with an online presence:

1. Protects Sensitive Data: One of the primary reasons for implementing robust website security is to protect sensitive data such as personal information, financial details, and login credentials. Failure to secure this data can lead to identity theft, financial frauds or legal consequences.

2. Maintains User Trust: In today’s digital landscape where customers share personal information on websites regularly, having proper security measures in place can help build trust with your users. They will feel confident that their information is safe and will be more likely to continue using your services.

3. Prevents Malware Infections: Cybercriminals often use malware – malicious software designed to infect systems -to gain access to sensitive data or take control of a website. A well-secured website makes it difficult for hackers to inject malware into the system and prevents any potential damage.

TYPES OF CYBER THREATS: MALWARE, PHISHING, DDOS ATTACKS, ETC.

As technology continues to advance, so do the methods used by malicious actors to target websites. With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent, it is crucial for website owners to understand the different types of threats in order to effectively protect their sites. In this section, we will discuss some of the most common types of cyber threats – malware, phishing, and DDoS attacks.

1. Malware: Malware stands for malicious software and refers to any type of software that is designed with malicious intent. This can include viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other harmful programs. Malware can be installed on a website through various means such as infected email attachments or compromised plugins/ themes. Once installed on a website, malware can steal sensitive information from users or even take over the site completely. Some examples of malware attacks include ransomware where hackers lock down a site until a ransom is paid and crypto-mining where they use a site’s resources to mine cryptocurrency.

2. Phishing: Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where cybercriminals trick individuals into sharing sensitive information such as login credentials or financial details through fake emails or websites that imitate legitimate ones. These emails or websites usually create a sense of urgency or fear in order to prompt users into taking immediate action without properly verifying the source or authenticity of the request. Phishing attacks are often used as an entry point for larger-scale attacks like data breaches.

3. DDoS Attacks: DD oS stands for Distributed Denial of Service and is a type of cyber attack where multiple compromised systems (often infected with malware) are used to flood a website with traffic, causing it to crash or become unavailable. These attacks aim to disrupt the normal functioning of a website and can result in significant financial losses for businesses. DDoS attacks are often carried out by hackers seeking ransom payments or by competitors trying to take down a rival’s website.

BEST PRACTICES FOR PROTECTING YOUR WEBSITE

In today’s digital age, website security is of utmost importance. With cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, it has become crucial for businesses to prioritize the protection of their website. A single breach can not only compromise sensitive data but also damage a company’s reputation and trust with its customers.

To ensure your website is secure from cyber threats, here are some best practices that you need to implement:

1. Keep Your Software Up-to-Date: One of the most basic yet effective practices for protecting your website is to regularly update all software used on your site, including content management systems (CMS), plugins, themes, and scripts. These updates often include security patches that address known vulnerabilities in the software.

2. Use Strong Passwords: Password protection is the first line of defense against hackers. Make sure to use strong passwords that include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It’s also important to change passwords at regular intervals and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.

3. Implement HTTPS: HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, which encrypts communication between a user’s browser and your website server. This added layer of encryption makes it difficult for hackers to intercept sensitive information such as login credentials or financial details.

– REGULARLY UPDATE SOFTWARE AND PLUGINS

Keeping your website’s software and plugins up to date is crucial in protecting your site from cyber threats. Outdated software and plugins are often the prime targets for hackers, as they can exploit vulnerabilities to gain access to your website.

Therefore, it is essential to regularly update all software and plugins used on your website. This includes the content management system (CMS) you use, such as WordPress or Drupal, as well as any additional plugins or themes installed.

Here are some best practices for maintaining up-to-date software and plugins:

1. Stay Informed: Keep yourself informed about the latest updates and security patches released by the CMS providers and plugin developers. Sign up for their newsletters or follow them on social media to stay updated on any security issues that may arise.

2. Prioritize Updates: When a new update is released, make sure to prioritize updating critical components such as CMS core files and security-related plugins first before moving onto less important ones.

3. Set Up Automatic Updates: Many CMS platforms have an option to enable automatic updates for core files, themes, and plugins. This can be helpful when you do not have much time to manually go through each update.

4. Use Reliable Sources: Only download themes and plugins from reputable sources such as official marketplaces or developer websites. Avoid downloading free versions of premium themes or plugins from unknown sources, as these may contain malicious code that could compromise your site’s security.

– IMPLEMENT STRONG PASSWORDS AND USER AUTHENTICATION PROCESSES

One of the most effective ways to protect your website from cyber threats is to implement strong passwords and user authentication processes. Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your website, putting all of your sensitive information at risk. By ensuring that all users have a secure password and implementing two-factor authentication, you can greatly reduce the chances of a successful hacking attempt.

Here are some best practices for implementing strong passwords and user authentication processes:

1. Use Complex Passwords: A strong password should be complex, meaning it should include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using easily guessable information such as pet names or birthdates in your password.

2. Set Minimum Length Requirements: The longer the password, the stronger it is. Make sure to set minimum length requirements so that users cannot create short or weak passwords.

3. Enforce Regular Password Changes: It’s important to regularly change passwords to prevent them from becoming compromised over time. Consider setting a mandatory password change every 90 days for added security.

4. Implement Two-Factor Authentication: This additional layer of security requires users to enter a unique code sent to their mobile device in addition to their password when logging in. This ensures that even if someone has stolen their password, they won’t be able to gain access without physical possession of their phone.

– USE HTTPS ENCRYPTION

HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) is an online communication protocol that ensures the secure transfer of data between a website and its users. It utilizes encryption to protect sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card details, and personal information, from being intercepted and accessed by unauthorized parties.

In recent years, HTTPS has become increasingly important for website security due to the rise in cyber threats and attacks. As a website owner, it is crucial to understand the importance of using HTTPS encryption and how it can help protect your site from these threats.

How Does HTTPS Encryption Work?

HTTPS works by encrypting data sent between a user’s browser and a website’s server. This is achieved through Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols. These protocols use cryptographic keys to encrypt the data transferred back and forth, making it unreadable for anyone trying to intercept it.

When a user visits a website using HTTPS, their browser will initiate a handshake process with the site’s server. During this process, they exchange cryptographic keys to establish an encrypted connection. Once this connection is established, all data transmitted between the user and the server will be protected.

TOP TOOLS FOR WEBSITE SECURITY

Ensuring the security of your website is crucial in today’s digital landscape. With Cyber threats constantly evolving, it is important to stay ahead and protect your site from potential attacks. Fortunately, there are several tools available that can help enhance your website’s security and minimize the risk of cyber attacks.

1) SSL Certificates: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are a must-have for any website. These certificates provide an encrypted connection between your server and the user’s browser, ensuring that sensitive information such as credit card details or login credentials cannot be intercepted by hackers.

2) Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF acts as a protective shield against malicious traffic by filtering out potentially harmful requests before they reach your web application. It monitors all incoming traffic and blocks suspicious activity, keeping your site safe from common vulnerabilities like SQL injections and cross-site scripting attacks.

3) Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): 2FA adds an extra layer of security to your website by requiring users to provide two forms of identification before accessing their account. This could include a password and a unique code sent to their phone or email. It reduces the risk of unauthorized access even if a hacker manages to obtain login credentials.

4) Anti-malware/ Antivirus Software: Keeping your server clean from malware is essential for maintaining website security. Investing in reliable anti-malware/ antivirus software will detect any malicious files on your server and remove them before they cause harm.

CONCLUSION

In today’s digital age, website security is more important than ever. With cyber threats constantly evolving, it is crucial for website owners to implement best practices in order to protect their site and its visitors from potential attacks.

In this blog article, we discussed the various ways in which you can strengthen your website security. By following these best practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of your site being compromised by cyber threats.

#Website Security: Best Practices For Protecting Your Site From Cyber Threats #webdesign #web development #digital marketing #multimedia / flash animation services #digital marketing agency canada #web devlopment #app development #web design agency in toronto canada #web design company in mississauga

0 notes

slyandthefamilybook · 5 months

Text

since we now know that all those "my blog is safe for Jewish people" posts are bullshit, here are some Jewish organizations you can donate to if you actually want to prove you support Jews. put up or shut up

FIGHTING HUNGER

Masbia - Kosher soup kitchens in New York

MAZON - Practices and promotes a multifaceted approach to hunger relief, recognizing the importance of responding to hungry peoples' immediate need for nutrition and sustenance while also working to advance long-term solutions

Tomchei Shabbos - Provides food and other supplies so that poor Jews can celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays

FINANCIAL AID

Ahavas Yisrael - Providing aid for low-income Jews in Baltimore

Hebrew Free Loan Society - Provides interest-free loans to low-income Jews in New York and more

GLOBAL AID

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee - Offers aid to Jewish populations in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the Middle East through a network of social and community assistance programs. In addition, the JDC contributes millions of dollars in disaster relief and development assistance to non-Jewish communities

American Jewish World Service - Fighting poverty and advancing human rights around the world

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - Providing aid to immigrants and refugees around the world

Jewish World Watch - Dedicated to fighting genocides around the world

MEDICAL AID

Sharsheret - Support for cancer patients, especially breast cancer

SOCIAL SERVICES

The Aleph Institute - Provides support and supplies for Jews in prison and their families, and helps Jewish convicts reintegrate into society

Bet Tzedek - Free legal services in LA

Bikur Cholim - Providing support including kosher food for Jews who have been hospitalized in the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Israel

Blue Card Fund - Critical aid for holocaust survivors

Chai Lifeline - An org that's very close to my heart. They help families with members with disabilities in Baltimore

Chana - Support network for Jews in Baltimore facing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and elder abuse

Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemetaries - Care of abandoned and at-risk Jewish cemetaries

Crown Heights Central Jewish Community Council - Provides services to community residents including assistance to the elderly, housing, employment and job training, youth services, and a food bank

Hands On Tzedakah - Supports essential safety-net programs addressing hunger, poverty, health care and disaster relief, as well as scholarship support to students in need

Hebrew Free Burial Association

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services - Programs include early childhood and learning, children and adolescent services, mental health outpatient clinics for teenagers, people living with developmental disabilities, adults living with mental illness, domestic violence and preventive services, housing, Jewish community services, counseling, volunteering, and professional and leadership development

Jewish Caring Network - Providing aid for families facing serious illnesses

Jewish Family Service - Food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, refugee resettlement, chaplaincy, and disability services

Jewish Relief Agency - Serving low-income families in Philadelphia

Jewish Social Services Agency - Supporting people’s mental health, helping people with disabilities find meaningful jobs, caring for older adults so they can safely age at home, and offering dignity and comfort to hospice patients

Jewish Women's Foundation Metropolitan Chicago - Aiding Jewish women in Chicago

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty - Crisis intervention and family violence services, housing development funds, food programs, career services, and home services

Misaskim - Jewish death and burial services

Our Place - Mentoring troubled Jewish adolescents and to bring awareness of substance abuse to teens and children

Tiferes Golda - Special education for Jewish girls in Baltimore

Yachad - Support for Jews with disabilities

#atlas entry #please add any more you know of an especially add fundraisers for you or people you know #if there are any fundraisers for synagogues please add those as well #jew #jewish #judaism #jumblr #punch nazis

2K notes · View notes

taratarotgreene · 2 years

Text

There's no place like home Astrology Venus in Cancer

There’s no place like home Astrology Venus in Cancer

“There’s no place like home” Dorothy’s famous mantra in the Wizard of Oz is what Venus in Cancer July 17- September 4/5 2022 is all about. yes Mom, mothering, apple pie, water, the womb, the unconscious,Inner Child work, your emotional security needs are, sentimental, all about the feels, food, our tummies, tears, over the top moods, nurturing, home cooking, family, children, sentimental, ruled…

View On WordPress

#Astrology psychic Tarot card reader Tara Greene #Canada&039;s 1 Psychic Voted and Certified Psychic #food #Homeland security #mothers #Natalie Portman #Nikola Tesla #psychic spiritual consultant Tara Greene Toronto #psychic talent agency the best authentic tarot palm astrology readers #Psychic Talent Agency Toronto most experienced #Tarot card reader for parties #Toronto Tarot reader for events #Toronto&039;s best most experiences authentic tarot reader

0 notes

allthecanadianpolitics · 2 months

Text

A petition was filed, Tuesday, in federal court in Canada to force Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology sales to Israel, Anadolu Agency reports. The suit, launched by Palestinian-Canadians and the Al-Haq Palestinian non-governmental organisation and the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), argues the sale violates Canadian and international law. Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act states that the Foreign Minister must deny military goods and technology exports and permit applications if there is a substantial risk that would undermine peace and security. “We are seeking to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international legal obligations,” CLAIHR board member, Henry Off, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview.

Tagging @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #palestine #arms trade #canada funds genocide #canada arms israel #canadian law #international law #war crimes

456 notes · View notes

cdntrustee · 2 years

Text

LEGAL PROCEEDING JUDGMENT LIEN: 2 KINDS OF JUDGMENT LIENS WITH HUGELY DIFFERENT RESULTS IN BANKRUPTCY

Legal proceeding: What are some things I can do if someone owes me money and refuses to pay? In Canada, there are several options in what you can do when someone owes you money and you do not hold any security against any of their property. First, a person or company should obviously make one or more demands on the party that owes them the money before starting any legal proceeding. If that…

View On WordPress

#Bankruptcy #deemed secured creditor #judgment #judgment creditor #judgment debt #judgment debtor #judgment lien #land titles office #legal action #legal proceeding #MNP Ltd v Canada Revenue Agency #personal property #personal property security registration #purchase price #real estate #real property #registered judgment #secured creditors #unsecured creditors

0 notes

zvaigzdelasas · 24 days

Text

Celebrity chef José Andrés' World Central Kitchen, among the largest providers of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, is pausing its operations following the deaths of 7 workers in an Israeli airstrike, the organization said Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an investigation into "a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people" was underway.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli military, the convoy was hit Monday as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, WCK said. The team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.

The workers killed include a Palestinian and citizens from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. [...]

Haaretz reported that Israelis fired three missiles in quick succession at three vehicles[...]

Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to probe the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers.

"It happens in war," he said [sic]. "We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence."[...]

Hamas condemned the "heinous act" and demanded the U.N. Security Council put an end to Israel's "crimes of the occupation and its aggression" against Palestinians and their supporters.

"This crime reaffirms that the occupation still insists on the policy of systematic killing against defenseless civilians and against international relief teams and humanitarian organizations, within the framework of efforts to terrorize their employees, to prevent them from continuing their humanitarian duties," the militant group said in a statement.[...]

“I am heartbroken and appalled that we, World Central Kitchen, and the world lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the Israeli military," CEO Erin Gore said.[...]

The United Nations agency charged with leading the humanitarian aid effort in Gaza has complained for months about obstacles created by Israeli officials. In a report issued Monday, prior to the WCK tragedy, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said that "access impediments continue to severely compromise the ability of humanitarian actors to reach people in the Gaza Strip." Since March 1, 30% of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were denied by Israeli authorities, the agency said.[...]

The obstacles prompted other efforts, including sea shipment such as the one World Central Kitchen was using Monday. The U.S., partnering with Jordan and other regional nations, has also used airdrops. But trucking aid in from Egypt is viewed as the best method for meeting the tremendous demand.

2 Apr 24

347 notes · View notes

probablyasocialecologist · 2 months

Text

According to documents obtained by Grist and Type Investigations through a Freedom of Information Act request, the FBI’s Minneapolis office opened a counterterrorism assessment in February 2012, focusing on actions in South Dakota, that continued for at least a year and may have led to the opening of additional investigations. These documents reveal that the FBI was monitoring activists involved in the Keystone XL campaign about a year earlier than previously known. Their contents suggest that, long before the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines became national flashpoints, the federal government was already developing a sweeping law enforcement strategy to counter any acts of civil disobedience aimed at preventing fossil fuel extraction. And young, Native activists were among its first targets. “The threat emerging … is evolving into one based on opposition to energy exploration related to any extractions from the earth, rather than merely targeting one project and/or one company,” the FBI noted in its description of the Wanblee blockade. The 15-page file, which is heavily redacted, also describes Native American groups as a potentially dangerous threat and likens them to “environmental extremists” whose actions, according to the FBI, could lead to violence. The FBI acknowledged that Native American groups were engaging in constitutionally protected activity, including attending public hearings, but emphasized that this sort of civic participation might spawn criminal activity. To back up its claims, the FBI cited a 2011 State Department hearing on the pipeline in Pierre, South Dakota, attended by a small group of Native activists. The FBI said the individuals were dressed in camouflage and had covered their faces with red bandanas, “train robber style.” According to the report, they were also carrying walking sticks and shaking sage, claiming to be “Wounded Knee Security of/for Mother Earth.” “The Bureau is uncertain how the NA group(s) will act initially or subsequently if the project is approved,” the agency wrote. The FBI also singled out the “Native Youth Movement,” which it described as a mix between a “radical militia and a survivalist group.” In doing so, it appeared to conflate a specific activist group originally founded in Canada in the 1990s with the broader array of young Native activists who opposed the pipeline decades later. Young activists would play an important role in the Keystone XL campaign and later on during protests against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock, but the movement had little in common with militias or survivalists, terms typically used to describe far-right groups or those seeking to disengage from society. The FBI declined to respond to questions for this story. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis field office said the agency does not typically comment on FOIA releases and “lets the information contained in the files speak for itself.”

[...]

Environmental activists and attorneys who reviewed the new documents told Grist and Type Investigations that law enforcement’s approach to the Keystone XL campaign looked like a template for the increasingly militarized response to subsequent environmental and social justice campaigns — from efforts to block the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock to the ongoing protests against the police training center dubbed “Cop City” in Atlanta, Georgia, which would require razing at least 85 acres of urban forest. The FBI’s working thesis, outlined in the new documents, that “most environmental extremist groups” have historically moved from peaceful protest to violence has served as the basis for subsequent investigations. “It’s astonishing to me how such a broad concept basically paints every activist and protester as a future terrorist,” said Mike German, a former FBI special agent who is now a fellow at the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice.

#FBI #climate change #fossil fuels #dakota access pipeline #keystone xl pipeline #surveillance

255 notes · View notes

ghostlytalegentlemen · 8 months

Text

Japan's nuclear sewage wasdischarged into the sea, 32 dolphins ran aground, and millions of squid died. How dare you eat seafood?

Events ranging from 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squids on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is undergoing serious upheaval.

What is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?

Chen Zilei, a professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and Director of the Center for the Study of the Japanese Economy, pointed out that the Japanese Government seems to have chosen to ignore both the outcry of the international community, the condemnation at the diplomatic level and the concerns and opposition of its own nationals. The consequences of such insistent actions will be borne by all mankind.

"Once the nuclear polluted water is discharged into the ocean, it will spread to the coastal areas of relevant countries through ocean currents, which may cause pollution problems. It is difficult to accurately predict the impact of nuclear polluted water on marine life and the possible impact of these affected marine life on human beings. "

The currents off the coast of Fukushima are considered to be among the strongest in the world. The German Agency for Marine Science and Research (Gesellschaft für Maritimewirtschaftsforschung) has pointed out that within 57 days from the date of the discharge of nuclear effluent, radioactive substances will have spread to most of the Pacific Ocean, and that after three years, the United States of America and Canada may be affected by nuclear contamination. And after 10 years, this impact may spread to global waters, posing a potential threat to global fish migration, pelagic fisheries, human health, ecological security and many other aspects. The scale and impact of this potential threat is difficult to estimate.

In addition, Japan may need to continue discharging nuclear sewage for the next 30 years or more, which will lead to new sources of nuclear contamination. Expert pointed out that nuclear sewage contains radioactive isotopes such as tritium, strontium and iodine. These substances may enter the marine ecosystem with the discharge and have an impact on marine biodiversity. Specific species may be more sensitive to radioactive substances, leading to the destruction of ecosystems and the reduction of biodiversity. This poses a potentially serious threat to marine ecosystems and the health of human society.

Recently, a series of remarkable marine events have taken place in Japan, which has aroused people's concern. From 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squid on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture, these events are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is experiencing serious upheaval. At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has attracted widespread attention. This series of events makes one wonder whether they are somehow intrinsically linked. Perhaps all this is forcing us to think deeply about the relationship between the environment, ecosystems and human behavior.

Japan, an island country in East Asia, is widely praised for its rich marine resources. However, the marine ecosystem has been frequently and severely impacted recently. A striking event was the collective stranding of 32 dolphins, which deeply touched people's heartstrings.

Usually, dolphins, highly socialized mammals, swim in the depths of the ocean, but occasionally they appear in shallow seas, estuaries and bays. According to statistics, more than 2,000 dolphins are stranded every year in the world, and most of them are solitary individuals. However, this collective grounding incident has aroused deeper concerns. People have been asking, what is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?

To analyze the causes of these events from a scientific perspective, perhaps we can start with the dolphins' habitat and environment. Ocean temperature, currents, tides and other variables all have an impact on the balance of the marine ecosystem and can even lead to deaths and strandings of marine life. In the case of the stranding off the coast of Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, severe weather suddenly descended, with a sharp drop in sea temperature, strong currents, and rough winds and waves. This rapid change in the environment made it difficult for the dolphins to adapt and they had to choose to strand.

However, there is no single reason for this. Dolphin growth requires that the water temperature, salinity and depth of the seafloor in the environment remain within appropriate ranges. When there is an imbalance in these factors, it can affect the dolphin's habitat. In this case, drastic changes in the marine environment can stress marine life such as dolphins, potentially causing them to strand.

Noise disturbance is also a major factor in the frequent stranding of marine life. Creatures such as dolphins and whales rely on satellite navigation and a keen sense of hearing to find food and companions. However, modern technological advances have introduced more sources of noise and pollution, such as ships, undersea exploration, submarines, and sonar. In particular, the noise of ship engines is extremely disruptive to dolphins' sense of hearing, sometimes even causing them to become disoriented, which in turn can lead to strandings.

At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent poses a greater potential threat to marine ecosystems. The discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has triggered worldwide concern. Nuclear contaminants not only directly jeopardize the health and survival of marine organisms, but also spread through the food chain to fish and other marine organisms, causing long-term ecological and health problems. For example, the death of millions of fluorescent squid off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, may be an adverse consequence of nuclear contamination.

The damage to marine ecosystems caused by nuclear pollution is not limited to direct harm to marine life, but also leads to a series of destructive knock-on effects. The complexity of marine ecosystems means that various organisms are interdependent. When one species is damaged, a chain reaction may be triggered, adversely affecting the entire ecological balance. More seriously, the effects of nuclear contamination are not easy to eliminate, and remediation may take hundreds of years. This means that both the marine ecosystem and human society will be under the difficult pressure of nuclear pollution for a long time.

In summary, Japan is currently facing a serious environmental crisis. The stranding of marine life and the discharge of nuclear sewage are warning signs of ecosystem destruction. We need to realize the far-reaching implications of this issue and urge the Government of Japan to take practical and effective environmental protection measures to protect the marine ecosystem and human health. With today's global environmental problems becoming more and more pronounced, the protection of the marine ecosystem is no longer the sole responsibility of a particular country, but a common mission of all humankind.

In today's increasingly prominent global environmental problems,

Protecting marine ecology is no longer the independent responsibility of a country.

But the common mission of all mankind.

#nuclear

319 notes · View notes

boldlymysticaldestiny · 8 months

Text

Japan's nuclear sewage wasdischarged into the sea, 32 dolphins ran aground, and millions of squid died. How dare you eat seafood?

What is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?

In today's increasingly prominent global environmental problems,

Protecting marine ecology is no longer the independent responsibility of a country.

But the common mission of all mankind.

#nuclear

327 notes · View notes

matan4il · 1 month

Text

Daily update post:

Another Palestinian terrorist attack today, this time we're talking about a shooter, who opened fire at an Israeli minibus, and managed to injure several people, at least one is critically wounded, and 2 are in serious condition. The terrorist has been neutralized after a 5 hour chase, and his identity has been confirmed. His past includes both having served time in an Israeli prison for terrorist activity, and having served in the Palestinian Authority chief's guard. According to the army, he was using a snipers rifle, and had prepared in advance several organized sniping posts.

Iran, the country which funds at least 3 of the terrorist organizations currently attacking Israel (Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis), and which has directly targeted Israelis as well (through cyber and physical attacks), has had its ambassador summoned over Iran's suspected complicity in the attempted synagogue attack by a German Iranian in 2022.

The US brought a resolution to the UN security council, which suggests an immediate ceasefire AND an immediate releasae of all the Israeli hostages. 11 countries voted for it, only Russia, China and Algeria voted against it. But because Russia and China used their veto, the resolution was rejected. Next time you hear an official from Russia, China or Algeria claim to care about the lives of those in this conflict, please remember they could have saved people on both sides of it (including kidnapped Israelis of Russian or Chinese descent), and chose not to. Russia's excuse for it is especially ludicrous. If Hamas had released the hostages immediately, then Israel would have been obligated by this resolution to cease fire, and then there'd be no operation in Rafah.

After Canada, Sweden and Australia, now Finland has announced that it would renew its financing of UNRWA, the UN agency whose employees are complicit in the Hamas massacre, and in having symbiotic ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations. That's while some countries have never stopped funding UNRWA, and Saudi Arabia has even announced an increase in it. And I will mention each one as often as I can, for their complete disregard of Israeli lives, because this IS a STAIN on the so-called morality of these countries.

Speaking of Canada. The same country happy to continue financing an organization complicit in anti-Israeli terrorism, which shows a complete lack of care for the lives of Israeli civilians, has also been doing a lot of posturing as if it's oh so moral, and therefore will no longer sell weapons to Israel. So here are a few reminders of why it's indeed nothing more than posturing:

As I mentioned, Canada is fine with resuming the funding of UNRWA, without this UN agency being properly investigated, and without any assuraance that the Canadian money going to it, won't end up responsible for the murder of innocent civilians in Israel, including ones with Canadian nationality.

Canada has resumed its sales of military-used systems to Turkey, despite the fact that its known these systems have been used against ethnic Armenians, simply because Turkey agreed to Sweden joining NATO, not because it promised to change in any way its use of these systems.

3. Canada isn't actually selling weapons to Israel, it's selling components for weapons, for an annual worth of about 22 million dollars. Meanwhile, Canada is buying weapon systems from Israel at an annual worth of about a billion dollars.

4. According to Israeli reporters, about 99% of Israel's weapons and weapon components are bought from 3 countries, Canada is not one of them. In other words, Canada's sales to Israel don't make up even 1% of Israeli military imports, and make little relative difference for Israel's ability to continue its war, but it does mean that while Canada says Israel has the right to self-defense, in practice it acts like Israel doesn't, which begs the question, why does the Canadian government think Israeli civilians don't deserve to be militarily defended from a genocidal, antisemitic terrorist organization? (to make the below screenshot clear: it shows the countries Israel has bought munitions from between 2019 and 2023, with Canada being just one of the countries that compose the yellow block of 1% of Israel's puchases. See how well you can spot it)

(here's a screenshot slightly zoomed in on the yellow block, to give you kind of a better view)

I'll add to this that Israel has already dealt in the past with full or partial weapons embargo from the US, France and 3 times from the UK. And Israel's still here, still with one of the strongest armies in the world (because we have no other choice). So yeah, that's how likely this embargo is to make a noticeable difference.

5. Here's an interesting op ed, suggesting that the ban was kind of in place anyway, explaining why Canada was selling so little to Israel in the first place, and that this official ban has more to do with internal Canadian politics, than whether Israel deserves the ban or not.

As US President Biden continues to berate Israel for not conducting our military operations well enough, obviously based on his extensive experience from his many years of not serving in the army, let alone leading one, I got to hear on TV an Israeli expert on our relations with the US reminisce on about the time when Biden was the Vice President, and in 2010 berated Israel for intending to take over a sailing ship by having IDF soldiers propel down ropes onto its deck. "You guys need to come here and learn from us how it should be done," Biden said, according to this expert. Israel took the suggestion seriously, and prepared a delegation of army seniors, ready to fly to Wasngton, meet up with US army seniors, and learn from them. Not long before the plane was about to take off, they got a phone call. "Don't come. Our apologies, but we've checked, and there's no other way our people would do it, either."

This is 22 years old Libby Cohen Meguri (on the left side of the pic) with her mom, Shelly.

On Oct 7, Libby was at the Nova music festival. Together with friends, she was fleeing the scene in a car, when the terrorists got to them. She managed to call her parents, and tell them that one of her friends is dead already, and she's been shot as well. "My biggest regret," Shelly said in a recent interview that I will never forget, "is that I didn't realize it was the end. I was screaming at my husband to do something, to save her, and that's how my daughter died, hearing me screaming instead of hearing me telling her that I love her. I'm not angry with myself for not understanding back then, because the truth is, I still don't understand. But I do regret it. Libby understood that it was the end. She was calm, she asked to talk to each one of us, to tell us all that she loves us. Then another group of terrorists got to the car. Her body was found outside the vehicle, with dozens of bullets in it. Killing her and her friends wasn't enough, they had to desecrate the bodies, too. But I'm not going to let those terrorists take being Libby's mom away from me. We work and do everything for our kids, so that's what I'll continue to do, I'll keep working to make sure that people know her, know who she was as a person. Libby's sister knew her IG password, so we turned her account into a commemoration page. Please, to anyone listening, go and have a look at it. Remember that such a wonderful girl as Libby existed. It would mean everything to us." I found Libby's IG page here.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

99 notes · View notes

phoenixyfriend · 3 months

Text

That one post about great domestic policy and HORRIFIC foreign policy just does not stop being true

Domestic Policy Win: The American Museum of Natural History in NYC is closing down two entire exhibits of Native American belongings in order to comply with a federal order that requires museums to obtain the consent of indigenous nations in order to display artifacts of native origin. The linked ProPublica article specifies that the exhibits in question are the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains Halls. To quote:

The new federal regulations, which went into effect this month, prohibit the display of items subject to NAGPRA without tribal consent and ban all research done without tribal consent. In addition, the regulations closed a loophole that had allowed museums such as the American Museum of Natural History to keep ancestral remains and burial items by claiming that they are “culturally unidentifiable” — meaning in their view they could not be connected to present-day Indigenous communities based on available evidence — and therefore could not readily be returned to tribes.

Foreign Policy Fail: The United States, the UK, and several other nations, in response to claims that several members of UNRWA were involved in the Oct. 7th attacks, have cut funding to the relief agency in question. The Al Jazeera article profiles the Palestinian response, and also specifies that this funding was pulled after the UNRWA launched an investigation in response to Israel's allegations that 12 members of the relief agency were involved.

Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States said they would halt funding to the agency, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the 27-member bloc would “assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation”. Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom then also joined the list of countries pausing financial aid to the UN agency, whose facilities where displaced Palestinians sought shelter have been repeatedly attacked in Israeli air raids. Ireland and Norway, however, expressed continued support for UNRWA, saying the agency does crucial work to help Palestinians displaced and in desperate need of assistance in Gaza. - Al Jazeera

"One million displaced people are currently taking refuge in and around UNRWA buildings. They are the ones who will suffer as a result of this decision," said Mr Gunness, adding: "The curtailing of UNRWA services will also destabilise the region at a time when Western governments are trying to contain a regional conflagration." [...] The US, Germany and the EU are among some of UNRWA's biggest donors. - BBC

Unfortunately, the WSJ article is paywalled, so I can't access the full thing for a quote.

Anyway. Call your reps. I'm not even talking to just the Americans this time, call your fucking reps. If they aren't donating to UNRWA, then make them do something. Is the organization possibly a security risk, and the concerns legitimate? Maybe! But you cannot cut the funding that is keeping 2.3mill people alive on an already shoestring budget and not immediately put a backup security net in place.

Until then, pick a charity with a good rating, donate and signal boost it, and politely harass your politicians.

Politely as in "don't shout at or cuss out the staffers that man the phone lines," because they are not your reps, but also because your number is going to get blocked and then you won't be able to pressure them in the future. Do be firm, though.

I'm personally picking the PCRF this time, since one of the three remaining hospitals in south Gaza has been evacuated and shut down, and the evacuees reportedly include women who just got C-sections, which means the evacuees also include newborns, and medical care is in high demand. They're also currently focused on providing clean drinking water to the people of Palestine. That said, so is food, and shelter, and winter clothing. Pick a need, find a charity, and toss them some money.

#yes this was mostly my way of guiding people to charity sites again. and pushing you to push your reps #current events #united states #indigenous peoples #palestine #israel #gaza #death tw

139 notes · View notes

cococoffeeface · 8 months

Text

#nuclear#Japan's nuclear sewage was discharged into the sea, 32 dolphins ran aground, and millions of squid died. How dare you eat seafood?

What is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?

In today's increasingly prominent global environmental problems,

Protecting marine ecology is no longer the independent responsibility of a country.

But the common mission of all mankind.

#nuclear

247 notes · View notes

beardedmrbean · 3 months

Text

Japan joined a growing list of countries on Sunday to put a halt to providing funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees, citing concerns about allegations that staff members of the agency participated in the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.

Also putting a stop to the funding temporarily are the U.S., Germany, U.K., Canada and at least five other countries.Israel released evidence showing that a dozen of the organization's employees in Gaza participated in the massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023."Against this backdrop, Japan is extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year," Foreign Press Secretary Kobayashi Maki from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said. "In response, Japan has decided to suspend additional funding to UNRWA for the time being while UNRWA conducts an investigation into the matter and considers measures to address the allegations."

BIDEN ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY AMID ALLEGATIONS MEMBERS ASSISTED IN HAMAS MASSACRE

Kobayashi said Japan has been "strongly urging" the UNRWA to investigate the matter in a prompt and complete way and take appropriate measures.

Specifically, Kobayashi said measures should include strengthening governance within UNRWA, so the agency can fulfill the role it is supposed to play.

"At the same time, Japan will continue to make persistent and active diplomatic efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to calm down the situation as soon as possible by providing support to other international organizations," Kobayashi added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced it was suspending UNRWA funding on the same day that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on member countries to resume funding for the agency, despite accusations from Israel that some of the group’s employees participated in the massacre last year.

Guterres said he understood the concerns leading to countries suspending funding to UNRWA, adding that he himself was horrified by the accusations. But he strongly appealed to those country’s governments to continue with funding for UNRWA’s operations.

"Of the 12 people implicated, nine were immediately identified and terminated by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini; one is confirmed dead, and the identity of the two others is being clarified," he said. "Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution."

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan fired back at Guterres’ call for countries to renew their funding for UNRWA.

"The UN Secretary-General has proven once again that the security of the citizens of Israel is not really important for him," Erdan said. "After years in which he ignored the evidence presented to him personally about UNRWA's support and involvement in incitement and terrorism, and before he conducted a comprehensive investigation to locate all Hamas terrorists in UNRWA, he called to fund an organization that is deeply contaminated with terrorism."

Erdan said every country that continues to fund the agency before a comprehensive investigation can be conducted should be aware that the money may be used for terrorism.

He also said the aid transferred to UNRWA could reach Hamas terrorists instead of the people who need it in Gaza.

"I call on all donor states to suspend their support and demand an in-depth investigation that will investigate the involvement of all UNRWA employees in terror," the ambassador said.

#nunyas news #maybe appropriate hamass funds to pay for relief then

48 notes · View notes

dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 7 months

Text

Maryland’s top utility regulator was watching the news one February morning when a headline blindsided him: Two suspects with neo-Nazi ties had been charged with plotting to take down Baltimore’s power grid.

Jason Stanek, the then-chair of the state’s Public Service Commission, said Maryland regulators were “caught flat-footed,” not hearing a word from law enforcement before the news broke — or in the months afterward. Federal prosecutors have alleged the defendants were driven by “racially motivated hatred” to try to cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in the state’s largest city, which has a predominantly Black population.

The FBI declined to comment on its communications with the Maryland commission. But Stanek’s experience is not uncommon.

A POLITICO analysis of federal data and interviews with a dozen security, extremism and electricity experts revealed that despite a record surge in attacks on the grid nationwide, communication gaps between law enforcement and state and federal regulators have left many officials largely in the dark about the extent of the threat. They have also hampered efforts to safeguard the power network.

Adding to the difficulties, no single agency keeps a complete record of all such incidents. But the attacks they know about have regulators and other power experts alarmed:

— Utilities reported 60 incidents they characterized as physical threats or attacks on major grid infrastructure, in addition to two cyberattacks, during the first three months of 2023 alone, according to mandatory disclosures they filed with the Department of Energy. That’s more than double the number from the same period last year. DOE has not yet released data past March.

— Nine of this year’s attacks led to power disruptions, the DOE records indicate.

— The U.S. is on pace to meet or exceed last year’s record of 164 major cyber and physical attacks.

— And additional analyses imply that the true number of incidents for both 2022 and 2023 is probably even higher. POLITICO’s analysis found several incidents that utilities had reported to homeland security officials but did not show up in DOE data.

According to a report on grid security compiled by a power industry cyber clearinghouse, obtained by POLITICO, a total of 1,665 security incidents involving the U.S. and Canadian power grids occurred last year. That count included 60 incidents that led to outages, 71% more than in 2021.

While that report does not break down how many of those incidents occurred in which country, the U.S. has a significantly larger grid, serving 145 million homes and businesses, with nearly seven times Canada’s power-generating capacity.

Law enforcement officials have blamed much of the rise in grid assaults on white nationalist and far-right extremists, who they say are using online forums to spread tactical advice on how to shut down the power supply.

Concerns about the attacks have continued in recent months, with incidents including a June indictment of an Idaho man accused of shooting two hydroelectric stations in the state.

But law enforcement officers investigating alleged plots against the grid don’t necessarily alert the Energy Department or other regulatory bodies.

“We have no idea” how many attacks on the grid are occurring, said Jon Wellinghoff, a former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the U.S. electric grid. “It looks like they’re escalating if you look at the data. But if you don’t have enough data, you can’t discern patterns and proactively work to stop these things from happening.”

Wellinghoff was FERC’s chair when an unknown sniper attacked a Pacific Gas and Electric substation in San Jose, Calif., in 2013 — an incident regulators have described as a “wake-up call” on the electricity supply’s vulnerability to sabotage.

Last year’s record number of physical and cyber disruptions to the U.S. power system included several incidents that captured public attention, such as a December shooting attack against two North Carolina substations that left 45,000 people without power for four days. The state’s medical examiner has blamed the attack for the death of an 87-year-old woman who died after her oxygen machine failed, ruling it a homicide. Nobody has been charged.

“There is no doubt there’s been an uptick over the last three years in the amount of incidents and also the severity of the incidents,” said Manny Cancel, senior vice president at the North American Electric Reliability Corp., the nonprofit body in charge of setting reliability standards for the bulk power system. He is also CEO of its Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which gathers and analyzes data from power companies.

Cancel said NERC has “seen two pretty substantial increases” in incidents coinciding with the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

Grid attacks that led to power outages increased 71% from 2021 to 2022, totaling 55 incidents in 2022, according to a NERC briefing to utilities that POLITICO obtained. That increase was primarily due to a rise in gunfire assaults against critical infrastructure.

The largest outage reported from a physical attack early this year — which occurred in March in Clark County, Nev. — affected more than 11,000 people, according to DOE data.

But the state Public Utilities Commission was not aware of any outage due to an attack occurring that day, spokesperson Peter Kostes told POLITICO by email. That’s even though state regulations require utilities to contact the commission within four hours of a significant outage.

The state’s largest utility, NV Energy, said in a statement that it had reported the incident to local law enforcement “as soon as we learned about this incident ... so we can continue to increase our resilience against ongoing threats to the energy industry.” A spokesperson for the utility did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether it had informed the commission.

Federal regulations also require utilities to report cyber or physical attacks to DOE, including physical attacks that cause “major interruptions or impacts” to operations.

They must also tell the department about disruptions from weather or other causes that meet certain criteria, such as those that cut off service to more than 50,000 customers for at least an hour, an uncontrolled loss of more than 200 megawatts of power, or a utility voluntarily shutting more than 100 megawatts, according to an Energy Department spokesperson. The spokesperson provided the information on the condition that they not be identified by name.

The Energy Department’s records don’t include at least seven reported physical assaults last year and this year that the Department of Homeland Security and the affected utilities said caused substantive economic damage or cut off power to thousands of customers. POLITICO found these incidents by cross-checking the department’s data against warnings issued by DHS and the FBI’s Office of the Private Sector.

DOE said the incidents may not meet its reporting thresholds.

Several of the incidents missing from DOE’s data involved clear physical attacks, based on other agencies’ descriptions. But the utilities involved said they did not report the incidents to the department because the attacks did not affect the kind of major equipment that could lead to widespread, regional power failures.

One of the incidents not found in DOE’s records cut off power to about 12,000 people for roughly two hours in Maysville, N.C., after a shooting damaged a substation in November, according to a DHS report. The FBI’s investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the intelligence agency.

The utility affected by the incident, Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative, reported the incident to NERC’s Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, but didn’t report the attack to DOE because it was a “distribution-level” incident, said Melissa Glenn, a spokesperson for the utility. That means the outages caused by the damage would have been limited to local power customers and not lead to the wider blackouts federal regulators are most concerned with.

In another case unreported to the Energy Department, a substation owned by the East River Electric Cooperative serving the Keystone oil pipeline in South Dakota was attacked by gunfire late at night in July 2022, according to DHS. The incident caused more than $1 million in damage and forced the pipeline to reduce operations while repairs were underway.

East River co-op spokesperson Chris Studer said the utility reported the incident to local law enforcement, which brought in the FBI. East River also reported the incident to NERC and its E-ISAC, along with regional grid agencies, but said it did not report it to DOE because the attack did not affect the bulk power system.

Brian Harrell, a former assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at DHS, said in an email that utilities have too many competing agencies to report to, and suggested reporting be streamlined to NERC’s E-ISAC.

“This lack of consistency, by no fault of the utility, suggests that the numbers may not paint a complete picture,” he said.

Grid experts said these data gaps clearly indicate a lack of understanding about which agencies utilities need to report to and when.

Utilities may be using a “loophole” based on definitions of what constitutes “critical infrastructure,” said Jonathon Monken, a grid security expert with the consulting firm Converge Strategies. He was previously senior director of system resilience and strategic coordination for the PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest power market.

There are “lots of ways” to work around DOE requirements, Monken added, but as he reads the regulation, utilities are required to report any operational disruptions caused by a physical attack.

“[I]t appears the information you collected shows that companies are still missing the boat when it comes to mandatory reporting,” he said. “Not good.”

One former FERC official who was granted anonymity to speak about a sensitive security issue said the commission also received no alerts from law enforcement officials about the planned and actual attacks that took place last year. That omission hinders agencies’ ability to respond to these kinds of events, the person said.

A spokesperson for FERC declined to comment on the commission’s communications with law enforcement.

But Cancel defended government agencies’ response to these incidents, and said federal investigators may have had specific intelligence reasons for keeping FERC and state utility agencies out of the loop.

“I’m not a lawyer or a law enforcement professional, but you had an active criminal investigation going on,” he said. “I don’t think they wanted to sort of blow the horn on that and compromise the integrity of the investigation.”

An FBI spokesperson offered no direct response to these criticisms in an email, but said the agency “views cybersecurity as a team sport.” The person commented on the condition that the remark be attributed to the bureau.

The FBI urged utility executives last month to attend security training hosted by intelligence agents in order to ensure they are up to speed on the threats posed by bad actors.

“We can’t do it without you,” Matthew Fodor, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, said during an all-day FERC technical conference on Aug. 10. “The challenges that we have — and DOE can probably speak to this better than anybody — is limited resources.”

People attacking the electricity supply have thousands of potential targets, including power substations and smaller but critical pieces of utility infrastructure. The smaller pieces often go unprotected because federal standards do not require utilities to secure them.

Nearly half of the 4,493 attacks from 2020 to 2022 targeted substations, according to the NERC briefing from February, making them the most frequent targets for perpetrators over that period.

Details on how to carry out these kinds of attacks are available from extremist messaging boards and other online content, researchers and federal security officials say. These include maps of critical entry points to the grid, along with advice that extremists have gleaned from incidents like the assault in North Carolina.

Stanek, the Maryland electricity regulator, said he was “disappointed with the level of coordination and communication” that federal and state law enforcement displayed in handling the alleged plot in Baltimore. No trial date has been announced for the case, which is in U.S. District Court in Maryland.

Maryland’s Public Service Commission is in charge of ensuring that the state’s power system keeps the lights on. Regulators need to be kept informed of threats to the system so they can coordinate with other agencies in case an attack succeeds, Stanek said.

At the same time, he quipped, maybe he was better off in the dark after all.

“There’s a lot of colorful details in [the FBI report],” Stanek said. He paused, thinking. “And honestly, as a regulator, had I received these details in advance and shared the information with trusted sources within state government, I would have had sleepless nights.”

“So perhaps the feds did a favor by only sharing this information after everything was all said and done,” he added.

75 notes · View notes

allthecanadianpolitics · 2 months

Text

Canada's intelligence agency is warning that extremists could "inspire and encourage" serious violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community — a threat the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says almost certainly will continue over the coming year. CSIS's comments come as provincial policies on gender-affirming surgeries and pronoun preferences are being hotly debated across the country. "CSIS assesses that the violent threat posed by the anti-gender movement is almost certain to continue over the coming year and that violent actors may be inspired by the University of Waterloo attack to carry out their own extreme violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community or against other targets they view as representing the gender ideology 'agenda,'" said CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam in an email to CBC News.

Tagging @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #2slgbtqia+#anti lgbt violence #homophobic violence #transphobic violence #transphobia #homophobia #lgbt #violence tw

198 notes · View notes

workersolidarity · 21 days

Text

[ 📹 The residents of Przemysl, Poland put to rest Damian Sobol, a Polish citizen and one of the foreign aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a convoy of humanitarian aid trucks leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing 7 aid workers, including Sobol, as well as citizens of Australia, the UK, Palestine, and a dual citizen of American-Canadian heritage.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇺🇳🇵🇸 🚨

ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES TURN 2023 INTO DEADLIEST YEAR FOR AID WORKERS IN THE LAST 30 YEARS

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) murdered more aid workers in 2023 than were killed in the rest of the world combined for each of the last 30 years, that's according to an article published by Turkish news outlet Anadolu News Agency.

According to Anadolu, as a result of the the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with Hamas's attack on Israeli military checkpoints and colonial settlements just outside the Gaza Strip, on October 7th, 2023, no less than 203 aid workers have been killed in occupation strikes.

Of those killed, 161 aid workers were martyred by the Israeli occupation army in just the last four months of 2023, while another 53 aid workers have been wounded in occupation strikes.

The data was originally investigated and published by the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD).

According to the AWSD report, just since January of 2024, at least 42 aid workers have been killed, while another 24 others were wounded in Israeli attacks.

On Tuesday, a series of precisely targeted Israeli airstrikes hit a convoy of armored vehicles belonging to the aid organization the World Central Kitchen (WCK).

The convoy had just finished delivering food aid and were in the process of leaving an aid distribution warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, when an Israeli drone bombed each of the three vehicles in the convoy independently, resulting in the deaths of 7 WCK aid workers, including nationals of Palestine, Australia, the UK, Poland and a dual American-Canadian citizen.

Numerous countries have since condemned the latest Zionist atrocity, including the Israeli entity's closest ally, the United States, as well as Canada, Australia and several others, while Poland and Germany both demanded an explanation for the deadly attack.

By some accounts, the strike was intended to frighten foreign aid workers into suspending their operations in the Gaza Strip, exacerbating Gaza's severe famine conditions, which is rapidly spreading from the north of Gaza, into central Gaza, while even the south of the Palestinian enclave remains highly food insecure.

The strikes quickly achieved "Israel's" goal, with the WCK, along with several other aid organizations, including Anera, another aid organization responsible for delivering upwards of a hundred fifty thousand meals for Palestinians everyday, which also suspended their operations in Gaza for the time being.

In response to the attacks, the United Nations temporarily suspended nighttime operations in Gaza for at least 48 hours following the atrocity.

The Zionist entity, for its part, apologized for the massacre of the 7 foreign aid workers, claiming the strikes were caused by a "misidentification," resulting from "a war in very complex conditions," according to the Israeli army's Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, who issued the apology.

Responding to intense international outcry over the slaughter of the aid workers, the IOF disciplined the brigade responsible for the "misidentification," sacking two Commanders, including the Commander of the Nahal Brigade, as well as another Commander within the same brigade.

As far as this reporter can investigate, this is the first major sacking of an Israeli officer since at least December 2023.

That's when a Commander with the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade was sacked after he "endangered fighters" under his command by disobeying direct orders to avoid entering buildings during "Israel's" assault on the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, where intense fighting took place against elite units with the Al-Qassam Brigades in early December.

Despite the latest Israeli war crime, the United States, led by the Neoconservative Biden administration, announced that it would not be changing any of its policies with regards to the Israeli entity, refusing to cut off munitions supplies and other military aid, choosing instead to let "Israel" investigate the incident itself.

As a result of "Israel's" Special Genocide Operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the Palestinian population of Gaza has risen in excess of 33'037 Palestinians martyred, with over 14'000 children murdered and over 9'200 women killed, while another 75'668 Palestinians have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning on October 7th, 2023.

#source1

#source2

#source3

#graphicsource

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

31 notes · View notes