Short Takes – 1-24-23

Coast Guard Releases
New Maritime Cybersecurity Assessment & Annex Guide. Mariners.CoastGuard.blog post. Pull quote: “This guide will not influence Captain of the Port (COTP)
review of FSPs submitted for approval. 
MTSA regulated facilities who have already submitted their FSP cyber
annex or addendum to the Coast Guard may decide to use the MCAAG to help review
effectiveness of their FSA, confirm identified vulnerabilities, and make
further enhancements to their FSP.”

Russian Agents
Suspected of Directing Far-Right Group to Mail Bombs in Spain. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Investigators in recent weeks have focused on the Russian Imperial
Movement, a radical group
that has members and associates across Europe and military-style training
centers in St. Petersburg, Russia, the officials said. They added that the
group, which has been designated a global terrorist organization by the U.S.
State Department, is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence agencies.
Important members of the group have been in Spain, and the police there have
tracked its ties with far-right Spanish organizations.”

Hacktivism Is a Risky
Career Path. Wired.com article. The future of the IT Army of Ukraine. Pull quote: “Reports that the IT Army includes a growing
number of so-called script kiddies and first-time hackers also raise the
possibility that Ukraine’s call to action may have set some people on a career
path. A key question in 2023 will be how to harness those skills for good.”

Why Not Cover Ugly
Parking Lots With Solar Panels?
Wired.com article. Pull quote: “France, though, appears to have a solution: transforming
its parking lots into solar farms nationwide. The French Senate has approved a
bill requiring new and existing lots with more than 80 spaces to be at least
half covered with canopies of solar panels that sit over the parking spaces.
Assuming the bill comes into effect later this year, parking lots with more
than 400 spaces must be compliant by 2026; smaller ones with 80 to 400 spaces
will be given until 2028.”

Classified Documents
in the Wild. TWITTER.COM @AstroKatie
twitversation. I do not normally include TWITTER exchanges
here, but…. Start quote: “Over time, natural evolutionary changes have allowed
classified documents to spread more effectively through their environments,
with some employing burrs similar to those of burdock seed pods, specially
adapted to cling to business suit fabrics.”