Preparedness for when

nuatha

jk0 wrote: »

You know, it's stories like this, that make me wonder why TF vital infrastructure should be connected to the internet. Even I wouldn't be that daft.

Partly its thoughtlessness and an assumption that "it'll be all right on the night" and partly its costs.
Systems need to be able to share data both on and offsite, therefore they need to be networked (every other form of sharing data is potentially far less safe (ie optical discs, floppies and flash memory) Whereas its perfectly feasible to install multiple networks and then connect sites with dedicated lines this is far more expensive than using a single network onsite and connecting sites via the internet. There are methods of running secure networks within this infrastructure - though we learned this year that several of these are severely flawed.

Also, surely, things like nuclear power stations, and air traffic control systems should certainly not have USB sockets for people to connect possibly infected flash drives.

Its far more expensive to source motherboards without USB sockets than with. The majority of ATMs have USB sockets for example - see news stories from 2013. example. In theory USB ports can be locked down by software and either not function or only function for devices that have been pre-approved by the System Admins, however there are well documented ways around that.

There is no foolproof way to make any computer system un-hackable, the easiest point of failure being the people that work with them.

Its worth remembering that the Internet started out as a resilient military communications network, its protocols were designed to get information through with large amounts of the network being disabled - building a parallel system with the same functionality would be horrendously expensive, though one possibility would be to extend the existing JISC/SUPERJANET network which links universities and research establishments, though it also has internet access and vulnerabilities.

Frugalsod

Karmacat wrote: »

GreyQueen, Softstuff, I'm very pleased to find that the two of you don't meal plan either. I never have, and I'm not going to start. I keep loads of the basics in, obviously,and for me its just a question of ringing the changes on each ingredient.

I do sort of meal plan depending on what I find in the clearance bin in the supermarket. If I find deals then I do like GreyQueen and work around what is there, and meal plans are out of the window until the fridge is empty again. Otherwise I will meal plan to an extent. I just adapt to what is found in the supermarkets.

Karmacat wrote: »

That DM article looks interesting! I've got it open in another tab, will read it soon.

It is looking increasing unlikely that the North Koreans actually did hack Sony. That said many of our utilities fail to adequately protect their equipment. The same can be said of many gadgets like routers. How many of you have actually changed your router and wifi passwords? My router is an 11 digit randomly generated password. And my wifi is 50 digits again randomly generated. Yet our utility companies have almost wide open networks.

Karmacat wrote: »

All I can at the mo is think, because of lurgy, but at least I'm well enough now to write down what I'm thinking I have half a dozen or so lists for next year, one in each of the areas I want to work on - house, garden, pension income, that sort of thing. My prep list is split into two - physical projects, and research. The research one is quite long but its the sort of thing I love doing. Off to do more in a bit

Hope everyone's having a good holiday weekend.

I do enjoy the research aspect as well. It is almost free and allows you to pick the right solution.

moneyistooshorttomention

Agreed, ie that it looks like one individual with a grudge that hacked Sony and, in the process, hacked-off the US Government and not a cyber-attack.

However, it does look like the U.S. got trigger-happy and launched one back. Now...just how does a superpower say "Whoops ...butterfingers....silly us...ever so sorry old son"?:cool: I cant see them doing it somehow and wonder exactly who it is in the US Government that is still there sitting there with egg on their face.

[Deleted User]

Looking at the sky, I don't think we've seen the last of the snow around here.

I'll be putting the screen covers on the car tonight.

[Deleted User]

My USB phone charger cable just arrived in the post.

I've tried it on the power bank and, while I can't run my phone off it (phone switches off when I remove the battery, but the settings stay), it will charge the phone. :j

It also seems to work off my Laptop.

GreyQueen

Glad I'm not the only non-meal planner out there, had felt that I had slipped a bit on one of the basic tenets of old styling. It's easy for me to be very flexible about what I eat, being a singleton household means that there is no one to mutiny if they don't like what they get served.

Interesting story in the DM. The things which are feasible are always scarier than the zombie apocalypse. My working life is 100% computerised. Some innocent from elsewhere in the council wandered into the call centre one day to ask if he could borrow a stapler - the nearest peep smiled pityingly at him and pointed out that we don't even use paper.

OK, slight exaggeration, we scribble a few notes when taking calls, which are shredded at shift's end, but proper paper and envelopes, who has that stuff to hand? Staplers - pftt!

In a crisis, the traffic lights and streetlights will be off. And your LA's call centre will be hammered and probably won't know much more than you do. Particularly if the power is off (UK Power Networks will know) or the water is down (Anyother Water Company).

Bearing in mind the RL disaster at Camelford when the water supply was accidentally poisoned due to human error, I would suggest that if the water starts to look or smell iffy, don't use it until the all-clear, not even for bathing. You need to be ready to segue smoothly into your own personal emergency mode at a moment's notice, because that's probably all the notice you're going to get.

Frugalsod

Interesting that while the street lights will get shut off if attacked by some imaginary foe, they cannot bother to turn most off in the suburbs or side streets to save money after midnight.

mardatha

I think that's one of the biggest problems GreyQ... people expect plenty of warning before an emergency. LOL!

GreyQueen

Frugalsod wrote: »

Interesting that while the street lights will get shut off if attacked by some imaginary foe, they cannot bother to turn most off in the suburbs or side streets to save money after midnight.

Or you could live in the seething heart of the inner city, like wot I do, where the streetlights don't get turned off at all - cuz the CCTV is pretty useless in the dark.

Anyway, there's enough trouble with the clubbers falling in/ over and under things without turning the lights off. Blighters are always taking unexpected noturnal swims, pal living on a boat is often throwing the life ring to some numptie who decides it's easier to swim home than walk to the nearest bridge.

smileyt_2

Just popping in to say - I got a pressure cooker, brussel sprout and kale seeds and tea seeds for Christmas, yaaay! I am starting my own Manchester tea estate...

But seriously - any tips on using the pressure cooker? I'm vegan so won't be cooking meaty stuff.

ETA I also got a basket-weaving kit I thought it might be a useful skill if I could weave my own containers from the ivy in my back yard...