THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User] · 13 May 2017 at 7:45AM

the supply chain could be next, energy, water and warehousing, its all computers and robots. Ok so now I have decided to sit tight with whatever preps I already have, the extra tins and the dehydrated foods and the special water filters. I have just finished reading a wonderful emotional book called "all quiet on the home front" and as my mil would say "we don`t know we are born". It really puts things into perspective in this day and age. 5 children sleeping in one bed, eating scraped turnip tops, this was England in 2017. There has been such an escalation of what people nowadays expect for nothing, way more than is needed to exist on a relatively comfortable level

[Deleted User] · 13 May 2017 at 10:26AM

Given yesterdays events and a little pondering it becomes apparent that if a 'HUGE' set up like the NHS can be brought to it's knees by a single act online then so could any other of the big corporations in existence globally and nationally including the communications networks and the power grids, let alone as was pointed out the retail supply chain across the board including the food distribution sector and the highways (so much is needing electricity and computers to keep the traffic flowing) but also the fuel distribution network and all this is quite worrying, would be even more so if we didn't have a preppers mind set. The likelihood is that more than one thing will be targeted at the same time for total disruption, no food, no medical sector availability, no communications and no power supply all at the same time would be totally devastating, panic wouldn't begin to describe what would happen to Joe Public. Those interesting times of the old Chinese curse are upon us my friends, no may you in the mix now as we ARE living in them today.

I have read along with a lady in America on her blog GENERATIONS BEFORE US, she is G.DONNA, for quite a few years now because it's interesting and very relevant to living like our great grandparents did. She and her husband are currently living for a year (adapted to modern ways where appropriate) as though it is 1942. They have chosen to simplify their lives in all areas to become more self reliant, use less resources, make more home made and home grown food and simplify their home to use less and contain less in all areas. She is an inspiration and what they have achieved is really very relevant to prepping and preparing for harder times ahead. The examples she gives are from her familys lives in the past and she and her husband seem to be on totally the right track to weather an uncertain future as well as they can. They plan each year to reduce expenditure, produce more, live more simply and be more self reliant in all ways. It's a fantastic archive of knowledge worth reading before we find the net down and find we can't access all the knowledge we have available today.

mardatha · 13 May 2017 at 11:04AM

From FluTrackers:
Reports of new H7N9 avian flu cases in China continued at a steady pace last week, with 23 more cases reported. Many of the new cases are in the north, which has reported a late-season surge, according to an update today from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection.
China is in its fifth and by far largest wave of H7N9 illnesses, a season that has been marked by a shift to a highly pathogenic form of the virus in poultry and a wider distribution of human cases beyond the poultry production areas of the southeastern provinces.

Witless · 13 May 2017 at 12:06PM

.... and Trump is going to allow chicken imports from China?

At least if it's cooked the risk will be lower.

greenbee · 13 May 2017 at 1:22PM

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Given yesterdays events and a little pondering it becomes apparent that if a 'HUGE' set up like the NHS can be brought to it's knees by a single act online then so could any other of the big corporations in existence globally and nationally including the communications networks and the power grids, let alone as was pointed out the retail supply chain across the board including the food distribution sector and the highways (so much is needing electricity and computers to keep the traffic flowing) but also the fuel distribution network and all this is quite worrying, would be even more so if we didn't have a preppers mind set. The likelihood is that more than one thing will be targeted at the same time for total disruption, no food, no medical sector availability, no communications and no power supply all at the same time would be totally devastating, panic wouldn't begin to describe what would happen to Joe Public. Those interesting times of the old Chinese curse are upon us my friends, no may you in the mix now as we ARE living in them today.

This wasn't a targeted attack on the NHS, it was viral ransomware that has affected all sorts of organisations (including the German rail system). We just happen to be more concerned about how it is affecting US than the global impact. Personally the global impact has more effect on me than the NHS issue because of the volume of incoming email it generates. However, the issue is not primarily the technical vulnerabilities - security is an arms race with people finding new vulneratbilities every time something is fixed. It's about user education - no one should have opened the attachments or clicked on the links that triggered the ransomware. Yes, we could spent more on upgrading and patching the technology, but there isn't limitless money, and we need to learn to take some responsibility for our actions as users of technology. Those of you who are employees might want to check your organisation's IT policy, information security policy and make sure you are up to date on your security awareness training. There's a useful article here with links to more useful material.

Witless wrote: »

.... and Trump is going to allow chicken imports from China?

At least if it's cooked the risk will be lower.

Must remember not to eat next time I'm in the US. It just gets worse. I think I'll just pack meal replacement bars and buy imported bottled water!

ariarnia · 13 May 2017 at 1:54PM

greenbee wrote: »

It's about user education - no one should have opened the attachments or clicked on the links that triggered the ransomware.

Yes, we could spent more on upgrading and patching the technology, but there isn't limitless money, and we need to learn to take some responsibility for our actions as users of technology.

Those of you who are employees might want to check your organisation's IT policy, information security policy and make sure you are up to date on your security awareness training.

Completely agreeing with this. It's not the technology at fault this time. The biggest vulnerability in any system is the people using it.

Even technical specialists are vulnerable to targeted attacks - https://arstechnica.co.uk/security/2016/09/researchers-demonstrate-half-of-people-will-click-on-any-link-theyre-sent/

The kick in the teeth is that this attack required users to click to allow administrative privileges, bypassing the systems security for the malware. All it took was one person.

It is ridiculous that, despite the emails that go out on a monthly basis, people still click on these links and open these attachments.

It's either stupidity, carelessness or curiosity.

Good news is that major services were disrupted but no too badly hampered. During major incidents many A&Es revert to paper and phone based treatment anyway, waiting for electronic records to be updated often takes too long.

[Deleted User] · 13 May 2017 at 2:19PM

Targeted OR randomly set in motion it certainly caused chaos didn't it? in fact if it was random it could infect and take out anything anywhere that was vulnerable and one system at a time being bad enough two or more together, even if they weren't the initial object of the hackers would create such disruption it would precipitate an emergency. Say for instance the power grid went down and the roadway/highway computers were unable to work there would be no traffic lights, motorway signs, no crossings operating, if we then had a loss of street lighting and cash points were inoperable and shops couldn't function because the tills and computer ordering systems were out what an unholy mess that would cause and I would think might take quite some time to rectify. Interesting times doesn't do it justice really does it?

greenbee · 13 May 2017 at 2:44PM

ariarnia wrote: »

Completely agreeing with this. It's not the technology at fault this time. The biggest vulnerability in any system is the people using it.

Even technical specialists are vulnerable to targeted attacks - https://arstechnica.co.uk/security/2016/09/researchers-demonstrate-half-of-people-will-click-on-any-link-theyre-sent/

The kick in the teeth is that this attack required users to click to allow administrative privileges, bypassing the systems security for the malware. All it took was one person.

It is ridiculous that, despite the emails that go out on a monthly basis, people still click on these links and open these attachments.

It's either stupidity, carelessness or curiosity.

Good news is that major services were disrupted but no too badly hampered. During major incidents many A&Es revert to paper and phone based treatment anyway, waiting for electronic records to be updated often takes too long.

as they say ... 'you can't fix stupid'

Hopefully it'll make CIOs tougher about removing admin privileges that people don't actually need. Everything seems to be about rights nowadays and not about responsibilities.

If the power grid goes down it'll be just like having a powercut, and there are plenty of contingency plans in place for that. They may be stressed, but there are always options. Even in the NHS they will have plans in place in these circumstances. But that doesn't mean everything runs seamlessly.

There have been massive over reactions to this in many ways. Mostly driven by the media and general hysteria that happens when things don't run the way people want them to. Thankfully the security community seem to have reacted appropriately and have been working together to deal with it.

ariarnia · 13 May 2017 at 2:47PM

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Targeted OR randomly set in motion it certainly caused chaos didn't it?

Honestly, not more more chaos than when citrix normally goes down for scheduled or 'unscheduled' maintenance. ICT infrastructure is not a strength of governments.

non-urgent procedures rescheduled, people told not to go to A&E unless it's serious, staff phoning for lab results because the computers aren't working - sounds like BAU

In this context targeted doesn't mean 'aimed at an individual'.

It could be as simple as:

Hi David,

Here's the file I was supposed to send over.

Sorry for the delay,

J.

If that email went out to a few thousand people, and if you were called David, would you be too busy thinking which J it might be (John, Julie, James from accounting? I know, I'll open the document and that'll remind me...) to remember you weren't actually expecting an attachment?

It only takes one person.

ClootiesMum · 13 May 2017 at 3:37PM

Dear Short-bird,

I do so wish you hadn't mentioned The Handmaid's Tale - my house would not be a mess, my ironing would have been done and I would have managed to read to the end of this thread.:eek:

On episode 3 & 2 more to watch

My excuse - not DH thing so I need to watch when he's not in.

Catch you in 3 episodes

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

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