Posted on 04/26/2012 7:53:19 AM PDT by crosshairs
Iran is recruiting a hacker army to target the U.S. power grid, water systems and other vital infrastructure for cyberattack in a future confrontation with the United States, security specialists will warn Congress Thursday. "Elements of the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] have openly sought to pull hackers into the fold" of a religiously motivated cyberarmy, according to Frank J. Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.
Lawmakers from two House Homeland Security subcommittees will hold a joint hearing Thursday about the cyberthreat posed by Iran, as tensions over Tehran's nuclear program continue at a high level, and a possible Israeli strike looms. The Washington Times obtained advance copes of witnesses' prepared testimony. In his remarks, Mr. Cilluffo says that, in addition to the recruiting by the IGRC, another extremist militia, the Basij, "are paid to do cyber work on behalf of the regime, [and] provide much of the manpower for Iran's cyber-operations." Both militias are believed to be under the control of Iran's clerical leadership, headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
Two Revolutionary Guard leaders have been indicted by U.S.prosecutors for their part in an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States by bombing a prominent Washington restaurant. "Over the past three years, the Iranian regime has invested heavily in both defensive and offensive capabilities in cyberspace," states testimony from Ilan Berman, vice president of the hawkish American Foreign Policy Council, in his remarks for Thursday's hearing. Estimates of the skill level of Iran's hacker army vary, but Mr. Cilluffo points out that there is a veritable "arms bazaar of cyberweapons" currently accessible through the Internet hacker underworld. "Adversaries do not need capabilities, just intent and cash," he states.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I have thought this for years. That is why we should have stricter control of the people getting into this country. Who knows how many are already here?
Preppers’ PING!
I really need to get my auto stand-by generator installed. Yet another reason. I just don’t have the money right now but it’s next on my list.
But macs are gay.
You can go with an “intermediate solution” until you can afford the autostandby configuration.
Buy a cheap portable genny and get a bunch of extension cords.
Make sure to shut off your main breaker while you’re powering things with the generator.
The worm turns...
I don’t know if you’re a TSP listener (you should be),
but I found the interview with “Joe Nobody” about bugout location security to be interesting... and frightening.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/881-joe-nobody-on-bol-security
And, consider the fuel your generator will need.
Nuke the little Persian pricks, problem solved.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tehran - now THAT is an American Trifecta.
Of course to see that happen, we would need a President with some BALLS, which sure as Hell rules out 0bama or 0Romney.
I almost included “convert it to run on natural gas”,
but that might be too intimidating for some.
The obvious solution is to switch everything over to Macs and we will be safe...no?
After all, macs are sooooooo much more secure....right?
Propane makes you more independent. Natural gas will go away if we have a system-wide breakdown. Diesel is best but more costly for the GenSet. The 1800 rpm ones are better for long term ruggedness. IMHO an auto switch an the least important. When the shtf you will have to be there anyway, you can crank, flip, plug, etc.
I also have solar panels and off-grid capability.
Write if you want an electrical eng perspective.
I have a 2400 watt generator right now that I mainly use to back up my basement sump pump if we lose power. If it’s not used by the sump pump it’s enough to power most of what I would need.
EE here as well.
A natgas engine will run on propane, but you need a regulator.
The natgas grid will survive for a long time after the elect grid is down, 6 months at least, if there isn’t something actively interfering.
Listen to the Steven Harris interviews on thesurvivalpodcast.com for more really interesting alt-E stuff.
They are booting up and readying their Commodores as we speak.
What does Lionel Ritchie have to do with this?
Naaw, they’re booting up their ZX80s.
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