When you think of the government, you don’t immediately think of an organization that is at the forefront of innovation. Sure, they have all that money at their disposal, but most of it goes here and there to try to help the people of a constituency; and, frankly it isn’t terribly efficient. What may surprise you is that governments are embracing cloud services and it tends to benefit everyone. Let’s see how governments are taking advantage of cloud computing.
In the United States, the political scene is extremely divisive. This can be seen in nearly every political arena including the ongoing debate over who should have regulatory power over the Internet. In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted, three votes to two, to repeal the Net Neutrality rules that were implemented by the same regulatory body just two years prior. Today, with a new administration being sworn in in less than a month, we thought we’d revisit the net neutrality rules and see where we stand at present.
Not since the British burned the Library of Congress to the ground in the War of 1812 has there been a more devastating attack on the famous library. Only this time, the recent attack was of the digital variety and King George III had nothing to do with it.
The attack was launched on July 17th by a hacking group calling themselves the Turk Hack Team. The group used a DDoS attack to shut down the Library of Congress website and hosted systems, including Congress.gov, the Copyright Office, Congressional Research Service, and other sites.
What makes this attack so sobering is that it could have been prevented if the Library's IT systems were properly managed and updated. This revelation caused a shakeup of the Library’s leadership, along with a call from government officials for an overhaul of the Library’s outdated IT systems. Until these updates are completed, those who rely on the Library of Congress to gather crucial information may find themselves stuck with an inefficient system.
Looking all the way back to 2002, the Library of Congress has a reputation for the chronic mismanagement of its IT systems, which includes the mishandling of contractors and the miscalculation of IT budgets. Much of the blame lies with the library's leadership, a head librarian of 28 years who showed patterns of resisting the latest IT solutions. The librarian’s anti-technology attitude was even seen on a personal level as they refused to use email.
This mismanagement of the library's IT is no secret around Washington DC. In a 2015 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized the library’s infrastructure and demanded that they hire permanent employees to oversee their IT systems, which comes with a budget of $120 million. To give you a window into the library's mismanagement, consider the fact that, in the library’s report filed to the GAO, they claimed to have had less than 6,500 computers in their possession, yet the GAO found the actual number to be closer to 18,000.
In another telling example of the Library’s technology woes, it was found that another government department overseen by the Library of Congress, the Copyright Office, still has many of its important records card-catalogued. While the library’s paper-based card catalogue may be safe from foreign hackers, it’s certainly an inefficient way to run a major institution.
Businesses that don’t prioritize in updating and maintaining their IT infrastructure can learn a lot from this major data breach. Hackers are first and foremost looking for organizations with outdated IT systems. Companies that fit this bill are considered easy targets, or “low-hanging fruit.” Alternatively, businesses that implement current IT solutions, update their systems, and make network security a priority will be passed over by hackers like yesterday’s jam. To get this kind of protection and oversight for your business, call The Connection, Inc today at (732) 291-5938.
Without competition, there would not be businesses. However, this competition needs to be fair in order for small businesses to embrace new opportunities that arise. A U.S. bill that allows for both of these goals has passed in the House of Representatives and will be voted on in the Senate.
In today’s political, social, and economic environment, information is more valuable than ever. However, this increased importance, paired with the speed that data can be dispersed via the Internet, has enabled many to use false information to manipulate the general public into agreeing with their views and acting upon them.
Fake News and You
Many researchers believe that cyber propaganda campaigns rely on three factors in order to succeed in their mission: the tools and services used, social networking, and the motivation behind the campaign in question. Without any of these elements, spreading fake news becomes almost impossible.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of resources out there that can be used to spread a fake news campaign.
For instance, the Dark Web can provide those attempting to spread their propaganda with the tools they need to do so, safe behind a veil of anonymity. Social media offers platforms that encourage sharing, allowing what could be an exponential spread of a story with little hands-on effort from those responsible. Finally, while the majority of fake news that has been heard of as of late has been politically motivated, it can just as easily be used to manipulate businesses. In addition to its use as a political tool, fake news and information warfare can be used to promote a company and increase or decrease its stock--both financially and where public opinion is concerned.
China’s Fake News Marketplace
One example of the effects that fake news can have on businesses is demonstrated in the Chinese marketplace. One content distribution service, Xiezuobang, charges a user based on where the article is to be published. Services like this are easy to abuse for one’s own purposes.
Furthermore, aided by systems that enable public opinions to be measured and modified, posts can be automatically posted to 3000 websites at a rate of 100 posts per minute.
In addition to these tactics, many Chinese social networks are filled with posts shared by influential users who have been paid to promote that particular content. Based on that user’s popularity, the price of their content sharing services goes up.
A Global Problem
Of course, these practices are present in more areas than just China. Researchers have been able to collect and compare disinformation campaigns from the US, Russia, and Middle Eastern countries, and have resultantly been able to identify trends in what tools are used and how these campaigns are shaped to each region.
No matter where you are located, you need to keep an eye out for misinformation and cyber propaganda online. Whether it's politically motivated, or intended to manipulate business and the market, fake news is divisive and only benefits those that spread it.
What’s your opinion of fake news? Do you feel that it’s a real problem, or is it being overblown? Sound off in the comments!
When security and efficiency are some of the biggest benefits to updated information technology, it sounds that IT is something that a governing body should prioritize internally. However, many governments have trouble doing so, oftentimes to their own detriment. Why is that, and what can a business learn from this phenomenon?
Election Day in the United States is coming up quick on November 6th. It doesn’t matter what your thoughts or opinions on U.S. politics are--the fact remains that millions of Americans will be using the technology available at polling places to cast their ballots, and if this technology isn’t secured properly, the integrity of the voting system will be at risk.
Technology Found at Most Polling Places
Most polling places in America are using technology that is quickly approaching 15 years old. To put that in perspective, let’s think about some technologies and products today that haven’t even reached ten years old yet.
A co-founder of a nonprofit group called Open Source Election Technology, Greg Miller, has this to say about election technology: ”You have equipment that was introduced in 2005. In that time frame, how many times have you changed your mobile phone? And how many times have we replaced our laptops?” In essence, Miller describes election technology as “...obsolete hardware [and] software that relies on a diet of spare parts.”
The other co-founder of OSET, John Sebes, takes a different approach by showing just how vulnerable the systems are to manipulation. Most polling places have a portable media device, like a CD or USB drive, that must be used to transport the results to another location for the tally. The machines that count the votes are usually outdated in terms of both hardware and software. Sebes initiated a live demonstration for a national news network to show how he could influence the results of an election between two fictional candidates named Thorfer and Varda. Thorfer won with 3,000 votes while Varda received only 100, yet Sebes was able to use malware to switch the tallies around, creating a fraudulent winner. While some computers used for this purpose are secured, others are not so much.
Furthermore, there is some inconsistency in regard to whether or not polling places keep a paper backup of the vote in the event a recount is needed. This includes some of the “battleground” or “swing” states where small numbers of votes can sway the final outcome much more than in other states.
How to Minimize the Issue
The easiest way to resolve this problem is one that is just impossible to pull off. The United States Constitution specifies that each state is responsible for maintaining its own set of electoral procedures, meaning that any attempts at consistency will be made impossible. There are other ways to make progress regarding election system security, even if some of them are more low-tech than anything else.
Temporarily Cease Online Voting
Some states allow online voting for those who are abroad or are unable to make it to the polling place for whatever reason. Some even allow for email ballots. Unfortunately, security for these methods is subpar to say the least, and it should be suspended until it can be secured properly.
Use Physical Backups
Ordinarily, we would suggest that all backups be saved to the cloud. In this case, we’re dealing with something a bit different, as digital assets can be hacked. A physically-generated paper backup of the voting records is less susceptible to being tampered with, and it allows for cross-checking any results.
Invest in Improved Voting Equipment
Since the devices used in the voting process are over a decade old, it’s clear that updating this infrastructure is not a priority. Some have suggested that Congress get involved to expedite the process, creating funding opportunities to improve machines and replace older devices, but this hasn’t happened since 2002.
What are your thoughts on the current state of election technology? Let us know in the comments.
Cybersecurity is a big point of emphasis for the modern IT administrator. For the private business, it’s important for enough to be done in order to secure the business’ assets, and the integrity of the network itself. Unfortunately, when looking at public computing resources, there isn’t enough talent available to properly secure the systems that government entities rely on.
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