The Cyber Attack started on July 4 and continued for several days,you may have noticed a slowdown on the web depending on whether or not your traffic had to share the same trunk line as the attack squads, the zombies.

Jul 9, 12:40 am ET  WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities on Wednesday eyed North Korea as the origin of the widespread cyber attack that overwhelmed government Web sites in the United States and South Korea, although they warned it would be difficult to definitively identify the attackers quickly.The powerful attack that targeted dozens of government and private sites underscored how unevenly prepared the U.S. government is to block such multipronged assaults.While Treasury Department and Federal Trade Commission Web sites were shut down by the software attack, which lasted for days over the holiday weekend, others such as the Pentagon and the White House were able to fend it off with little disruption.The North Korea link, described by three officials, more firmly connected the U.S. attacks to another wave of cyber assaults that hit government agencies Tuesday in South Korea. The officials said that while Internet addresses have been traced to North Korea, that does not necessarily mean the attack involved the Pyongyang government.

The wave of cyber assaults are known as "denial of service" attacks. Such attacks against Web sites are not uncommon and are caused when sites are so deluged with Internet traffic that they are effectively taken off-line. Mounting such an attack can be relatively easy and inexpensive, using widely available hacking programs, and they become far more serious if hackers infect and tie thousands of computers together into "botnets."

In an Associated Press interview, Philip Reitinger, deputy under secretary at the Homeland Security Department, said the far-reaching attacks demonstrate the importance of cybersecurity as a critical national security issue.The fact that a series of computers were involved in an attack, Reitinger said, "doesn't say anything about the ultimate source of the attack.""What it says is that those computers were as much a target of the attack as the eventual Web sites that are targets," said Reitinger, who heads DHS cybersecurity operations. "They're just zombies that are being used by some unseen third party to launch attacks against government and non government Web sites." [ 1 ] 

Zombies and Botnets what are they? Zombies are computers that have been infected with codes from a hacker that allows them to manipulate the computer. Several zombies are called a herd, and herds joined together make up a botnet.

The most potent weapon for Web gangsters is the botnet. A bot, broadly speaking, is a remote-controlled software program that is installed on a computer without the owner's knowledge. Hackers use viruses, worms, or automated programs to scan the Internet in search of potential zombies. One recent study found that a new P.C., attached to the Internet without protective software, will on average be infected in about twenty minutes.
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In the most common scenario, the bots surreptitiously connect hundreds, or thousands, of zombies to a channel in a chat room. The process is called "herding," and a herd of zombies is called a botnet. The herder then issues orders to the zombies, telling them to send unsolicited e-mail, steal personal information, or launch attacks. Herders also trade, rent, and sell their zombies. "The botnet is the little engine that makes the evil of the Internet work," Chris Morrow, a senior network-security engineer at M.C.I., said. "It makes spam work. It makes identity fraud work. (and it makes the cyber warfare now under discussion  work) [ 2 ]
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Less than five years ago, experts considered a several-thousand-zombie botnet extraordinary. Lyon now regularly faces botnets of fifty thousand zombies or more [ 2 ].
Read the above link [ 2 ] for a fascinating inside look at Zombie hunters.

The attackers set forth an army of zombies, their job was to all try to sign on to these sites at once,this overloads the server and paralyzes it, the site goes down in overload, and sometimes the ISP. At this point they have estimated 30,000 zombies were used, I suspect more. One botnet in Canada was found to have 1.5 million zombies before it was broken up by law enforcenment. Good net security apparatus has spike warnings that alert watch operators to sudden rushes of traffic so they can respond quickly to attacks.Some of the government sites responded well and some went down.

 James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the fact that both the White House and Defense Department were attacked but didn't go down points to the need for coordinated government network defenses.
"It says that they were ready and the other guys weren't ready," he said. "We are disorganized. In the event of an attack, some places aren't going to be able to defend themselves. [ 1 ]

Was it the North Korean Army Lab 110?  

The state-run Korea Communications Commission said Friday that it had identified and blocked five Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses in five countries used to distribute computer viruses that caused the wave of Web site outages, which began in the U.S. on July 4.The addresses point to the computers that distributed the virus that triggered so-called denial of service attacks in which floods of computers try to connect to a single site at the same time, overwhelming the server.They were in Austria, Georgia, Germany, South Korea and the U.S., a commission official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media on the record.

Speculation over who was responsible for the attacks that targeted high-profile Web sites, including those of the White House and South Korea's presidential Blue House, has centered on North Korea.And though such finger-pointing has been trickling out since the attacks began, the identity of the IP addresses themselves provides little in the way of clarity.That's because it is likely the hackers, whoever they are, used the addresses to disguise themselves _ for instance, by accessing the computers from a remote location. IP addresses can also be faked or masked, hiding their true location.

South Korean media reported in May that North Korea was running an Internet warfare unit that tries to hack into American and South Korean military networks to gather confidential information and disrupt service. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Friday that the North has between 500-1,000 hacking specialists. [ 3 ]

So it cant be proven that North Korea was the attacker at this time, but that is expected, they would have been poor hackers indeed if they had left traces back to them with computer addresses. Regardless of the source, there may be a positive gleaned from this attack, it may show the U.S. its weaknesses and vulnerabilities in its networks, and provided a free real time vigorous attack training episode. It may also reveal some of the attackers own weaknesses, methods and even strong points. The data may show us new strategies that we can use to defend from future attacks.

June 24,2009 WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates created a new military command dedicated to cyber security on Tuesday, reflecting the Obama administration's plans to centralize and elevate computer security as a major national-security issue.

The decision follows President Barack Obama's announcement last month that he will establish a new cyber-security office at the White House, whose chief will coordinate all government efforts to protect computer networks. The Pentagon initiative will reshape the military's efforts to protect networks from attacks by hackers, especially those from China and Russia. It also consolidates the largest concentration of cyber warriors and investigators in the government under one military command, exacerbating concerns of some experts who worry about military control of civilian computer systems.[ 4 ]

However this new command unit is only concerned with military networks, not the electrical grid ,communications grid ,or airtraffic control grid, or many other vital networks which seem pretty important to me. An attack that shuts down part of the power grid for weeks would be an economic disaster of the epic proportions. So what about those systems?

Ms. Leed, a Pentagon special assistant on cyber operations from 2005 to 2008, said the narrow focus could leave vital national networks still vulnerable to outside attacks and intrusions. "The question is whether the DoD protecting its own networks is sufficient to protect our national-security imperatives, and I would say no," she said. "The overwhelming majority of cyber traffic isn't on government networks." [ 4 ]

The protection of these networks then is solely  the responsibility of Dept of Homeland Security
 

Rod Beckstrom, former chief of the National Cyber Security Center, which is charged with coordinating cyber-security activities across the U.S. government, quit in March, warning in his resignation letter that the growing reliance on the NSA was a "bad strategy" that poses "threats to our democratic processes." Homeland Security officials said they are still responsible for protecting all civilian networks, though a department spokeswoman declined to speak specifically about the Cyber Command."It is the view in the White House that the Department of Homeland Security will continue to play an absolutely essential role in the protection of America's cyber infrastructure," said Rand Beers, who was nominated to be Homeland Security's undersecretary overseeing cybersecurity, at his confirmation hearing this month.[ 4 ]

By comparison, the Department of Homeland Security has 100 employees dedicated to civilian cyber security, with plans to reach 260 next year.

This is the gang of 100....they need more help and soon, for as of today they are the only ones who watch over our vital civilian networks. As for us, there are some things each one of us can do to keep our computers from becoming zombies. Having a firewall is critical for protection, along with a virus checker with up to date definitions.Dont leave your computer on 24/7 unattended, shut it down or unplug the net cable when not in use, if it isnt on the web it cant be attacked.Open no email from anyone you dont know, download no programs from unsecure sites.Dont let your computer become a zombie recruit.

                 Sources :
[ 1 ] Yahoo news on cyber attacks
[ 2 ] The Zombie Hunters
[ 3 ] huffington post on cyber attack
[ 4 ] wsj on new cyber command










 

We may be about to see the lid blow off of another  Dick Cheney black operation from his star chamber. Back in March ,New York Times  Seymour Hersh  stated that Dick Cheney may have set up and orchestrated an "Executive Assassination Ring" . Here is part of that  statement

Hersh:  "Right now, today, there was a story in the New York Times that if you read it carefully mentioned something known as the Joint Special Operations Command -- JSOC it's called. It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently. They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office. They did not report to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff or to Mr. [Robert] Gates, the secretary of defense. They reported directly to him. ...

"Congress has no oversight of it. It's an executive assassination ring essentially, and it's been going on and on and on. Just today in the Times there was a story that its leaders, a three star admiral named [William H.] McRaven, ordered a stop to it because there were so many collateral deaths.

"Under President Bush's authority, they've been going into countries, not talking to the ambassador or the CIA station chief, and finding people on a list and executing them and leaving. That's been going on, in the name of all of us.

Complete statement and audio here Great Conversation Event (University of Minnesota)

Today Sam Stein over at Huffington Post reported some further developments

The revelation from seven Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee that they were misled about a critical CIA program has sparked a debate that touches on the most sensitive areas of national security policy. What program, exactly, was being kept secret?
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And in a conversation with the Huffington Post, Rep. Anna Eshoo,(D-Calif.), one of the letter's signatories, said that Panetta "stopped the program the day after he was informed." Waterboarding was ended as a practice during the Bush years

She is indicating that waterboarding had been stopped back during the Bush administration and that whatever this program was, it was stopped recently , after Panetta became CIA director and found out about it.He stopped it the next day , or in effect immediately after the shock wore off.

So what are the "significant actions" that these seven lawmakers insist were kept from Congress? Another theory being bandied about concerns an "executive assassination ring" that was allegedly set up and answered to former Vice President Dick Cheney      Huffpo Sam Stein

 
Whatever Panetta told them about stunned them.Shocking to even these lawmakers who have seen and heard just about everything, that indicates something extraordinary

Eshoo said she could not discuss what was a "highly classified . program." She did, however, note that when Panetta told House Intelligence Committee members what it was that had been kept secret, "the whole committee was stunned, even Republicans." A Republican committee member told Who Runs Gov's Greg Sargent it was something they hadn't heard before.

This is something they had not heard before, so this also indicates it was something other than Water boarding  and torture. If we take what Seymour Hearst has stated  ,who has always been reliable investigative reporter, and the statements that Stein has reported it looks like Cheney may have actually had a hit squad and used it .

While doing some research on the web I inadvertently fell into a ring of fire at the Washington Times. An opinion piece by a fellow who was upset about the treatment Sarah Palin has been receiving lately, specifically an article by Maureen Dowd. The fellows name is BREITBART and his piece was titled: New York Times Barbie strikes again

In his article Breitbart is burning down Maureen Dowd because of her critique of Sarah Palin. His article, published on July 6 at 4:25am  has to this point garnered 94 comments, The great majority of them agreeing with his points and some of them taking the fire to new heights by  adding Katie Couric and Tina Fey to the bonfire. The following  just  a sampling of those comments to his blog .

From The Ring :

I think it is time to return the favor to Couric, Fey and Dowd. How about we find out their addresses and begin to regularly visit them  and their families and give them a taste of what it is like....Bring down Dowd, Couric and Fey, bring them to the town square, put them on display and heap scorn upon them and their families, especially their families. mac691  (double the dosage Mac69 and visit your healthcare provider if you have one and are not denied because of a previous condition)

But somebody's gotta bloody some noses, and you can't do it from political office. The biggest pass the Democrats get is the cover from the MSM. DanielW (wow the MSM is giving us a pass, mine hasnt arrived yet.)

Today, Sarah Palin is not the ideal candidate to be President, but she is a hyper intellectual visionary giant compared to the naive,simpleminded, Marxist charlatan who currently occupies the White House. Our great nation is currently under seige by mindless incompetent Marxists who are doing everything possible to wreck our free enterprise system and our national credit standing that are the source of our prosperity  Reality101
(ok you mindless incompetant Marxists leave the intellectual visionary giant alone already)

But by all means, let's keep it "safe, legal and rare." Waterboarding -- whadcha think I meant.  AlanShep (lost yer favorite job did ja, I think he is having withdrawals and means to enhance interrogate us)


After 40-years of political activism I have never seen a phenom like Sarah Palin. Her work is done in Alaska and if the pundits knew anything  about that tiny population of only 700,000, there's just so much a person can do there. She turned that State upside down, routed the thieves, and shook the change out of it - then handed the money to the people, after years of cronyism.....Liberals and socialists of all strata seem to want to jump from tall buildings at the very thought of her landing in their City. What non-fictional character on earth can match that in this present day? As for the handful of dirtbags in the RNC who can't seem to keep it in their pants long enough to stand up for something,I can only say, Sarah's the one. She is the face of strength; the face  of traditional conservatism; the new face of feminism; the face of ethical action and faith; she is an inspiring person we would all do  well to learn from - and she's just as cute as a can be! Doesn't that just drive you nuts?  sierrablanca  (40 years wondering in the desert but now she has found the ONE, and the One,she is cute and has the One ring that will rule us all, oh also she drives you nuts. Evidently)

Ok  that's enough truth for me. I escaped with minor scorching. I just thought you might like to know whats being said elsewhere. I did get a dash of water in the ring of fire from a  fellow named Mr. Wonderful, who posted this:

The Times site has obliterated my last two efforts to write a comment, so I'll try to be brief: This article is ridiculous. Sarah Palin's biggest enemy is Sarah Palin. Her every public statement consists of some combination of Rotary Club cliches, right-wing dog-whistling,outright lies, and word-salad free association. But Breitbart blames--of all people--Dowd, Couric, and Fey. A columnist, a tv interviewer asking creampuff questions any 8th grader could answer, and a comedian. "Pathetic" has a new name. The only question is, how much of this nonsense does its author actually believe? We--and he, probably--will never know. Mr Wonderful

I know some of you are  Fu Fighters and enjoy a good skirmish, for those who cant resist you can find the fiery ring  at   Wash Times  .Wear your thick skins if you go.

           Plunge Protection Team   [1]

Let me start by explaining the background and the purpose of the Plunge Protection Team

Oct. 19, 1987,the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508 points, or 22.6 percent, in the biggest one-day loss in history,it was called "Black Monday". Shock waves reverberated from Wall Street all the way to Capitol Hill and phones began to ring off the wall. Discussions, cussins and repercussions reached a consensus, a plan was needed to forestall such emergencies as this.Central bankers and financial regulators came up with the idea of the  Working Group. In the end  the group was established by Executive Order 12631,signed on March 18, 1988 by United States P, resident Ronald Reagan. These quiet meetings of the Working Group are the financial world's equivalent of the war room. It was informally known as the "Plunge Protection Team." It is supposed to work like this......

Read more »

Damn  that axle of evil!
By  Flowerchild
 

Thanks to Flowerchild for the brilliantly funny caption, nobody does it better than Flowechild the one who came up with the name "Widdledub" Thanks to other particpants also which were very good. Now for the winner:
.
 The prize is a lovely   "Invisible Uber Crystal Jello Bowl "  which has the ability to render all gargoyles who partake from it mute and giggly. Warning : some are affected with the strange desire to remove all  their clothing and turn cartwheels.

Instructions : remove the invisible wrapper and carefully place your prepared bowl of jello into the Invisible Uber Crytsal Bowl, place all breakable items in a safe place out of reach.  Prepare camera for shennanigans to come. Also included is the recipe for fish bowl jello which is irresistable to all gargoyles and is pictured below

 
This is actually jello

Please download your Fishbowl recipe here Fishbowl Jello