Post: #1

So, the Chinese stock market just went belly up earlier today, losing 3 trillion dollars, and this seems to be only the beginning. A few hours later US stock market as well as the entire aircraft fleet of United shuts down due to a 'technical glitch'.

Anyone know what's going on?

Post: #2

The chinese stock market collapse has been coming for some time. The US stock market issue is a result of the chinese market troubles. The shutdown of United airlines is the second or third time it's happened in a month.

Post: #3

Post: #4

I don't think its cyber attacks, what happened in china, affected what happened in US stocks.

Not all flights were grounded, only UA flights were, they've had problems.

Post: #5

WSJ went down as well.

- Economy
- Transportation/infrastructure
- Media

Seems more like saber rattling and a demonstration of abilities rather than a coincidence.

Post: #6

Post: #7

Doesn't seem like big deal really, but I'm going to go ahead and preemptively start freaking out now just in case.

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

Post: #8

It seems too much of a coincidence that right after the Chinese market posts biggest loss the US market shuts down. Yes Chinese market was in a spiral for a while, but today is when it went belly up. WSJ cannot publish any stories, and they have started using a temporary web page.

Post: #9

*Takes notes of who stockpiled stuff for these days*

Post: #10

The subway near my place is under construction too.

Very suspicious.

Post: #11

^^ Subway is under suspicion. /thread-48882.html

Stay woke.

Post: #12

http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/so...-right-now

Quote:The New York Stock Exchange was down due to technical issues as was United Airlines and the Wall Street Journal at one point today. China has been having ongoing issues with their own stock market as well.

From Boston Business Journal:

The New York Stock Exchange halted trading in all securities due to “technical issues,” according to Bloomberg.

The halt took effect at 11:32 a.m., Bloomberg reported.


“We’re experiencing a technical issue that we’re working to resolve as quickly as possible,” the NYSE tweeted. “We’re doing our utmost to produce a swift resolution & will be providing further updates as soon as we can.”

The Nasdaq stock exchange was operating normally.

United Airlines issue:

United Airline flights across the U.S. — including at Boston’s Logan Airport — this morning are running hours behind schedule after a computer glitch grounded flights around the world.

China is also experiencing issues but most likely self-induced.

From CNN Money:

At least 1,430 of the 2,800 companies traded in China have elected to pull their shares as markets continue their crazy roller-coaster ride, according to state media.

The number keeps ticking upward — on Wednesday morning alone, hundreds of firms announced a halt in trading, according to a review of stock exchange filings.

Companies — particularly small and medium-sized firms — are clearly nervous about taking a nasty hit due to recent market fluctuations.

China has been experiencing ongoing issues. United is now back up and are just running behind.

At one point even the Wall Street Journal was down but that’s probably because so many people were trying to find out what was going on with the NYSE.


Then there is this from Zero Hedge on what cyber war looks like in:

After a series of cyber failures involving first UAL, then this website, then the NYSE which is still halted, then the WSJ, some have suggested that this could be a concerted cyber attack (perhaps by retaliatory China unhappy its stocks are plunging) focusing on the US. So we decided to look at a real-time cyber attack map courtesy of Norsecorp which provides real time visibility into global cyber attacks.

What clearly stands out is that for some reason Chinese DDOS attacks/hackers seem to be focusing on St. Louis this morning.

Post: #13

Strangely enough, Zerohedge was also down this morning. Interesting coincidences...

Post: #14

Hmmm. I was on a date with a girl last night here in Beijing and during dinner, she was contacted by a friend who was in town one night only and wanted to meet her right there and then.

Coincident? I don't think so.

Post: #15

Quote: What clearly stands out is that for some reason Chinese DDOS attacks/hackers seem to be focusing on St. Louis this morning.

I just checked out the security company, they have a honeypot network of computers located in St Louis that are designed to attract hackers.

Post: #16

Friend of mine in the Navy, cryptolinguistics. Talks about how China has entire schools dedicated to hacking the United States.

Post: #17

Delete

Post: #18

(07-08-2015 01:47 PM)joseywales Wrote:  http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/so...-right-now

Quote:The New York Stock Exchange was down due to technical issues as was United Airlines and the Wall Street Journal at one point today. China has been having ongoing issues with their own stock market as well.

From Boston Business Journal:

The New York Stock Exchange halted trading in all securities due to “technical issues,” according to Bloomberg.

The halt took effect at 11:32 a.m., Bloomberg reported.


“We’re experiencing a technical issue that we’re working to resolve as quickly as possible,” the NYSE tweeted. “We’re doing our utmost to produce a swift resolution & will be providing further updates as soon as we can.”

The Nasdaq stock exchange was operating normally.

United Airlines issue:

United Airline flights across the U.S. — including at Boston’s Logan Airport — this morning are running hours behind schedule after a computer glitch grounded flights around the world.

China is also experiencing issues but most likely self-induced.

From CNN Money:

At least 1,430 of the 2,800 companies traded in China have elected to pull their shares as markets continue their crazy roller-coaster ride, according to state media.

The number keeps ticking upward — on Wednesday morning alone, hundreds of firms announced a halt in trading, according to a review of stock exchange filings.

Companies — particularly small and medium-sized firms — are clearly nervous about taking a nasty hit due to recent market fluctuations.

China has been experiencing ongoing issues. United is now back up and are just running behind.

At one point even the Wall Street Journal was down but that’s probably because so many people were trying to find out what was going on with the NYSE.


Then there is this from Zero Hedge on what cyber war looks like in:

After a series of cyber failures involving first UAL, then this website, then the NYSE which is still halted, then the WSJ, some have suggested that this could be a concerted cyber attack (perhaps by retaliatory China unhappy its stocks are plunging) focusing on the US. So we decided to look at a real-time cyber attack map courtesy of Norsecorp which provides real time visibility into global cyber attacks.

What clearly stands out is that for some reason Chinese DDOS attacks/hackers seem to be focusing on St. Louis this morning.

I've been aware of the norse map since last fall. The activity on it today was actually par for the course. I'm not discrediting the assumption that the NYSE went down due to hacking but just stating that the cyber attack activity was normal.

Post: #19

Just normal balloon deflation, nothing out of the ordinary.

Post: #20

More good news. The next day, "Coincidentally" we have 21 million SSN's stolen by hackers...

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/hack...n-20150709

Quote:July 9, 2015

More than 21 million Social Security numbers were compromised in a breach that affected a database of sensitive information on federal employees held by the Office of Personnel Management, the agency announced Thursday.

That number is in addition to the 4.2 million social security numbers that were compromised in another data breach at OPM that was made public in June.

Of the 21.5 million records that were stolen, 19.7 million belonged to individuals who had undergone background investigation, OPM said. The remaining 1.8 million records belonged to other individuals, mostly applicants' families.

The records that were compromised include detailed, sensitive information about the individuals, including fingerprint data. OPM says 1.1 million compromised files included fingerprints.

Beyond the fingerprints and Social Security numbers, some of the files in the compromised database included "residency and educational history; employment history; information about immediate family and other personal and business acquaintances; health, criminal and financial history; and other details," OPM said.

Some records included "findings from interviews conducted by background investigators," and some included the usernames and passwords that applicants used to fill out investigation forms. And although separate systems that store health, financial, and payroll information do not appear to have been compromised, the agency says some mental health and financial information is included in the security clearance files that were affected by the hack.

This data breach, which officials have privately linked to China, began in May 2014, according to OPM Director Katherine Archuleta's testimony before Congress. It was not discovered until May 2015.

A security update applied by OPM and the Department of Homeland Security in January 2015 ended the bulk of the data extraction, according to congressional testimony from Andy Ozment, assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at DHS, even though the breach would not be discovered for months.

An OPM statement said that individuals who underwent background investigations in or after the year 2000 are "highly likely" to have had their information compromised in the breach. (This includes both new applicants and employees that were subject to a "periodic reinvestigation" during that time.) But those who were investigated before 2000 may also have been affected.

News of the second intrusion was first reported in June and was described as a potentially devastating heist of government data, as hackers seized extensive security-clearance information intelligence and military personnel. OPM said at the time that it became aware of the second hack while investigating the smaller breach that affected 4.2 million, which was disclosed earlier in June.

The size of the breach exceeds most of the estimates previously reported in various media outlets, including CNN, which said last month that the FBI believed 18 million people had been affected by the hack.

The personnel agency said Thursday that it has not seen any indication that the stolen information has been "misused" or otherwise disseminated.

On Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey refused to provide a specific number when asked by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee about the size of the breach. Comey did say the hack was "enormous," however, and confirmed that his own data had been compromised.

Several lawmakers in both parties have called for the resignations of Archuleta and Donna Seymour, the chief information officer at OPM, since the data breaches came to light last month. In a sharp statement Thursday after the numbers were revealed, House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz reiterated his belief that the two "need to resign or be removed" from their posts.

"Since at least 2007, OPM leadership has been on notice about the vulnerabilities to its network and cybersecurity policies and practices," the Utah Republican said. "Director Archuleta and Ms. Seymour consciously ignored the warnings and failed to correct these weaknesses. Their negligence has now put the personal and sensitive information of 21.5 million Americans into the hands of our adversaries. Such incompetence is inexcusable. Again, I call upon President Obama to remove Director Archuleta and Ms. Seymour immediately."

But Archuleta has remained resolute in the face of withering scrutiny. During a Thursday press call, the one-time political director for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, said she and her staff should be applauded, not condemned, for their efforts to upgrade the agency's cybersecurity since she took office in November 2013.

"It is because the efforts of OPM and its staff that we've been able to identify the breaches," Archuleta said. When asked directly if she or Seymour would resign, Archuleta replied: "No."

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Post: #21

(07-09-2015 03:38 PM)joseywales Wrote:  More good news. The next day, "Coincidentally" we have 21 million SSN's stolen by hackers...

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/hack...n-20150709

Quote:July 9, 2015

More than 21 million Social Security numbers were compromised in a breach that affected a database of sensitive information on federal employees held by the Office of Personnel Management, the agency announced Thursday.

That number is in addition to the 4.2 million social security numbers that were compromised in another data breach at OPM that was made public in June.

Of the 21.5 million records that were stolen, 19.7 million belonged to individuals who had undergone background investigation, OPM said. The remaining 1.8 million records belonged to other individuals, mostly applicants' families.

The records that were compromised include detailed, sensitive information about the individuals, including fingerprint data. OPM says 1.1 million compromised files included fingerprints.

Beyond the fingerprints and Social Security numbers, some of the files in the compromised database included "residency and educational history; employment history; information about immediate family and other personal and business acquaintances; health, criminal and financial history; and other details," OPM said.

Some records included "findings from interviews conducted by background investigators," and some included the usernames and passwords that applicants used to fill out investigation forms. And although separate systems that store health, financial, and payroll information do not appear to have been compromised, the agency says some mental health and financial information is included in the security clearance files that were affected by the hack.

This data breach, which officials have privately linked to China, began in May 2014, according to OPM Director Katherine Archuleta's testimony before Congress. It was not discovered until May 2015.

A security update applied by OPM and the Department of Homeland Security in January 2015 ended the bulk of the data extraction, according to congressional testimony from Andy Ozment, assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at DHS, even though the breach would not be discovered for months.

An OPM statement said that individuals who underwent background investigations in or after the year 2000 are "highly likely" to have had their information compromised in the breach. (This includes both new applicants and employees that were subject to a "periodic reinvestigation" during that time.) But those who were investigated before 2000 may also have been affected.

News of the second intrusion was first reported in June and was described as a potentially devastating heist of government data, as hackers seized extensive security-clearance information intelligence and military personnel. OPM said at the time that it became aware of the second hack while investigating the smaller breach that affected 4.2 million, which was disclosed earlier in June.

The size of the breach exceeds most of the estimates previously reported in various media outlets, including CNN, which said last month that the FBI believed 18 million people had been affected by the hack.

The personnel agency said Thursday that it has not seen any indication that the stolen information has been "misused" or otherwise disseminated.

On Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey refused to provide a specific number when asked by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee about the size of the breach. Comey did say the hack was "enormous," however, and confirmed that his own data had been compromised.

Several lawmakers in both parties have called for the resignations of Archuleta and Donna Seymour, the chief information officer at OPM, since the data breaches came to light last month. In a sharp statement Thursday after the numbers were revealed, House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz reiterated his belief that the two "need to resign or be removed" from their posts.

"Since at least 2007, OPM leadership has been on notice about the vulnerabilities to its network and cybersecurity policies and practices," the Utah Republican said. "Director Archuleta and Ms. Seymour consciously ignored the warnings and failed to correct these weaknesses. Their negligence has now put the personal and sensitive information of 21.5 million Americans into the hands of our adversaries. Such incompetence is inexcusable. Again, I call upon President Obama to remove Director Archuleta and Ms. Seymour immediately."

But Archuleta has remained resolute in the face of withering scrutiny. During a Thursday press call, the one-time political director for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, said she and her staff should be applauded, not condemned, for their efforts to upgrade the agency's cybersecurity since she took office in November 2013.

"It is because the efforts of OPM and its staff that we've been able to identify the breaches," Archuleta said. When asked directly if she or Seymour would resign, Archuleta replied: "No."

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Very interesting blog post on this by John Robb, one of the most interesting analysts out there.

Quote:The OPM Infobomb Explodes

A couple of years ago I wrote a short post InfoBomb.

When a government or corporation collects so much information on a citizenry that the unintentional release, theft, or misuse of it is a catastrophic event.

The most immediate danger from the government collecting data on us isn't that they will use it against us... it is from the damage it will do when they inevitably lose control of it.

This analysis was spot on: the failure at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an infobomb.

Chinese hackers were able to steal records on 18 m current and former government employees + sensitive background information submitted by people applying for security clearances.

I believe this infobomb has done catastrophic damage to US security. How? Big data + bots (made smarter via AI) will be able to turn this data into a decisive instrument of warfare.

For example: want that guy on the button to stand down?

Call him up with a threat to his family. Threaten to release information on him. Etc.

Worse, through automation this can be done on a scale and with a speed far, far greater than what old school spooks are capable of.

Mark my words: This infobomb is a catastrophe.

A catastrophe we won't understand the consequences of until the US loses the next big conflict.

PS: If you are interested in seeing how incompetent, unrepentant, pretentious, and dangerous government bureaucrats can be, watch the Director of OPM Katherine "it's not my fault" Archuleta in action. Her behavior is very similar to what we saw from the big bankers after the 2008 meltdown. Her recent Congressional testimony is emblematic of why Wall Street bankers and Washington bureaucrats are the #1 threat to our future prosperity.

This is the blog, the whole thing is fascinating. http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/

Post: #22

8.5% drop.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/23/asia-brac...rkets.html