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Open-Source Tools Firing Up Supply Chain Attacks: Researchers (Maria)
The author writes, “Open-source code and legitimate hacking tools have contributed to the rising popularity of a once-rare and complicated type of cyberattack, according to new research shared exclusively with Axios. Malicious hackers of all levels — from nation-state groups to lower-level cybercriminals — have gotten better at executing what experts call a software supply chain attack. In these schemes, hackers target a single third-party piece of software to access information from that organization’s customers or to gain access to a target’s network.”
The War Zone In Gaza Will Leave a Legacy of Hidden Health Risks (Laura)
From Grist: “Israeli forces have pummeled Gaza in a campaign to dismantle [Hamas]. The offensive has killed 22,000 Palestinians and dealt a grievous blow to the territory’s fragile air, water, and land — and risks the long-term health of its residents. The ruin dwarfs anything Gazans have ever experienced. The ongoing aerial, naval, and ground assault has by one United Nations estimate damaged or destroyed about one-fifth of the structures in Gaza. According to Thorsten Kallnischkies, a former disaster waste manager who has advised cleanups in 20 countries, 15 million tons of debris now litter the Gaza Strip.”
Trump Says He Got Money From China and Saudi Arabia Because He Was ‘Doing Services’ for Them (Sean)
The author writes, “Former President Donald Trump defended his businesses accepting payments from foreign governments during a Fox News town hall [last week]. The comments came in response to a Jan. 4 report from House Oversight Committee Democrats finding that the former president had received at least $7.8 million in payments from foreign governments, including China and Saudi Arabia, and their controlled entities while in office. ‘That’s a small amount of money. You know, it sounds like a lot of money. That’s small,’ Trump said.”
Ancient Elements of Cool (Gerry)
From The Washington Post: “[Philip Kennicott] traveled in the hottest months to the hottest places, looking for ways to stay cool.”
Arrest Warrant Issued for Montana Man Accused of Killing Thousands of Birds, Including Eagles (Reader Steve)
From AP News: “A federal judge issued an arrest warrant Monday for a Montana man who failed to show up for an initial court appearance on charges of killing thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles. A second defendant pleaded not guilty. The two men, working with others, killed about 3,600 birds on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere over a six-year period beginning in 2015, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed last month. The defendants also were accused of selling eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials.”
Enshittification: The 2023 Digital Word of the Year (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “On 6 January, at the New York Times Square Hotel, the 134-year-old American Dialect Society voted that ‘Enshittification’ should be named as the ‘Digital Word of the Year’ for 2023. The decision came after a vote, presided over by Ben Zimmer, chair of the ADS New Words Committee and language columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and Dr. Kelly Elizabeth Wright of Virginia Tech, data czar of the New Words Committee. But what exactly is Enshittification? Enshittification became popular in 2023 after it was used in a blog post by author of The Internet Con, Cory Doctorow, who used it to describe how digital platforms can become worse and worse.”
