A Police Department in Dallas Lost Years of Evidence After a Cyberattack

In early January, Collin Beggs, a criminal defense lawyer in Dallas, was talking with a Dallas County prosecutor about police video evidence that he'd been trying to get for months on behalf of one of his clients. The prosecutor explained that he wouldn't be receiving the video evidence he needed as part of a case involving the Cockrell Hill Police Department, which serves a town of about 4,300 people near Dallas. The reason? "They got hacked by Russians," Beggs tells Mother Jones, "and they held them up for ransom and took all their stuff. They didn't pay to get it back, so they lost all their videos.'"

"Russian hackers" have become part of the national conversation as a result of their alleged attempts to swing the presidential election, but cybercrime is as old as the internet and law enforcement agencies and other public institutions have not been spared. The Cockrell Hill Police Department is just the latest police department to fall victim to ransomware, an attack in which malicious software is installed on a computer after a link is clicked in an email or an email attachment is opened. Once installed, the software encrypts as many documents and folders as it can. A page will appear informing the victim that their files are locked, and they can only get them back by paying a certain amount of money. Bitcoin, a web-based currency that allows for more anonymity, is often the preferred currency.

It happened to the Tewksbury, Massachusetts, police department in December 2014; the Midlothian Police Department in suburban Chicago in January 2015; the Dickson County, Tennessee, sheriff's department in October 2014; and the Durham, New Hampshire, police department in June 2014. A ransomware attack hit the San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Agency in November 2016 demanding roughly $73,000. A security researcher found that the attacker had "successfully extorted at least $140,000" from other organizations, including private companies, according to journalist Brian Krebs, a computer security reporter. Hospitals are perhaps the most frequent victims of ransomware attacks due to the value of medical information, according to some estimates.

Officials from the Cockrell Hill Police Department did not respond to requests for comment, but a statement issued by the department on January 25 reported that a server containing documents, videos, and photos dating back to 2009 was hit by "OSIRIS," a ransomware variant, on December 12. The attackers wanted roughly $4,000 worth of bitcoin to unlock the files. After consulting the FBI and the department's IT staff, and taking into account the possibility that the files might not be unlocked even if the $4,000 were paid, the decision was made to wipe the server and delete all its contents.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/police-department-loses-years-worth-evidence-ransomware-attack

Kellyanne Conway's White Nationalist Retweet Is No Mistake

Late Monday, coming off of a long evening of responding to Gen. Mike Flynn's resignation as National Security Adviser, senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway found solace in a tweet from a user named Lib Hypocrisy.

Conway not only retweeted the message but also wrote, "Love you back," and wished her "Hapless Haters" a happy Valentine's Day.

But there was just one problem: Lib Hypocrisy is an explicit promoter of white nationalism and other bigotry. This is evident from the account's profile, which includes the hashtags "#WhiteIdentity" and "#Nationalist." It features a cartoon image connoting Pepe the Frog, the adopted mascot of the racist "alt-right" movement, and a shout-out to Geert Wilders, the far-right Dutch politician who wants to shut down mosques.

Conway's move continues a longstanding pattern of Trump and his inner circle engaging with white nationalists and then claiming ignorance when confronted about it—as Mother Jones documented in multiple investigations since last summer. Other such "mistakes"...

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/kellyanne-conway-retweeted-white-nationalist

How the Trump regime was manufactured by a war inside the Deep State

President Donald Trump is not fighting a war on the establishment: he’s fighting a war to protect the establishment from itself, and the rest of us.

https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/how-the-trump-regime-was-manufactured-by-a-war-inside-the-deep-state-f9e757071c70#.oqw8rl5r9

American Airlines flight diverted to STL for security check'

Source: NBC 11 Affiliate

ST. LOUIS – An American Airlines plane headed to Phoenix, Arizona, was diverted to St. Louis for a ‘security check’ Thursday morning.

According to Jeff Lea, a spokesperson for Lambert-St. Louis Airport, American Airlines flight 534 took off from Columbus, Ohio, and landed in St. Louis after a security issue.

Lambert-St. Louis Airport tweeted they are assisting in a security check and that the airport is fully operational.

Police and fire officials are on the scene.

Read more: http://www.11alive.com/news/american-airlines-flight-diverted-to-stl-for-security-check/406246208

U.S. Army to grant final permit for controversial Dakota pipeline -court filing

Source: Reuters

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will grant the final easement needed to finish the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, according to a court filing Tuesday.

The line had been delayed for several months after protests from Native American tribes and climate activists. The $3.8 billion line, which is being built by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP.N), needed a final permit to tunnel under Lake Oahe, a reservoir that is part of the Missouri River.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation is adjacent to the line's route, has said they will fight the decision. The Army Corps had previously stated that they would undertake further environmental review of the project. The tribe was not immediately available for comment.

The Army informed the chairs and ranking members of the House Natural Resources and Senate Energy & Natural Resources committees of their intent in a letter on Tuesday.

Read more: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15M2DU

A few more lists to ponder...

The Long List of Murders Committed by White Extremists Since the Oklahoma City Bombing

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/18/white_extremist_murders_killed_at_least_60_in_u_s_since_1995.html

6 modern-day Christian terrorist groups our media conveniently ignores

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/07/6_modern_day_christian_terrorist_groups_our_media_conveniently_ignores_partner/

Terror From the Right

https://www.splcenter.org/20100126/terror-right

Don't Be A Sucker!

Someone check on Donny...he hasn't Tweeted yet this morning...

13 hours since he last checked in.