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☆ A look at the true nature of the Chinese cyber threat inside the nation's biggest ports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

But the Biden administration, lawmakers and ports management continue to differ in their views of the true nature of the threat. Kurt Fredrickson, a Coast Guard spokesman, told CNBC via email that even if the software is not Chinese, all software has vulnerabilities, regardless of origin. "Software is everywhere," Gene Seroka, executive director of the LA port, told CNBC in a recent interview at the TPM conference. They warn the crane software concerns are part of a much larger societal risk. He added that regardless of the origin of the crane software and the origin of a crane's manufacturing, there are ways to mitigate cyber risk.

Persons: Biden, Jay Vann, Robert Murray, it's, Kurt Fredrickson, Murray, Carlos Gimenez, Melanie Stambaugh, Greg Ehrie, Doug Vogt, Vogt, Mario Cordero, Noel Hacegaba, Cordero, Gene Seroka, Lucian Niemeyer, Trump, Niemeyer Organizations: CNBC, ABB, Germany's Siemens, Counterterrorism, Law, Intelligence, Homeland Security, U.S . Coast Guard Cyber Command, Biden Administration, People's, Capitol, National Association of Waterfront Employers, Coast Guard, Transportation, Maritime Security, of South Carolina, Northwest Seaport Alliance, USCG, American Association of Port Authorities, New Jersey Port Authority, Siemens, New, Port, Biden, North Carolina Ports, ZPMC, NC, United States Coast Guard, Samsung, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, DHS, U.S . Coast Guard, Security, Defense for Energy, National Security, Management, Maritime Transportation, Joint Force, MTS, Readiness Locations: China, Swiss, People's Republic of China, U.S, of South, China . Port of Long Beach, Tacoma, Seattle, York, New Jersey, New York, Port of New Orleans, of Long Beach, Port of Long, Port of Los Angeles, Port, Oakland, Georgia, Finland, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, Shanghai

☆ Congressional probe finds communications gear in Chinese cranes, raising spying concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Some Chinese-made cranes used at US ports contain communications equipment with no clear purpose or record of their installation, according to a new congressional investigation that will heighten US concerns that the cranes could be used for surveillance or sabotage. It comes amid heightened US-China tensions over national security and as the Coast Guard last month ordered the ports to better secure the Chinese-made cranes. The modems were found “on more than one occasion” on the ZPMC cranes, the aide said. Chinese-made cranes account for nearly 80% of the cranes used at US ports, according to the Coast Guard. Having modems embedded in cranes’ operational systems “physically bypasses” the ports’ traditional IT security defenses, Ayala told CNN.

Persons: Mark Green, ZPMC, “, Liu Pengyu, ” Liu, John Vann, ” Cary Davis, ”, Biden, Marco Ayala, Ayala Organizations: CNN, Homeland Security, Coast Guard, CCP, Chinese Communist Party, ”, House Homeland Security, “, Embassy, Street Journal, Coast Guard Cyber Command, American Association of Port Authorities, U.S . Coast Guard, InfraGard National, Alliance Locations: China, Washington ,, Houston

☆ China making 'concerted effort' to dominate critical US ports equipment, Biden official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

SUZHOU, CHINA - FEBRUARY 27: A gantry crane hoists vehicles for export at Taicang Port's International Container Terminal on February 27, 2024 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province of China. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told CNBC that Biden's executive order is a wake-up call for the port and supply chain industry. "The bottom line is that today's high-tech cranes can collect data and that is why this executive order is so important," said Seroka. "It's no secret that China has both the capability and the intent to challenge the rules based trade system. The Biden administration has positioned the executive order as part of a "whole government approach" in securing the nation's ports.

Persons: Biden, Christa Brzozowski, ZPMC, Gene Seroka, Brzozowski, Carlos Gimenez, John Vann, Vann, Wayne R, Arguin Jr, Arguin Organizations: Taicang, Getty, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Transportation, Maritime Security, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co, Capitol, CNBC, Cyber Security Operations Center, Guard, White, Resilience, of Commerce, Defense, Coast Guard Cyber Command, US Coast Guard, U.S Locations: SUZHOU, CHINA, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, Capitol, United States, U.S, Republic of China, Shanghai, Beijing, Capitol Hill, of Los Angeles, Los Angeles

☆ Biden administration to issue new cyber directives aimed at defending ports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration on Wednesday will issue multiple cybersecurity directives aimed at shoring up vulnerabilities at US maritime ports that could be exploited by hackers and addressing security risks from Chinese-made cranes, according to senior US officials. There are more than 200 Chinese-made cranes at “US ports and regulated facilities,” according to Vann. Coast Guard cyber experts have done security assessments and hunted for malicious cyber activity on 92, or less than half, of those cranes, he said. Among the targets of the hacking was US critical infrastructure in Guam, and the Coast Guard has been on the frontlines of response to the digital intrusions. US maritime ports generate trillions of dollars in economy activity each year, according to experts.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, John Vann, Vann, ” Vann, Christopher Wray, Wray, ”, Anne Neuberger Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, Coast Guard Cyber Command, China, White, Port Locations: Vann, China, Guam, Port of Houston

☆ What to know about North Korea's spy satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

WHAT ARE THE CAPABILITIES OF NORTH KOREA'S ON-ORBIT SPY SATELLITE? To launch a more-capable satellite, North Korea will most likely need to develop a larger rocket, which it appears to be doing, he said. South Korea's spy agency has said North Korea may have overcome technical hurdles with the help of Russia, which in September publicly pledged to help Pyongyang build satellites. The United States and its allies called North Korea's latest satellite tests clear violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which prohibit development of technology applicable to North Korea's ballistic missile programs. "North Korea is no longer shy about testing ICBMs, so no - this really is an SLV," he said.

Persons: Jonathan McDowell, Hong Min, Kim Jong Un, Vann Van Diepen, Van Diepen, Jeffrey Lewis, Chang Young, Lee Choon, Pyongyang’s, Lewis, Hyun Young Yi, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, U.S . Space Force, Korea Institute for National Unification, Stimson, North, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Korea Aerospace University, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy, United Nations, Thomson Locations: North Gyeongsang Province, North Korea, Rights SEOUL, North, Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, South Korea, RUSSIA, Russia, Moscow, United States

☆ Submarines, nuclear drones: Why is North Korea developing its navy?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea's navy has historically been dwarfed by the country's land forces, and overshadowed by its rapidly advancing ballistic missile program. Here is what we know about North Korea's navy and its latest advancements. HOW BIG IS NORTH KOREA'S NAVY? "The North Korean Naval Force possesses the capacity to carry out a surprise attack any time," the paper said. In March and April North Korea tested what it said was a nuclear-capable unmanned underwater attack weapon.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim, Romeo, Vann Van Diepen, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Carnegie Endowment, International, Korean People's Navy, NAVY, Korean People's Army Naval Force, Korean, North Korean Naval Force, Naval, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Korea, U.S, Pyongyang, Washington

☆ Another one of America's adversaries just unveiled a new drone that closely resembles the US military's combat-proven MQ-9 Reaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Another US foe just revealed a drone that looks very similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper. One of the missiles is named after Qasem Soleimani, the former chief of the IRGC's elite Quds Force who was killed in a 2020 US military Reaper drone strike. AdvertisementAdvertisementWell-armed and tested in combat, the powerful Reaper drone has operational experience around the world. An MQ-9 Reaper drone on San Clemente Island in California on June 23. Iran and North Korea have cooperated in the past on various military issues, including the development of long-range missiles.

Persons: Israel —, —, IRNA, Ebrahim Raisi, Qasem Soleimani, Joseph Pagan Iran's, Kim Jong Un, Vann Van Diepen, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: American, Service, Islamic Republic News Agency, country's, Industry, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, — IRNA News Agency, Islamic, Kremlin, US, US Air National Guard, Staff, North, North Korean, Korean Central News Agency, Korea News Service, US State Department, Stimson Locations: Iran, Korean, Wall, Silicon, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, American, Russian, Islamic State, Clemente Island, California, North Korea, Pyongyang, Korea, Moscow

☆ Rare submarine visit reminds North Korea of U.S. nuclear missiles out of sight, in range
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, July 21 (Reuters) - When a U.S. ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) surfaced for a rare visit to South Korea this week it was a blunt reminder that Washington always has nuclear-tipped missiles deployed within close striking distance of North Korea, analysts said. “Placing nuclear weapons offshore and on submarines is actually a stronger deterrent in many ways,” said Duyeon Kim of the Center for a New American Security. SSBNs anywhere from the U.S. West coast westward can strike targets in North Korea,” Van Diepen said. For now, a missile submarine would only marginally supplement the North's burgeoning land-based nuclear force, Van Diepen said. "De-facto nuclear sharing between the United States and South Korea is happening," said Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain.

Persons: ”, Duyeon Kim, Vann Van Diepen, ” Van Diepen, Van Diepen, Choi Il, Josh Smith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Center, New, New American Security, The U.S ., U.S, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, U.S, South Korea, Washington, North Korea, New American, USS Kentucky Ohio, South, Busan, United States, China, The, An Ohio, West, ”, Korea, South Korean

☆ What are solid-fuel missiles, and why is North Korea developing them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some characteristics of solid-fuel technology, and how it can help the North improve its missile systems. WHAT IS SOLID-FUEL TECHNOLOGY? North Korea uses solid fuel in a range of small, shorter-range ballistic missiles. South Korea has also said it has secured "efficient and advanced" solid-propellant ballistic missile technology, though in much smaller rockets so far. North Korea said the development of its new solid-fuel ICBM, the Hwasong-18, would "radically promote" its nuclear counterattack capability.

Persons: Vann Van Diepen, Ankit, Panda, Josh Smith, Lincoln Organizations: WHO, Soviet Union, Carnegie Endowment, International, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, U.S, Korea, China, South Korea, North Korea

☆ Explainer: What is solid-fuel technology, and why is North Korea eager to develop it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - North Korea says it has tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its first known use of the propellant in a longer-range projectile, as it seeks the capability to launch with little preparation. Here are some characteristics of solid-fuel technology, and how it can help the North improve its missile systems. North Korea claims to have tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-18WHO HAS THAT TECHNOLOGY? South Korea said on Friday it had already secured "efficient and advanced" solid-propellant ballistic missile technology. North Korea said the development of its new solid-fuel ICBM, the Hwasong-18, would "radically promote" its nuclear counterattack capability.

☆ Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky's assistant shares the main reason why his schedule is so difficult to manage and how she broke into Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sugar-Carlsgaard is the senior executive assistant to the cofounder and CEO of Airbnb. She was headhunted to join Airbnb as the senior-executive assistant to Chesky, the CEO, in 2019, and she describes the company as "captivating." Before Sugar-Carlsgaard started, Chesky's team was beginning to transition into having "a lot of eyes" on them as Airbnb grew bigger. It's the way Airbnb functions, she said. Breaking into Big Tech was about "trusting myself and being able to sell myself and my experiences," she said.

☆ 3 tricks for handling a difficult boss, from an executive assistant at Slack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On an episode of "Reach," Jessica Vann interviewed the executive assistant Shelley Trask. Trask said dealing with a difficult boss starts with speaking to their values. "The impact of that is that your direct reports feel undervalued," she said she told one executive who was always running late to one-on-one meetings. Respect their timeTrask told Vann that she gets 30 minutes a week alone with Henderson. "Identifying what your executive can let go of is going to be a really big game changer for both of you," Trask said.

☆ A senior executive assistant at Uber and self-described introvert shares the LinkedIn strategy that launched her career in Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Katie Thomas is a senior executive assistant at Uber and a former assistant to Postmates' CFO. Before that, she was the executive assistant to Postmates' chief financial officer. Thomas Googled the executive assistant at Salesforce and saw that she had an impressive background. Getting a "good vibe" from email exchanges, Thomas said, she asked if the other executive assistant wanted to get a coffee or a drink. Thomas said that they went for a drink a few weeks later and that the executive assistant "really helped me think through what my next steps would be."

☆ I fill executive-assistant jobs at tech companies that pay up to $250,000 a year. There's a surprisingly low barrier to entry — I just look for these traits in people.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Jessica Vann recruits executive assistants for companies like Okta at her company Maven. She says executive assistants are nothing like secretaries — they're the eyes and ears of a leader. After all, an executive assistant preserves a company's scarcest and most precious resource: the leader of the organization. Raising issues to an executive assistant can give the executive the opportunity to intervene while there's still a chance. Are you a recruiter or executive assistant at a major tech company?

☆ An executive assistant at $53 billion Atlassian calls out people who underestimate her job: 'Almost no one sees the skill that's involved'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kristine Valenzuela is the executive assistant of Atlassian's head of engineering, Mike Tria. She said on a recent podcast that she constantly has to prove her leadership skills as an assistant. Making an executive's life easier or "just getting stuff done," Valenzuela said — "almost no one sees the skill that's involved in doing that every day." "Internally, not enough people are elevating our value within the leadership team," she said. She makes her expertise known to othersSharing your broad range of knowledge across the business is another way to show your value as an executive assistant.

☆ America's 'Zoomtowns' are running out of water
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Remote workers aren't just driving up housing prices but also adding more of a burden to already water-strapped regions. Running out of waterAmerica's water crisis, which has been bubbling for years, has become dire. The lack of fresh snow means that less water makes its way into the river and its massive reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — upon which the region depends for water. They found that statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home orders triggered "significant increases" in residential water consumption — a trend the researchers attributed, in large part, to remote workers. While population growth does increase water usage, it's (pardon the pun) a drop in the bucket of the bigger-picture crisis.

☆ Explainer: When will North Korea test a nuclear weapon?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Only North Korea knows. Satellite imagery has shown North Korea working to restore some of the tunnels this year that were closed in 2018, when Pyongyang declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests. The most recent flurry of missile tests involved units meant to operate tactical nuclear weapons, according to North Korean state media. North Korea has also said it wants to deploy much larger nuclear weapons, so analysts say that could be in the works. Previous North Korea nuclear tests also incurred United Nations Security Council resolutions that imposed sanctions, backed at the time by China and Russia.

☆ Billionaire Sara Blakely's 2 assistants detail all the work that goes into keeping her life running smoothly — and how there's no room for egos
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They worked together to support Sara Blakely, the Spanx founder and CEO, in all areas of her life. Sara Blakely began researching and developing what would become the popular intimates company Spanx in 1998, with just $5,000 in savings. Behind the scenes, Magazine and Kenya Graham, Blakely's executive assistant for six years in total across two stints, called themselves Blakely's "hype crew." "It's sharing of information, setting up a cadence of meetings, making sure that no one's hoarding information." Kenya and Jamie, the editorial strategist, are in the venue making sure this is the side she likes to sit on.

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