Tag Archive for: copper

Copper Mountain Mine victim of ransomware attack in Princeton


Copper Mountain Mine, Princeton’s largest employer, is the victim of a ransomware attack according to a release on the company’s website.

There have been no safety or environmental incidents resulting from the attack, which occurred late on Dec. 27, the release states.

The mill has been temporarily shut down, proactively, while officials determine the effect of the attack on its control systems.

“The company quickly implemented its risk management systems and protocols in response to the attack. The company has isolated operations, switched to manual processes, where possible.”

The mine is working with authorities to investigate the source of the attack.

According to the province’s Information Security Branch (ISB), ransomware is a form of malicious code or malware that infects a computer or network and spreads rapidly to encrypt the data. This malware makes the data inaccessible to the users and the criminals responsible will demand payment from the user in order to have their files unencrypted and returned. The payment is often requested in Bitcoin or other electronic currency.

The ISB says there are three ways computers are commonly attacked.

• Email – the individual clicks on a malicious link or attachment in a phishing email.

• Malvertising – the individual visits a site that displays infected advertisements

• Drive-by-Downloading – the individual visits a legitimate or illegitimate website with an exploit that has not been patched. This means that simply opening the website will run the ransomware without the user knowing.

Copper Mountain Mine has more than 400 employees.

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Copper River Cyber Solutions Wins DCSA Contract to Provide Background Investigation Support Services


DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTS VALUED AT $7 MILLION AND ABOVE

DEFENSE INFORMATIONS SYSTEMS AGENCY

American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a competitive single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for test, evaluation, and certification services. The face value of this action has a contract ceiling of $1,010,000,000. The minimum guarantee of $10,000 will be satisfied through the issuance of the first task order, which will be funded by fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation appropriations. The ordering period for the base period is Dec. 2, 2022, to Dec. 1, 2026, with one five-year option period and one one-year option period through Dec. 1, 2032. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC102823D0001).

NAVY

Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $768,485,104 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-2114 for naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (70%); and Schenectady, New York (30%). Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $768,485,104 (100%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Crowley Government Services Inc., Jacksonville, Florida (N3220523C2506), is awarded a $45,850,402 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of six government-owned Transportation Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance (T-AGOS) and Transportation Auxiliary General Missile Range instrument (T-AGM) vessels. The vessels under this award include U.S. Naval Ship (USNS) Victorious (T-AGOS 19); USNS Able (T-AGOS 20); USNS Effective (T-AGOS 21); USNS Loyal (T-AGOS 22); USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23); and USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM 25). Work will be performed worldwide, with an expected completion date of May 30, 2024. The maximum dollar…

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FCC to prevent phone companies from screwing over copper customers

Divine Harvester

Amid complaints that phone companies such as AT&T and Verizon are letting copper networks deteriorate, the Federal Communications Commission today said it will examine the allegations and develop rules that maintain customers’ access to emergency services even after old copper networks are discontinued.

Today’s vote is one of the first steps in planning for the discontinuation of the primarily copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The PSTN is being replaced by Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice services that rely on network technologies such as fiber, cable, and wireless. AT&T and Verizon are anxious to make the transition because they want to shed costly infrastructure and century-old utility rules that likely won’t apply to Voice over IP (VoIP) services. Customers from around the country have complained that the companies are letting the copper networks rot in order to push them onto largely unregulated services.

Keeping VoIP phones running during power outages is perhaps the biggest concern. Copper lines conduct electricity and supply power to phones from central offices, potentially keeping phones running for weeks on end during outages. This system isn’t foolproof because damage to lines or the central office could result in loss of power, but backup options for VoIP phones are more limited, consisting of batteries in customers’ homes. When the power is out and the batteries for landline phones and cell phones have run out, customers won’t be able to call 911.

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Ars Technica » Technology Lab

The copper telephone line over time

My daughter, Emma, soon to be 13, is in the office with me today and I had some fun sharing with her a couple of facts from this Alcatel-Lucent infographic about the history of the copper telephone line. Two examples: In 1918 it took an average of 15 minutes just to set up a call and it wasn’t until 1940 that telephone numbers allowed for direct customer dialing.

I’m glad she didn’t ask if I remembered these milestones.

072914blog copper timeline

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Network World Paul McNamara