Tag Archive for: Iron

Australia needs an “iron dome” to protect SMEs from cyber threats


Microsoft_cybersecurity ransomware iron dome

Source: Unsplash/Clint Patterson

Viruses, whether digital or biological, come in all shapes and sizes. But the best defense from them stems from a unified and persistent response.

Take the Australian COVID-19 response. Federally, through the JobKeeper program, $90 billion was pledged to up to 3.5 million Australians who received $1500 per fortnight at its peak. However, state governments also filled in the breach as well. In February, Tasmania pledged $160 million in COVID-19 support to its struggling businesses, with grants ranging from $1000-10,000.

In December, South Australia gave its businesses $40 million, with up to $20-22,000 pledged for businesses in the hard-hit sectors of tourism, gym/fitness and hospitality. Even the territories received relief, with payroll tax waivers for all businesses that experienced a 40% reduction in turnover, as well as one-off grants of $3000 for employing business and a 30% reduction on their regulated utility bills. This ongoing support, from both the federal and state governments, made the difference during such unpredictable times.

As Australia continues to effectively manage COVID-19, it should also acknowledge another persistent issue that threatens the wellbeing of our small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of our economy. Of our businesses, 96% have fewer than 200 employees.

These enterprises are largely unprepared and under-resourced for today’s sophisticated cyber threat, state actors and well-organised criminal gangs. This issue comes in the form of crippling ransomware, credential stealers, targeted system hacks and cyber espionage. In 2017, Petya, a ransomware attack, took out Ukraine’s power grid, airport, as well as many of its banks.

In fact, ever since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Ukraine has continually faced down cyberthreats, including two blackouts that hit its capital Kyiv within months of each other in 2015-16.

Necessity has shown Ukraine and others that to protect its citizenry and its economy, they need the cyber equivalent of the Iron Dome, the Israeli…

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US SOCOM Still Looking for High-Tech Upgrades After ‘Iron Man Suit’


  • The Pentagon is looking to keep its edge over rivals by giving US troops the best tech out there.
  • US Special Operations Command has been leading the way, often providing real-world testing for various weapon systems and technology.
  • With its Hyper Enabled Operator program, SOCOM aims to equip special operators with technology to better understand the battlefield without impairing their ability to fight.

For years, the Pentagon has been looking to maintain its competitive edge over its near-peer competitors by outfitting US troops with the best technology out there.

The US Special Operations Command, known as SOCOM, has been a pioneer in this effort, often providing real-world testing for various weapon systems and technology that eventually is widely distributed among conventional forces.

This effort stalled amid decades of fighting technologically inferior enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the return of great-power competition, this time with China and Russia, has brought the need for technological superiority to the fore.

Central to this push for tech is SOCOM’s Hyper Enabled Operator program, known as HEO.

SOCOM has already experimented with equipping commandos with advanced weaponry and sensors. In 2013, the command introduced the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS.

TALOS was an Iron Man-style exoskeleton meant to give special-operators several advantages over adversaries. The program was canceled after a few futile years, but the concept lives on in the HEO.

New technology for new threats

Naval Special Warfare RQ-20B Puma drone Palau

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Israel’s Iron Dome Headache (As In China Might Have Stolen the Specs On It) – The National Interest Online

Israel’s Iron Dome Headache (As In China Might Have Stolen the Specs On It)  The National Interest Online

Tiny Israel has an enormous cybersecurity industry and a deep pool of hackers and anti-hackers who learned their trade in the Israeli military. So if China can …

“chinese hackers” – read more

Make Mac and Cheese Waffle Sandwiches in Your Waffle Iron

If this doesn’t convince you to buy a waffle iron, I don’t know what will. Waffled mac and cheese replace bread for this bacon and fried chicken sandwich. There’s no printed recipe, but the video above from Food Steez pretty much explains it all.
mac hacker – read more