Summary: Tremble in fear, America before yet another devastating cyberattack. Perhaps as bad or even worse than the ones in the past that we’ve forgotten. We can’t be strong if we don’t learn from experience.
America’s people are again experiencing a sustained bombardment of scary stories to create fear, or even mass panic. Only obedience to our elites and massive funding to the Military-Industrial Complex (aka the Deep State) can save us. A stream of ominous press releases and speeches describe our peril.
“Over the course of the past several days, the FBI, CISA, and ODNI have become aware of a significant and ongoing cybersecurity campaign. Pursuant to Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 41, the FBI, CISA, and ODNI have formed a Cyber Unified Coordination Group (UCG) to coordinate a whole-of-government response to this significant cyber incident.”
— A Joint Statement by those agencies.
“CISA has determined that this threat poses a grave risk to the Federal Government and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations.”
— CISA press release.
Our highly credentialed journalists let their imaginations loose, providing wild doomster guesses in pursuit of clicks. Not a skeptical word to be seen.
“Some of America’s most deeply held secrets may have been stolen in a disciplined, monthslong operation being blamed on elite Russian government hackers. The possibilities of what might have been purloined are mind-boggling. Could hackers have obtained nuclear secrets? COVID-19 vaccine data? Blueprints for next-generation weapons systems?”
— Opening of AP story by Frank Bajah.
Before another orgy of national pants-wetting, remember the many previous stories like this. Such as the May 2014 hack of Federal personnel records at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) {see Wikipedia}. It was, like the others, “far worse than you imagine” (Lawfare). Best described by this from a June 2015 post at John Robb’s Global Guerillas.
“Chinese hackers were able to steal records on 18 m current and former government employees + sensitive background information submitted by people applying for security clearances. I believe this infobomb has done catastrophic damage to US security. How? Big data + bots (made smarter via AI) will be able to turn this data into a decisive instrument of warfare. For example: want that guy on the button to stand down? Call him up with a threat to his family. Threaten to release information on him. …Worse, through automation this can be done on a scale and with a speed far, far greater than what old school spooks are capable of. “Mark my words: This infobomb is a catastrophe.”
It was a horrific blow to Ameria’s national security, like the many others during the past 60 years. So severe was this that six years later it has been mostly forgotten. Follow-up reports about the damage give vague unprovable mentions of “damage to the government’s reputation.” For a sensible perspective from that time, see Fight the hysteria about the hack of OPM’s files. It’s probably not a big threat.
Is this latest incident as serious as described? Who knows? This is the “boy who cried wolf” problem. They have like so often, why should we believe without evidence? We have believed their lies so often without evidence that they see no need to provide evidence. The problem is much more serious than the consequences of this incident, no matter how severe.
We love to read the news!
America’s greatest weakness
This points to our greatest weakness: our inability to learn from experience. Our government’s leaders lie to us repeatedly, exaggerating threats (or just creating them from thin air), not bothering with evidence. Like hicks visiting Time Square and playing Three-Card Monte, they often lie – but we always believe them. See the Big (but partial) List of Lies. Without skepticism we can become only pleasant peasants, justly despised as fools by our leaders.
We can whine about the ways our elites exploit us, but being sheep is a choice. This is the essential harsh truth that we refuse to see, and click-hungry reporters and analysts will not tell us.
“Every nation has the government it deserves.”
— By Joseph de Maistre (lawyer, diplomat, philosopher). From Letter 76 dated 13 August 1811, published in Lettres et Opuscules.
A Contest
I will send a copy of Rome’s Last Citizen (rich with insights to our time) to those who post the best comments to this series of posts. I have ten copies. One book per winner. Decisions are purely subjective by the judges, based on the originality and quality of insights, plus supporting facts and analysis, of the comment.
A copy also goes to whoever suggests a new mission for this website. “Helping to reignite the spirit of a nation grown cold” shows a hopeful spirit I no longer have.