tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post8940470583389926782..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: The high cost of hubris: Ransomware attack sidelines online presence of Texas courtsGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-16349153424300157072020-05-20T12:46:55.312-05:002020-05-20T12:46:55.312-05:00P.S.: I'm not really a Linux evangelist, but ...P.S.: I'm not really a Linux evangelist, but I WILL tell you when you're wrong for running Windows. Configure your network properly and it shouldn't matter which OS your end clients are running - and those clients should not have Outlook on them, the likeliest vector that took down the Courts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-12776185487542042912020-05-20T12:13:02.739-05:002020-05-20T12:13:02.739-05:00Any operating system that even makes it possible f...Any operating system that even makes it possible for software to be installed and executed without the knowledge and affirmative commission of admin/user should not be running on government agency computers in the FIRST PLACE.<br /><br />From this point forward, the Courts' continuing with Windows desktops is the same as refusing to learn anything. They can keep their .NET/AWS/whatever network infrastructure if they love it so much, and they feel the expenditures for vigilance is worth it, but obviously from these calamities it's the *users* that must be brought to heel, and *for that reason* - in ANY government agency or finance-/mission-critical- corporate IT - nothing with Microsoft's or Apple's names on it will do.<br /><br />Fun fact: the only Linux antivirus programs available are built specifically for Apache and other web services platforms that make for juicy targets, not for desktops. It's not that Linux worms don't exist, they're just so rare and ineffective (and most require *physical presence* at the machine in order to plant) that it's not even worth making an antivirus client for production desktops. For comedy gold, ask AVG or McAfee for a Linux client, and see what they say. You'll not find safe harbor from malicious state actors by predicating on a *NIX platform, but at least the grifting script kiddies can't raid your pantries, and that kind of protection would have been pretty valuable in these cases, wouldn't it?<br /><br />How much of our tax-paid resources will further enrich Marley & Scrooge, and with no quantifiable benefit to taxpayers, before these malware episodes finally make this point with Fed/State/Local for me? That the Void loves me is hardly a surprise considering how much time I've spent shouting into it about this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-50374781235751986952020-05-14T13:57:10.371-05:002020-05-14T13:57:10.371-05:00I will take Cloud security setup by security profe...I will take Cloud security setup by security professionals over the security setup by the same guy who programs, implements, and fixes the printer (no offense to that guy its not an easy job)!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-18807757855114836872020-05-14T10:07:11.427-05:002020-05-14T10:07:11.427-05:00@9:14, my understanding is that the cloud-based sy...@9:14, my understanding is that the cloud-based systems are immune to the encryption tactic the ransomware folks use. (I don't completely understand why.) It may create other problems, I'm not an IT expert, but it prevents what Potter County and TX courts have endured.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-20823982429584035432020-05-13T21:14:24.192-05:002020-05-13T21:14:24.192-05:00@walt hoooooooooo boy you think going to the cloud...@walt hoooooooooo boy you think going to the cloud is any safer? You literally just threw your stuff from systems you control onto systems you do not control. Has nobody learned that you can't trust cloud-based anything with all of the cloud-based stuff that goes tits-up in a year or two? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-53120494187409470522020-05-13T18:01:20.477-05:002020-05-13T18:01:20.477-05:00I believe we recovered all of our records here in ...I believe we recovered all of our records here in Amarillo. However, we were down for some time. Since that point, we have migrated to the cloud. It was a very humbling experience and lesson.walthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627078570430257965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-66847728288470180792020-05-13T17:53:38.740-05:002020-05-13T17:53:38.740-05:00I checked in with Feedblitz and they were very res...I checked in with Feedblitz and they were very responsive!<br /><br />"Upon further review, we saw that an artifact for how links behave in your mailings caused them to not go anywhere.<br /><br />"We have resolved this issue, and links in your furture mailings will work as expected."<br />Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-17515297542774731192020-05-13T12:04:43.459-05:002020-05-13T12:04:43.459-05:00@JCH, that's new orders. You can't search ...@JCH, that's new orders. You can't search old hand-down lists, archives, etc.. They're going to have to reinvent the wheel.<br /><br />@8:31, if they pay to get access back then shift to a more secure service, that IMO would be the right way to go. Amarillo was F'ed after their ransomware attack.<br /><br />Will try to see what's going on with Feedblitz. That service has been in place for many years and I never deal with them.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72549401270655186352020-05-13T09:20:35.363-05:002020-05-13T09:20:35.363-05:00FYI, they are using TXCourts.net as a temporary we...FYI, they are using TXCourts.net as a temporary website and posting orders there. JCHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-80333976777673397482020-05-13T08:31:58.529-05:002020-05-13T08:31:58.529-05:00"... But we've proved it again and agai..."... But we've proved it again and again,<br />That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld<br /> You never get rid of the Dane."<br />--Rudyard KiplingUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04897541740818276304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-12269795789768464982020-05-13T08:16:38.372-05:002020-05-13T08:16:38.372-05:00I had the same issue as with Steve (above). But to...I had the same issue as with Steve (above). But to the post, here's to hoping the txcourts.gov site is back up soon. Ashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-2548681728227558432020-05-13T05:38:18.088-05:002020-05-13T05:38:18.088-05:00Check with Feedblitz, Scott. They seem to be havi...Check with Feedblitz, Scott. They seem to be having a problem linking to your blog. I had to manually enter the address of the blog to view this post.Steven Michael Seyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07809935502307219692noreply@blogger.com