Monday, April 12, 2021

Asynchronous warfare does not always mean the little guy is punching up…

https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/12/iran_cyber_attack_theory/

Stuxnet sibling theory surges after Iran says nuke facility shut down by electrical fault

Iran has admitted that one of its nuclear facilities went offline over the weekend, and a single report claiming Israeli cyber-weapons were the cause has been widely accepted as a credible explanation for the incident.

Iran on Sunday published this announcement that said an “accident” impacted the “electricity distribution network” at its Natanz enrichment facility.

The facility was inaugurated the previous day, and is thought to have the capability to enrich Uranium and to represent capacity for uses prohibited under the US/Iran nuclear deal.

Iranian officials have said that whatever hit Natanz was an act of “nuclear terrorism”. The Register can find no indication that any radioactive material has been exposed.

Not long after the news of this weekend’s electrical incident, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that intelligence sources had told its reporters the accident was in fact a cyber-attack. The corporation is an independent public broadcaster.

But the say-so of just one of the corporation’s shows is all the evidence that Israel had any hand in the attack. While Israel does not comment on such matters officially, Israeli politicians have claimed that Natanz was more badly damaged than Iran is letting on. And now the New York Times reports the event was a "detonation of explosives."





Perspective.

https://www.bespacific.com/a-20-year-forecast-for-the-world-increasingly-fragmented-and-turbulent/

A 20-year-forecast for the world: increasingly fragmented and turbulent

National Intelligence Council – Global Trends 2040 – A More Contested World – March 2021: “…Published every four years since 1997, Global Trends assesses the key trends and uncertainties that will shape the strategic environment for the United States during the next two decades. Global Trends is designed to provide an analytic framework for policymakers early in each administration as they craft national security strategy and navigate an uncertain future. The goal is not to offer a specific prediction of the world in 2040; instead, our intent is to help policymakers and citizens see what may lie beyond the horizon and prepare for an array of possible futures… This edition of Global Trends constructs its analysis of the future in several stages. First, we examine structural forces in demographics, environment, economics, and technology that shape the contours of our future world. Second, we analyze how these structural forces and other factors—combined with human responses—affect emerging dynamics in societies, states, and the international system. Third, we envision five plausible scenarios for the distant future in 2040. The key themes discussed previously appear across these sections…”





Perspective. Does this sound like China is serious about eliminating the symptoms of anti-trust?

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/alibaba-stock-price-china-ends-antitrust-probe-with-record-fine-2021-4-1030292961

Alibaba shares jump 8% as China ends its antitrust probe on Jack Ma's tech empire with a record $2.8 billion fine

Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares rose as much as 8% on Monday after China ended its antitrust probe into the e-commerce group with a record $2.8 billion fine.

Chinese regulators opened an antitrust investigation into Alibaba in December and introduced a series of stricter rules for financial services.

CEO Daniel Zhang said in an online conference on Monday the company does not expect any material impact from changes made in the exclusivity arrangement with its merchants after the imposition of the fine.

The company's Hong Kong-listed stock rose 8% as a key source of uncertainty was eliminated, and the fine wasn't as severe as some expected. The amount is equal to roughly 4% of Alibaba's annual sales in China, according to Xinhua News.



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