What I am reading 3/23/2020

Books - 

Network Forensics Tracking Hackers Through Cyberspace

Making some progress on this one but not as much as I would like.  

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century

Blogs / News - 

Lifehacker - Where to Find Free eBooks During the Coronavirus Shutdown -

Even if you’re staunchly anti-ebook, you may want to consider giving them a shot, and here’s why: Several digital retailers and ebook apps are giving away scores of free titles right now. You can stock up your phone, tablet, or even your PC with a free digital library that can easily carry you through these uncertain times, and well into whatever the world looks like once we’re on the other side of it all.

CNN - Right now, truck stops are some of America's most 'essential businesses' -

Undeterred by the coronavirus pandemic that has brought most of the US economy to a halt, truck stops remain open, offering truckers a place to eat, rest and refuel on their way to delivering critical supplies to a nation that's hunkering down to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Earlier this week, the US Department of Transportation said truck stops now qualify as an essential business, meaning they are viewed as too vital to shut down.

"In the coming weeks and months, it will be critical that these businesses remain open 24 hours a day," Jim Mullen, acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the government agency that regulates the nation's trucking industry, wrote in a letter to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators.

 Reuters - Western supply chains buckle as coronavirus lockdowns spread -

While China’s draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus are now allowing its economy slowly to come back online, supply chains are backing up in other parts of the world.

Problems ranging from finding enough truck drivers to restrictions on seafarers and a lack of air freight are hitting the smooth flow of goods, freight logistics operators say.  

CNN - Crowds packed California beaches despite shelter in place order -

Crowds descended on California beaches, hiking trails and parks over the weekend in open defiance of a state order to shelter in place and avoid close contact with others.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a shelter in place order directing the state's nearly 40 million residents to stay home beginning March 20 to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Instead, many public spaces were packed, prompting officials in some cities to order parks, recreation areas and beaches to close.

 Nikkei Asian Review - Top iPhone assembler Foxconn secures workers at all plants -

Taiwan's Foxconn, the top assembler of Apple's iPhones, said it has secured enough workers to meet "seasonal demand" at all major Chinese plants, stressing a steady recovery from the labor shortage caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic on the mainland.

The company issued a statement Sunday night saying recruitment goals have been reached "ahead of schedule at the plants." This signals progress from early March when Chairman Young Liu told investors that Chinese plants were operating at roughly 50% capacity of normal. 

Fox - There's drug combo to shorten coronavirus, French researchers say -

Researchers in France have issued a statement detailing how a combination of antimalarial medication and antibiotics could be a vital weapon in the battle against coronavirus.

The work by researchers at IHU-Méditerranée Infection in Marseille has garnered global attention, notably from President Trump. Researchers prescribed the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin to patients earlier this month, according to the research, which is published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. Some experts, however, have also urged caution around the drug combination.

Fifth Domain - What COVID-19 can teach us about cyber resilience -

 The similarity with the COVID-19 outbreak to a cyber campaign is the disruption in logistics and services, how the population reacts, as well as the stress it puts on law enforcement and first responders. These events can lead to questions about the ability to maintain law and order and the ability to prevent destabilization of a distribution chain that is built for just-in-time operations with minimal margins of deviation before it falls apart.

The sheer nature of these second-tier attacks is unsystematic, opportunity-driven. The goal is to pursue disruption, confusion, and stress. An authoritarian regime would likely not be hindered by international norms to attack targets that jeopardize public health and create risks for the general population. Environmental hazards released by these attacks can lead to risks of loss of life and potential dramatic long-term loss of life quality for citizens. If the population questions the government’s ability to protect, the government’s legitimacy and authority will suffer. Health and environmental risks tend to appeal not only to our general public’s logic but also to emotions, particularly uncertainty and fear. This can be a tipping point if the population fears the future to the point it loses confidence in the government.

 CSO - New York's SHIELD Act could change companies’ security practices nationwide -

The potential widespread impact of the SHIELD Act for the country as a whole is contingent on the third requirement that extends the bill's provision to any business that collects or maintains private information on a New York resident. Given the size and importance of New York, it seems likely that all major tech and internet companies hold private information on a New York resident will therefore have to abide by the data security requirements. Just for expediency's sake, any changes that protect New York residents' data will likely extend to the data companies collect and hold for any consumers.

Defense News - Pentagon loosens cash flow for industry, more measures likely coming -

In a memo released Sunday, the department announced that progress payment rates for defense items under contract will increase from 80 percent of cost to 90 percent for large businesses, and from 90 percent to 95 percent for small businesses. The move will allow industry to receive more cash up front than under normal circumstances.