MSGID: 1:153/757.21@fidonet f05a92c8   
   REPLY: 9.fidonet_chat@1:142/103 24ffc21c   
   PID: OpenXP/5.0.49 (Win32)   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   TZUTC: -0400   
   Hello Brian!   
      
   ** On Tuesday 11.05.21 - 09:52, you wrote:   
      
    BR> Or you can use lynx and view the source. That may help as   
    BR> well.   
      
   I'm not too overly concerned anymore about short links. It's     
   been about 20 yrs now since TinyUrl launched.  Weren't they the     
   first with that idea?  Anyway.. They've built a vetting process     
   into them and block links that have nefarious purposes.   
      
   The only thing I won't do is click on a short link from     
   unsoliced email or if something arrives from someone I do not     
   know.   
      
   I have to wonder if that or a similar technique was used to be     
   the vector for inviting the ransomeware that shut down the east     
   coast pipeline.   
      
   Krebbs article "A Closer Look at the DarkSide Ransomware Gang   
   May 11, 2021" talks about the end result of that, but I wonder     
   what the vector was for infection.   
      
   This is a pretty good article that examines the techinal     
   tricks:   
      
   https://securityintelligence.com/posts/darkside-oil-pipeline-    
   ransomware-attack/   
      
   "A favorite entry point appears to be connecting via RDP on     
   port 443 typically routing via a TOR browser."   
      
   And..  I did not know that VPNs and Linux were not immune:   
      
   "The malware can attack both Windows and Linux environments,     
   making enterprise servers just as `encryptable' as an     
   employee's endpoint. DarkSide can also attack virtual machines     
   and encrypt data on their hard drives."   
      
   Apparently all the activity of making backups is no guarantee     
   that you could just ignore the ransomeware attack and just     
   restore an ealier backup.  Apparently, the "attack" lurks in     
   the background for an amount of time that might represent a     
   typical schedule for several backups - so, when it comes time     
   to use a previous backup, all those backups will have already     
   have copies of the infection.   
   --   
     ../|ug   
      
   --- OpenXP 5.0.49   
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