4 ms·

Glass half full thought: someone is red teaming US installations and we’ll be more secure for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

by yinser 3y ago

whartung 3y ago
Years ago, somewhere in Northern California, there was attack of (I think) power substation. Someone was shooting at parts of the station. As described it was a very well run, very knowledgeable operation. The shooting was quite precise. Far as I know it’s unsolved. And I, too, thought it was some kind of red team style thing to test who knows what. It was very direct action, seemed a bit much for an exercise. But it can also be thought of what the attack didn’t do, how far they didn’t press even with the evidence that they probably could have.
- dgacmu 3y ago
  Yeah, it was power substations. Probably this one? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack And there was a still unsolved one in North Carolina two years ago: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore_County_substation_attack https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore_County_substation_atta... Which killed at least one person. There were also a few others in the SeaTac area around the same time: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-charged-attacks-four-pierce-county-power-substations https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-charged-attacks-fou... But they caught those, and the suspects said they had planned to use the power outage to commit a burglary.
  - whartung 3y ago
    Yea, Metcalf. My understanding (if it’s the right one) was the NC attack struck a pair of stations that were particularly important to the network. That the loss of those two stations had a much higher impact in contrast to the loss of two arbitrary stations. Those were selected for a reason. I think this attack was used as an argument against having things like details of the electric grid being public knowledge.
  - paulmd 3y ago
    There’s been a string of these attacks for a decade now. One of the various neonazi/Patriot movements (Idaho flavor iirc) espouses infrastructure attacks and disruption as being the kickoff for their RaHoWa, and they keep trying to pop off every couple years. There hasn’t been a ton of coverage about it because of a desire to avoid copycats and avoid publicizing or popularizing the ideology in general. But like, occupying that nature preserve didn’t come out of nowhere, just there’s not a lot of benefit for centrists/sympathizers in pushing this particular culture war, with how many Americans are touchy about guns etc. https://news.yahoo.com/unsealed-warrant-provides-closer-look-210616746.html?guccounter=1 https://news.yahoo.com/unsealed-warrant-provides-closer-look... https://myfox8.com/news/investigations/power-grid-attack/neo-nazi-power-substation-plots/?ipid=promo-link-block1 https://myfox8.com/news/investigations/power-grid-attack/neo... (afaik the Facebook lady idea has been essentially discarded, she seems to be a moron but not involved. And then there’s this other guy with ties to a patriot group who supposedly started and then aborted plans for a similar attack… or perhaps not aborted after all?) (also, the patriot/militia movement is heavily involved with RNC and Russian funding in general… Maria Butina was attached to the NRA after all etc. The leader of one of these groups (literally “The Base”) has a Russian wife and lived in Russia etc. Generally speaking these groups are one of the tools Russia uses to inflame local tensions - whatever is most disruptive etc.) https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jan/23/report-leader-of-neo-nazi-terrorist-group-owns-lan/ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jan/23/report-leader-...
- onlypassingthru 3y ago
  It was the Metcalf substation.[0] I believe they found the rock cairn(s) used for the sniper rest on the hill across the highway.[1] [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack [1]https://www.google.com/maps/search/metcalf+substation/@37.219343,-121.7358122,15.56z?entry=ttu https://www.google.com/maps/search/metcalf+substation/@37.21...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- jncfhnb 3y ago
  What do you mean by “well run” and “precise”?
  - whartung 3y ago
    Well, they cut communication lines in advance. They apparently used signaling to coordinate the attack. They knew exactly what they were shooting at, it wasn’t a bunch of yahoos blasting away at highway signs. It would be interesting to hear a discussion about the shot placement on the transformers. Were they grouped tight, target right where they need to be, etc.
    - jncfhnb 3y ago
      What do you mean communication lines? And what do you mean signaling? You don’t really need to be precise with shooting a transformer to damage it.
- tw04 3y ago
  I’m far more concerned with the “not a missile” than the power stations. I don’t believe it was ever solved. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mystery-missile-launch-seen-off-calif-coast/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mystery-missile-launch-seen-off...
Duanemclemore 3y ago
This has a distinct red / blue flavor to it.
WatchDog 3y ago
Sounds very much like an exercise to me.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

Glass half full thought: someone is red teaming US installations and we’ll be more secure for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

by yinser 3y ago

Glass half full thought: someone is red teaming US installations and we’ll be more secure for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Years ago, somewhere in Northern California, there was attack of (I think) power substation. Someone was shooting at parts of the station. As described it was a very well run, very knowledgeable operation. The shooting was quite precise. Far as I know it’s unsolved. And I, too, thought it was some kind of red team style thing to test who knows what. It was very direct action, seemed a bit much for an exercise. But it can also be thought of what the attack didn’t do, how far they didn’t press even with the evidence that they probably could have.

dgacmu 3y ago
Yeah, it was power substations. Probably this one? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack And there was a still unsolved one in North Carolina two years ago: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore_County_substation_attack https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore_County_substation_atta... Which killed at least one person. There were also a few others in the SeaTac area around the same time: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-charged-attacks-four-pierce-county-power-substations https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-charged-attacks-fou... But they caught those, and the suspects said they had planned to use the power outage to commit a burglary.
- whartung 3y ago
  Yea, Metcalf. My understanding (if it’s the right one) was the NC attack struck a pair of stations that were particularly important to the network. That the loss of those two stations had a much higher impact in contrast to the loss of two arbitrary stations. Those were selected for a reason. I think this attack was used as an argument against having things like details of the electric grid being public knowledge.
- paulmd 3y ago
  There’s been a string of these attacks for a decade now. One of the various neonazi/Patriot movements (Idaho flavor iirc) espouses infrastructure attacks and disruption as being the kickoff for their RaHoWa, and they keep trying to pop off every couple years. There hasn’t been a ton of coverage about it because of a desire to avoid copycats and avoid publicizing or popularizing the ideology in general. But like, occupying that nature preserve didn’t come out of nowhere, just there’s not a lot of benefit for centrists/sympathizers in pushing this particular culture war, with how many Americans are touchy about guns etc. https://news.yahoo.com/unsealed-warrant-provides-closer-look-210616746.html?guccounter=1 https://news.yahoo.com/unsealed-warrant-provides-closer-look... https://myfox8.com/news/investigations/power-grid-attack/neo-nazi-power-substation-plots/?ipid=promo-link-block1 https://myfox8.com/news/investigations/power-grid-attack/neo... (afaik the Facebook lady idea has been essentially discarded, she seems to be a moron but not involved. And then there’s this other guy with ties to a patriot group who supposedly started and then aborted plans for a similar attack… or perhaps not aborted after all?) (also, the patriot/militia movement is heavily involved with RNC and Russian funding in general… Maria Butina was attached to the NRA after all etc. The leader of one of these groups (literally “The Base”) has a Russian wife and lived in Russia etc. Generally speaking these groups are one of the tools Russia uses to inflame local tensions - whatever is most disruptive etc.) https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jan/23/report-leader-of-neo-nazi-terrorist-group-owns-lan/ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jan/23/report-leader-...
onlypassingthru 3y ago
It was the Metcalf substation.[0] I believe they found the rock cairn(s) used for the sniper rest on the hill across the highway.[1] [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack [1]https://www.google.com/maps/search/metcalf+substation/@37.219343,-121.7358122,15.56z?entry=ttu https://www.google.com/maps/search/metcalf+substation/@37.21...
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
jncfhnb 3y ago
What do you mean by “well run” and “precise”?
- whartung 3y ago
  Well, they cut communication lines in advance. They apparently used signaling to coordinate the attack. They knew exactly what they were shooting at, it wasn’t a bunch of yahoos blasting away at highway signs. It would be interesting to hear a discussion about the shot placement on the transformers. Were they grouped tight, target right where they need to be, etc.
  - jncfhnb 3y ago
    What do you mean communication lines? And what do you mean signaling? You don’t really need to be precise with shooting a transformer to damage it.
tw04 3y ago
I’m far more concerned with the “not a missile” than the power stations. I don’t believe it was ever solved. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mystery-missile-launch-seen-off-calif-coast/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mystery-missile-launch-seen-off...

Duanemclemore 3y ago

This has a distinct red / blue flavor to it.

WatchDog 3y ago

Sounds very much like an exercise to me.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]