Sharpe
6864
I’ve seen this line in thriller novels that says something like “70% of the internet goes through Virginia so the NSA can tap it” - I have no idea if that’s true (given the sourcing, cheap fiction thrillers, probably not). However, I would bet that is where Mr. Insurrectionist got his ideas, or something equivalent. In other words it’s the fault of Tom Clancy and his many imitators.
The smart money is blowing the transatlantic cable stations.
Only for customers who didn’t take advantage of replicating across AZs. It would be no worse than the DC fire in France last month.
Here’s where our would-be terrorist and that 70% number came from, I’d bet you dollars to donuts:
80% of intelligence dollars are now privatized. I guess they are all there.
Clearly too many taco trucks.
Still no names thought. I mean, we know Trump ordered it. But whose name was on all the paperwork? Who’s the Oliver North?
antlers
6872
We don’t know who ordered it. There are layers of people with their own biases and ideas of their bosses expectations at play. It might’ve gone no higher than the Sargeants-at-Arns exercising terrible judgement.
KevinC
6874
I’m sure the fascist types will have a very measured reaction to this news.
She was where she most assuredly was not supposed to be, engaging in activities she most assuredly should not have been. Just decision.
But will be interesting to see the reactions from the “JUST DNOT RESISST!!1” types.
I’m surprised she wasn’t shot more than she was. That was some good training and real restraint to stop the threat and only that.
Houngan
6879
Maybe, maybe. I do a lot of work with a top-tier datacenter in that area, one with three-letter-acronym customers. A whole lotta data highways run through the DC/Baltimore area, true, but they are also so good that an amateur is going to have a very hard time doing real lasting damage. Access, certainly, everything is leveraged enough that if you cut enough wires the overflow will slow or stop data for a while, but the actual data itself is going to be sitting safe and sound while the fiber crews fix whatever hole in a field cut some lines. The one I work with has explosive ratings on its windows, for instance, and sits on two power grids and multiple main internet lines. I would assume the case is the same at the massive AWS/Azure/GCS complexes, perhaps even more so.
I’d guess minor inconvenience in the real world, but scary in general because people think the internet is completely unassailable. The Nashville bomb did take out a good chunk of access for a few days, but Nashville ain’t DC.
I would figure as much. I never said “It would be possible to do real damage by this hare-brained method”. I would imagine that they have indeed gamed that out and put precautions in place. I simply was pointing out that there is a shit-ton of network traffic on the internet in the US that comes through Northern Virginia.
(It is good to know that they have thought about the need for protection and contingencies from crazies, however.)
Houngan
6881
Sorry, wasn’t trying to invalidate what you said, just providing some color.
Timex
6882
It’s like that building in one of the bad matrix sequels. Even if you blow it up, you only got a few seconds to get into the system core to talk to Colonel Sanders before the backup systems kick in!
…and in the end we still have 30 plus million that are at least sympathetic to their “cause” and another 50 million or so that believe in it the lie. I love how we can mutually discuss how awful they were (and they were) but ignore that a large part of America still believes in all that crap.
Oh btw the guy that shot the woman defending congress was relieved of any wrong doing. Am I just a terrible person to wonder why there shouldn’t have been more shooting? Probably. Ultimately I thought the dc police and national guard did a good job --by 630 pm.
My anger is almost irrational at January 6 and maybe I shouldn’t comment but I hope use of force rules have changed there with law enforcement when it comes to protecting our law makers when they are doing their jobs.
