Monthly Archives: May 2022

During her senior year at Grovetown High School, Lauren Wheeler made a decision that changed her life. She received an internship with the National Security Agency at Fort Gordon that opened her mind to a future career in cybersecurity.

My dad worked at Fort Gordon, so I was born and raised here, Wheeler said. And I always liked computers, but initially I thought I was more artsy. So, back in high school, I was interested in graphic design and worked on the yearbook staff. But then my dad said, Well, you know, theres an internship that the NSA offers.

Wheeler didnt know much about the internship, but there were two aspects of the program that appealed to her.

First, I thought, I can get out of school with this internship, Wheeler said, laughing. And then, I thought, It will also look good on my resume. So, I applied and received the NSA internship. That decision put me on my career path in cybersecurity, instead of graphic design.

Wheeler, now 22, is graduating from Augusta University with a bachelors degree in cybersecurity and was recently named the 2022 Top Cybersecurity Student for the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at AU.

While attending Augusta University, Wheeler has also been working full-time for almost four years as an access control specialist, contracting for the Department of Defense. In that role, she monitors closed-circuit television systems and intrusion detection systems and maintains a top secret/sensitive compartmented information clearance. In addition, Wheeler was also awarded the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship during her senior year at Augusta University.

With my dad working at Fort Gordon, I already grew up with security stuff in the house, so I was familiar with that part of cyber. And my internship in high school made me want to go to Augusta University because a few of the cyber professors come from the NSA, Wheeler said. So, even when I was in high school, I thought, Cyber would be a good choice. Then, when I got to AU, I knew it was the right choice.

With her cybersecurity degree, Wheeler says her career opportunities are endless and she is proud to say she already has a job waiting for her the minute she walks across the stage and receives her diploma.

A few weeks right after graduation, Ill start my job with Army Cyber at Fort Gordon, Wheeler said. Its exciting because, of course, youll hear some people talk about how, with their degree, its hard to find a job. Well, thats not the case with cyber.

She loves the fact that her cybersecurity degree will allow her to either stay in Augusta, which has become an international cybersecurity hub, or travel around the world.

I know I want to stay within the government, but I also want to travel, so once this year is done, maybe I will start looking toward other locations, Wheeler said. For example, I have family up in Washington state and I think that would be a fun place to live. My parents also just moved to Hawaii. Personally, I think it would be cool to live in another country, which the government offers tons of opportunities for jobs overseas, so Im excited about the possibilities.

One of the main aspects of cybersecurity Wheeler finds most appealing is the empowerment that she now has over computer hackers, she said.

I like the idea that I can protect myself, Wheeler said. Cybersecurity lets me be able to know what strategies I need and gives me the knowledge to protect myself. But I also have the ability to pass that knowledge on to others.

Both in high school and college, Wheeler gave speeches and presentations about the importance of cybersecurity and she was pleased with the response she received from audience members.

People were really receptive to what I was telling them because I was showing them how some social media posts and oversharing certain aspects of your life can be cyber risks, Wheeler said. For example, if youre sharing that you are on vacation, youre basically telling people youre not at home. Or, like those Instagram challenges where they ask, What do you prefer? Or, Do you like this? With those kinds of challenges, youre basically telling people the answers to your security questions. Those are the little things that people dont think about.

Another aspect of cybersecurity that Wheeler enjoys is programming, she said.

I always thought being a code hacker sounded cool, like Mr. Robot, Wheeler said, referring to the former USA Network show that featured a cybersecurity engineer who is recruited to join a group of hacktivists that aims to destroy all debt records by encrypting the financial data of one of the largest companies in the world. I thought that programming would be cool and it would be awesome to be a girl doing it, too. There arent a lot of girls in this field.

In fact, one of her favorite courses that she took at Augusta University was a class about programming taught by Steven Weldon, director of the Cyber Institute.

I just knew programming would be exciting and Steven Weldon broke it down where it was a lot of fun, Wheeler said. He made it engaging, which not all people can do, and the two hours in the lab would just fly by.

I also liked Dr. Jason Williams classes because he stimulates a lot of conversation in the classroom, she added. That was nice because sometimes with this major and if you are a student like me who doesnt live on campus we dont get to talk to a lot of the other students. But, in his class, he encourages discussions and that helps you get to know your peers. And now I really know the people who Im graduating with this spring.

After four years at Augusta University, Wheeler cant believe she will receive her diploma this week.

Everything just went by so fast. Its crazy to me that its already time to graduate. My brain is still on 2020 sometimes, Wheeler said, laughing. But my parents are super proud, especially my dad. When I decided to go into cybersecurity, I almost didnt want to tell him. I didnt want people to think, Oh, she went into cybersecurity because her dad is in computer science. I just like to figure things out myself.

But Im so glad that I went into cybersecurity and my parents are thrilled with my decision and cant wait for me to graduate.

Augusta Universitys Spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies will be held Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13. Thursdays ceremony will honor graduate students, and Fridays ceremonies will honor undergraduate students. Watch the events via livestream.

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Graduation Week 2022: Cybersecurity grad prepares to protect the world - Jagwire Augusta

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, MAY 11

One of the Prime Minster Narendra Modis greatest successes was in handling cross-border terrorism and the finesse with which the Balakot aerial strike was conceived and implemented which blew away the myth of Pakistans nuclear blackmail, writes National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who was in the operational cockpit during both the surgical land strikes of 2016 and the Balakot aerial strikes 2019.

Doval went on to warn that while the first two counter strikes were land-based and aerial, tomorrow, it may be different from both if the adversary again causes disproportionate casualties. Domain and level will not be inhibiting factors, writes Doval in the chapter, Tackling adversaries through strong and effective national security policies in the book Modi@20 unveiled on Wednesday.

The lack of response to the numerous incidents of bombings in Indian cities during the UPA era had agitated Modi ever since he was Gujarat chief minister. The decision not to retaliate for the Mumbai attacks had earned India the infamous nomenclature of being a soft state. The first-of-its-kind operations after Uri enhanced Indias global prestige. It caused panic in the adversarys mind and momentarily disrupted terror training and planning of more attacks, he said.

Revealing more details, Doval recalled that it was a simultaneous operation by multiple strike teams at four disparate locations. The novel planning for the strike generated chaos, panic and confusion by creating the enemy is everywhere syndrome. The then Pakistan Army leadership castigated its ground formations for failing to block even one strike team, despite having a large number of forward deployed troops. More importantly, it was a political call by the Prime Minister, which meant that he was taking responsibility, not only for success, but also failure. This exhibited risk-taking at the highest levela quality shown by very few.

The PMs striking characteristic has been his ability to approach national security matters from a long-term strategic perspective. He has an uncanny futuristic sense, and observes risks and opportunities that are often missed even by experts, affirms the NSA.

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Modi@20: Balakot blew away the myth of Pakistans nuclear blackmail, writes NSA Ajit Doval - The Tribune India

The Democratic Party which had 50 years to writeRoe v. Wadeinto law with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in full control of the White House and Congress at the inception of their presidencies is banking its electoral strategy around the expected Supreme Court decision to lift the judicial prohibition on the ability of states to enact laws restricting or banning abortions.

I doubt it will work.

The Democratic Party's hypocrisy and duplicity is the fertilizer for Christian fascism. Its exclusive focus on the culture wars and identity politics at the expense of economic, political and social justice fueled a right-wing backlash and stoked the bigotry, racism and sexism it sought to curtail. Its opting for image over substance, including its repeated failure to secure the right to abortion, left the Democrats distrusted and reviled.

The Biden administration invited Amazon Labor Union president Christian Smalls and union workers from Starbucks and other organizations to the White House at the same time it re-awarded a $10 billion contract to the union-busting Amazon and the National Security Agency (NSA) for cloud computing. The NSA contract is one of 26 federal cloud computing contracts Amazon has with the U.S. Army and Air Force, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, and the Census Bureau. Withholding the federal contracts until Amazon permitted free and open union organizing would be a powerful stand on behalf of workers, still waiting for the $15 minimum wage Joe Biden promised as a candidate. But behind the walls of the Democratic Party's Potemkin village stands the billionaire class. Democrats have failed to address the structural injustices that turned America into an oligarchic state, where the obscenely rich squabble like children in a sandbox over multibillion-dollar toys. The longer this game of political theater continues, the worse things will get.

RELATED:Democracy vs. fascism: What do those words mean and do they describe this moment?

The Christian fascists have coalesced in cult-like fashion around Donald Trump. They are bankrolled by the most retrograde forces of capitalism. The capitalists permit the stupidities of the Christian fascists and their self-destructive social and cultural wars. In exchange, the billionaire class gets corporate monopolies, union-busting, privatized state and municipal services, including public education, revoked government regulations, especially environmental regulation, and are free to engage in a virtual tax boycott.

The war industry loves the Christian fascists who turn every conflict from Iraq to Ukraine into a holy crusade to crush the latest iteration of Satan. The Christian fascists believe military power, and the "manly" virtues that come with it, are blessed by God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary. No military budget is too big. No war waged by America is evil.

The Democrats' hypocrisy and stupidity are the fertilizer for Christian fascism, which is bankrolled by the most retrograde forces of capitalism in exchange for the destruction of the welfare state.

These Christian fascists make up perhaps 30% of the electorate, roughly equivalent to the percentage of Americans who believe abortion is murder. They are organized, committed to a vision, however perverse, and awash in money. John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, mediocre jurists and Federalist Society ideologues who carry the banner of Christian fascism, control the Supreme Court.

Establishment Republicans and Democrats, like George Armstrong Custer on Last Stand Hill, have circled the wagons around the Democratic Party in a desperate bid to prevent Trump, or a Trump mini-me, from returning to the White House. They and their allies in Silicon Valley are using algorithms and overt de-platforming to censor critics from the left and the right, foolishly turning figures like Trump, Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene into martyrs. This is not a battle over democracy, but the spoils of power waged by billionaires against billionaires. No one intends to dismantle the corporate state.

The ruling class in both parties told lies about NAFTA, trade deals, "reforming" welfare, abolishing financial regulations, austerity, the Iraq war and neoliberalism that did far more damage to the American public than any lie told by Trump. The reptilian slime oozes out of every pore of these politicians, from Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to Biden, who backed the 1976 Hyde Amendment banning federal funding of abortions and in 1982 voted to support a constitutional amendment that would allow states to overturnRoe v. Wade. Their hypocrisy is not lost on the public, even with their armies of consultants, pollsters, courtiers in the press, public relations teams and advertising agencies.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is clueless and unhinged. She claims Hillary Clinton was involved in a child mutilation and a pedophilia ring and several high-profile school shootings were staged. But weaponized, like Trump, she is a political cruise missile aimed straight at the heart of the discredited centers of traditional power.

Hate is the fuel of American politics. No one votes for who they want. They vote against those they hate. Black and brown marginal communities have suffered worse assaults than the white working class, but they have been defanged politically with militarized police that function as internal armies of occupation. The erosion of due process, the world's largest prison system and the stripping away of all rights, often including voting rights because of felony convictions, as well as a loss of access to most social services and jobs, have reduced many Black and brown people to subsistence level on the lowest rung of America's caste system. They are also the primary targets of Republican-sponsored voter suppression and redistricting.

The glue holding this Christianized fascism together is not prayer, although we will get a lot of that, but war. War is the raison d'tre of all systems of totalitarianism. War justifies a constant search for internal enemies. It is used to revoke basic civil liberties and impose censorship. War demonizes those in the Middle East, Russia or China who are blamed for the economic and social debacles that inevitably get worse. War diverts the rage engendered by a dysfunctional state towards immigrants, people of color, feminists, liberals, artists, anyone who does not identify as a heterosexual, the press, antifa, Jews, Muslims, Russians or Asians. Take your pick. It is a bigot's smorgasbord. Every item on the menu is fair game.

I spent two years with the Christian right reporting and researching my book "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America." These Christian fascists have never hidden their agenda or their desire to create a "Christian" nation, any more than Adolf Hitler hid his demented vision for Germany in "Mein Kampf." They prey, like all fascists, on the despair of their followers. They paint gruesome portraits of the end times. when the longed-for obliteration of nonbelievers presages the glorious return of Jesus Christ. The battle at Armageddon, they believe, will be launched from the Antichrist's worldwide headquarters in Babylon once the Jews again have control of Israel. The closer we get to Armageddon, the giddier they become.

These people believe this stuff, as they believe in QAnon or the election fraud that supposedly put Biden in office. They are convinced that a demonic, secular-humanist ideology propagated by the media, the United Nations, elite universities, the ACLU, the NAACP, NOW, Planned Parenthood and the Trilateral Commission, along with the U.S. State Department and major foundations, is seeking to destroy them.

The Christian fascists do not fear nuclear war. They welcome it. The marriage of the forever-war industry with the Christian fascists who yearn for apocalypse is terrifying.

Violence is embraced as a cleansing agent, a key component of any fascist movement. The Christian fascists do not fear nuclear war. They welcome it. The insane provocations of Russia by the Biden administration, including the decision to provide $33 billion in assistance to Ukraine, target 10 Russian generals for assassination and pass on to Ukraine the intelligence to sink the Moskva, the guided missile cruiser that was the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, supercharges the ideology of the Christian right. The marriage of the war industry, determined to make war forever, with the Christian fascists yearning for the apocalypse is terrifying. Biden is sleepwalking us into a war with Russia and perhaps with China. The Christian fascists will accelerate the bloodlust.

The political deformities we have spawned are not unique. They are the product of a society and government that no longer functions on behalf of the citizenry, one that has been seized by a tiny cabal, in our case corporate, to serve its exclusive interests. The airy promises politicians make, including the announcement by candidate Barack Obama that the first thing he would do in office was sign theFreedom of Choice Act, which during his eight years as president he never got around to doing, are worthless. The scheduled vote next week in the Senate on a bill asserting that abortions are legal in the United States, which is expected to be blocked by the Republicans' use of the filibuster, a Senate procedural rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the 100-member chamber, is another empty gesture.

We saw the consequences of this dysfunction in Weimar Germany and Yugoslavia, a conflict I covered for the New York Times. Political stagnation and economic misery breeds rage, despair and cynicism. It gives rise to demagogues, charlatans and con artists. Hatred drives political discourse. Violence is the primary form of communication. Vengeance is the highest good. War is the chief occupation of the state. It is the vulnerable and weak who pay.

Read more from Chris Hedges on war, peace and the global crisis of democracy:

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Jesus, endless war and the irresistible rise of American fascism - Salon

The White House on Tuesday announced three key hires for its nascent Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), tapping a Microsoft executive, CIA official and cyber policy expert to help unify the governments response to major cyberattacks.

Kemba Walden, who previously served as an assistant general counsel in Microsofts Digital Crimes Unit, will serve in the coming weeks as ONCDs principal deputy national cyber director. Before joining Microsoft, she spent a decade working in government roles, including as a cybersecurity attorney for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The White House also announced two deputy national cyber directors for the ONCD: Neal Higgins, a former associate deputy director for digital innovation at the CIA, will oversee national cybersecurity, while Rob Knake, a policy expert who served in the cyber directorate at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, will handle strategy and budget. Both Higgins and Knake have already assumed their roles at ONCD, the White House said.

The @WH_ONCD team is looking forward to welcoming @KembaWalden as the 1st Principal Deputy National Cyber Director. With extensive experience in the public & private sectors, she'll be a key leader in our office as we strengthen our nations cybersecurity. https://t.co/BTtlYrSueU

As we continue to build this new office, the additions of Kemba, Neal, and Rob will accelerate our efforts to protect Americans in cyberspace, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said in a statement. Each of these leaders brings impressive experience in cybersecurity policy making to our team, and their diverse perspectives will be invaluable as we strengthen our collective defense.

The ONCD, which was established in 2021 through the National Defense Authorization Act, advises the president on cybersecurity policy and strategy, and also plays a key role in working with the private sector and international organizations on cybersecurity matters.

The Biden administration so far has tasked the Office with four principal outcomes: ensuring federal coherence on cybersecurity strategy, improving public-private collaboration, aligning resources to aspirations and increasing present and future resilience.

The hirings announced Tuesday represent three of the most senior appointments for ONCD as the Office takes shape. Chris Inglis, a former NSA deputy director who was sworn in to lead ONCD last July, was authorized by Congress to hire up to 75 staffers, according to Politico. In March, SC Media reported that ONCD currently has about 30 employees on staff.

Adam is the founding editor-in-chief of The Record by Recorded Future. He previously was the cybersecurity and privacy reporter for Protocol, and prior to that covered cybersecurity, AI, and other emerging technology for The Wall Street Journal.

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Office of the National Cyber Director names three new senior leaders - The Record by Recorded Future