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Today — 22 December 2024Main stream

US agriculture primed to be next frontier in cybersecurity in new year, experts, lawmakers say

22 December 2024 at 01:00

Cybersecurity has been a major subject of discussion in recent years, with purported Chinese spy balloons floating overhead, a major Appalachian oil pipeline hacked with ransomware and questions about mysterious drones over New Jersey skies. 

But one overlooked area of focus in this regard is agriculture, several prominent figures have said — especially with America’s ag states primed to lend their top political leaders to Washington in the new year.

Dakota State University President Jose-Marie Griffiths told Fox News Digital how important the heartland has become geopolitically, with several Dakotans gaining leadership or cabinet roles in the new year — including Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., chairing the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity.

"I said quite a lot in the past and in [congressional] testimony about my concerns about agriculture and food production’s critical infrastructure, which came rather late to the cybersecurity critical infrastructure table," Griffiths said.

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"People [will] start to realize the agricultural vehicles they're using increasingly are autonomous and connecting to broadband [via] satellite — and other ways that these become vulnerable. And for people who wish to do us harm, they're exploiting vulnerabilities as much as they can."

Residents across the heartland pay much more attention to the threats China and other rivals pose to the U.S. agriculture sector, she said. 

With advancements in technology, hackers can now find their way into harvesters, granaries and the nation’s freight-train network, Griffiths and Rounds said separately.

Whether the cash crop is Pennsylvania potatoes, Florida oranges or Dakotan wheat, all are crucial to the U.S. economy and supply chain, and all can be subject to cyberthreats, Griffiths suggested.

Rounds told Fox News Digital he has studied for some time the potential vulnerabilities of the American agriculture sector when it comes to foreign actors and cybersecurity.

"It’s more than just the vehicles and so forth," he said.

"A lot of it has to do with the infrastructure that we rely on. A good example is your water systems; your electrical systems... All of those right now are connected and they all have cyber-points-of-entry. 

"And so, we have been, for an extended period of time, looking at threats that could come from overseas by adversaries that would like to infiltrate not only the water supplies, but also the electrical systems… and in some cases, sewer systems."

Rounds said he and other lawmakers have been focused on where malign actors can proverbially "shoot the arrows at us," and figure out who they are and how to stop them.

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He said the Chinese firm Huawei had been selling cheap hardware to rural telecom entities and could be able to infiltrate communications systems.

"Once we found out that that was in there… that they could be putting in latent materials that could be activated at a later date, we've gotten most of them pulled out. But that's just one example of the ways in which rural areas can be a way into the rest of our communication systems," he said.

Rounds said drones are becoming increasingly used in agriculture, and they, too, have the danger of being hacked.

Vehicles like harvesters and tractors have also greatly advanced technologically in the near term and face similar challenges.

"A lot of that right now is done with GPS. You get into your tractor, you plug it in and basically it'll drive it for you. We leave people in those tractors, but at some stage of the game, some of those might very well become autonomous as well — and they're subject to cyber-intervention…" he said.

Grain elevators also can be interfered with, which stymies marketing and transportation, and endangers the greater supply chain and the ability for a farmer to sell on the open market, Rounds said.

Asked if he preferred today’s agriculture sector to the era before automation, Rounds said it’s not about what he thinks, but what is going to happen in the future.

"We will have more and more autonomous vehicles being used in farming. And the reason is we don't have the manpower — and we replace it with machinery. The machinery is going to get bigger. It's going to become more sophisticated, and we're going to be expected to do more things with fewer people actually operating them.," he said.

"The supply chain is so critical. We rely on autonomy in many cases for a lot of the delivery of our resources, both to the farmer, but also back out from the farmer in terms of a commodity that he wants to market."

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If that new technologically-advanced system malfunctions or is hacked, it will greatly disrupt the ability to provide the raw materials to the people and companies "actually making the bread" and such.

Amit Yoran, CEO of exposure management firm Tenable, recently testified before the House Homeland Security Committee and spoke at length about cyber threats to critical U.S. infrastructure.

Asked about cybersecurity in the agriculture realm, Yoran told Fox News Digital recently that there is "no singular defense paradigm that could effectively be applied across all sectors."

"Some critical infrastructure providers have a high degree of cybersecurity preparedness, strong risk understanding and risk management practices, and very strong security programs. Others are woefully ill-prepared," said Yoran, whose company is based in Howard County, Maryland.

Before yesterdayMain stream

WV lawmaker arrested after allegedly threatening to kill entire region's delegation over caucus beef

13 December 2024 at 09:08

A West Virginia state delegate-elect was arrested Thursday after allegedly threatening to kill multiple lawmakers, reportedly after being informed he might be dropped from his GOP caucus position.

Del-elect Joseph de Soto, a medical doctor from Gerrardstown – about 100 miles west of Washington, D.C. – allegedly threatened several other delegates, including the Speaker of the House, on Tuesday, reportedly expressing outrage over being told to step down.

De Soto was listed in state jail records for Berkeley County as having been booked as a "pretrial felon" for making terroristic threats. 

Fox News Digital has learned that De Soto was advised of a vote removing him from a position for "undisclosed reasons," and that "he was upset" after hearing the news. 

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De Soto was reportedly being probed for potentially misrepresenting his medical and military information while running for office, and was subjected to a vote of expulsion from the GOP caucus, according to Huntington's CBS affiliate.

De Soto had threatened to kill several fellow Eastern Panhandle lawmakers as well as House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

"I am focused on four people who are evil … not angry, but at peace what I need to do," De Soto said, according to the criminal complaint. When an individual tried to stop de Soto from threatening people, his response was "I did say I am going to kill people. I said I am going (sic) what is necessary to put them (sic) from office."

De Soto said he had a vision from the Mormon Angel of Moroni to "destroy" Wayne Clark, R-Charles Town, and Dels. Michael Hite, Joe Funkhouser and Charles Horst, all R-Martinsburg. He also claimed to have been told by God to kill another lawmaker from Weirton.

"They play stupid games, they are getting stupid awards," de Soto wrote in an email to a person who complained to police, according to a law enforcement report obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"I am upset only with the Eastern Panhandle delegates. I have only begun... and won't stop," he said in an email to another individual according to the complaint, which ends with: "they can all go to Hell. I will send them there as commanded,"

In an interview Friday, one such delegate – Clark – said he received a call early in his five-hour commute home from Charleston to Charles Town that his family should relocate immediately due to a threat.

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"I was driving straight into a snowstorm. So, I didn't get to meet up with my family until almost 7 p.m., and I got the call at 3 p.m.," Clark said.

Clark praised the Charles Town Police Department and the Jefferson and Berkeley County sheriff’s offices for acting quickly to secure his family. He also said he hopes de Soto gets personal help.

"He obviously needs some sort of help because of some things that happened in his life prior. I don't know," he said.

The lawmaker said he understands that running for office means your identity and votes and comments are out in the public, but maintained that one’s family should never be.

"Having someone make threats that are now affecting my family, I don't know if you ever had that call: ‘Hey, Wayne. Get your family in a safe place’. Whoa. Okay. That's a tough one to deal with."

De Soto had been elected as a Republican in the 91st District, which includes the suburbs of Martinsburg. However, he reportedly filed to change his affiliation to Democratic just before his arrest.

That change could set up a partisan or legal fight as to how he is replaced, as West Virginia provides that if a delegate vacancy exists, the outgoing lawmaker's party’s county committee "shall appoint a member of the party" to the seat. The West Virginia State House is currently 89-11 Republican.

De Soto had reportedly been recently investigated for allegedly falsifying information about his medical career, which led to Republicans' concerns, according to Huntington's CBS affiliate.

West Virginia Democratic Party chair Del. Mike Pushkin said the party's thoughts are with the affected delegates and their families.

"No one—especially those working in public service—should ever have to fear for their safety or the safety of their loved ones," Pushkin, of Kanawha, said in a statement. "These allegations are deeply serious and should be treated with the full weight of the law."

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In a statement, WVGOP Chairman Matt Herridge said the party is aware of the allegations and facts of the case, "as well as the steps the House GOP Caucus has taken toward [de Soto's] expulsion."

"Our elected officials sacrifice a lot to serve their communities, and it is a travesty for anyone to face the additional burden of threats made against themselves and their families. The West Virginia Republican Party supports our House leadership and their expulsion efforts."

"We disavow and condemn the behavior of the former Republican Delegate-elect and continue to thank all those who are willing to serve their communities and state, in spite of the serious challenges it too often poses."

Fox News Digital reached out to the West Virginia State Police for additional comment on de Soto’s arrest.

A call to a number listed for de Soto was not returned.

Apparent swatting call at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Georgia home leads to deadly car accident

9 December 2024 at 22:42

An apparent swatting call at the north Georgia home of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left a woman dead following a car accident involving local police.

Greene took to social media on Monday to report that she was the subject of a bomb threat directed at her home. The congresswoman said the Rome Police Department’s assistant chief received the threat via email, prompting a bomb squad to be dispatched to her home.

Greene says that this is not the first time she has been the subject of a swatting call since being elected to Congress, noting that she has been "swatted at least nine times." 

A swatting call involves alerting 911 of a false threat to a specific location or person, which invokes a police response and can divert resources from real crimes or threats.

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Greene said the email was traced back to a Russian IP address and her office will be working with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Rome police reported that during the attempt to respond to Greene's home, a deadly traffic incident took place involving one of their officers.

"On Monday December 9, a Rome Police Department officer was traveling in a personal vehicle en route to take his place with the Bomb Squad on a call.  This officer was involved in a traffic accident on Redmond Rd near Walmart which has created significant travel delays around the Norfolk Southern Railroad Tracks."

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Greene said she was "heartsick" over the deadly accident, which she said claimed the life of a woman and injured a police officer.

"I’m heartsick right now. I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home," she wrote. 

"These violent political threats have fatal consequences. It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act," the post said. "My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department."

Greene was noticeably outraged throughout her updates, accusing the perpetrator of the call of committing murder.

"I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m also angry. This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again," she said.

She went on to thank Rome PD for protecting the city and putting their lives at stake.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Rome police for comment.

Connecticut House Democrats report being targeted by bomb threats on Thanksgiving

28 November 2024 at 11:27

Four Connecticut House Democrats say their homes have been targeted by bomb threats on Thanksgiving Day. 

Each of the threats against Reps. Jim Himes, Jahana Hayes, Joe Courtney, and John Larson were determined to be unfounded and come after nearly a dozen of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other appointees were targeted with similar warnings on Tuesday night. 

"This morning, I was notified of a bomb threat targeting my home where I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my family," Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. "Thankfully, after a swift and thorough response from the United States Capitol Police, the Greenwich Police Department, and the Stamford Police Department, no evidence of a bomb was found." 

"There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility," he added. 

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Hayes said she was notified by the chief of the Wolcott Police Department shortly before 8 a.m. this morning "that they received a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home." 

That department and Connecticut State Police then responded to her home and cleared the scene without finding any bomb or explosive materials, according to Hayes. 

"I thank law enforcement for their swift attention to this matter, their actions demonstrate there is no place in our country for political violence," Hayes also said. 

A spokesperson for Courtney told Fox61 that there was "no evidence found of a bomb" at his property in Vernon. 

"Joe and Audrey extend their utmost gratitude to the law enforcement officers, whose response should signal to perpetrators that these types of threats will not be tolerated," the spokesperson added. 

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Larson said in his own statement, "Early this morning, East Hartford Police came to my home in response to a bomb threat. 

"The police determined no bomb was present at the property and the Larson family is safe," he added. 

The warnings that the Trump Cabinet nominees and other appointees faced "ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’" according to Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman and incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that John Ratcliffe, the nominee to be CIA director; Pete Hegseth, the nominee for secretary of defense; and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the nominee for UN ambassador, were among those targeted. Brooke Rollins, who Trump has tapped to be secretary of agriculture, and Lee Zeldin, Trump's nominee to be EPA administrator, separately revealed they were also targeted. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

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