Chronicle of a Cyberattack Foretold?
NY's Governor warns of attacks on personal accounts following an under-the-radar simulation
Yesterday Gov. Kathy Hochul warned New Yorkers of the potential for cyberattacks owing to “current geopolitical uncertainty.” In a statement the governor said:
The reality is that because New York State is a leader in the finance, healthcare, energy, and transportation sectors, our state is an attractive target for cyber criminals and foreign adversaries.
Hochul added that New Yorkers should “remember they are vulnerable to cyberattacks on their personal devices.”
President Biden recently attributed cyberattacks in the Ukraine to Russia and has said that he was prepared to respond to any such attacks against the United States or its allies. The United Kingdom has also warned of potential cyberattacks from Russia.
In December, the United States, UK and a number of other governments participated in a simulation of a cyberattack on the financial system, an event that flew mostly under the radar.
It was Reuters that broke the story:
Israel on Thursday led a 10-country simulation of a major cyber attack on the global financial system in an attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimise any potential damage to financial markets and banks.
The simulated cyber attack evolved over 10 days, with sensitive data emerging on the Dark Web along with fake news reports that ultimately caused chaos in global markets and a run on banks.
The simulation featured several types of attacks that impacted global foreign exchange and bond markets, liquidity, integrity of data and transactions between importers and exporters.
Some observers have noted that the coronavirus pandemic was preceded by a simulation, known as Event 201, which took place in October 2019. Robert Kennedy Jr. has frequently referred to that role-playing exercise, which was hosted by Bill Gates, a top Chinese public health official and the then deputy director of the CIA.
Responding to the Reuters report, Zero Hedge wrote:
Earlier this month Reuters produced a report which didn't receive nearly enough attention among the American public - its contents would be sure to alarm most people concerned with the outbreak of yet more 'global catastrophes'. At the very least it's curious timing: amid the recent pandemic induced disruption in global supply chains, powerful nations and banking institutions decided to get together to run a global economic collapse scenario.
The Zero Hedge article went on to conclude:
We doubt much of the Western public will feel "comforted" by global elites engaged in a simulated global meltdown 'readiness' scenario.