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Massive Cyber Attack Hits Israel’s Critical Infrastructure, Power Outages Reported

A major cyber attack has been launched on Israel’s critical infrastructure, causing widespread power outages across the country. The attack, which began on December 25, 2023, has left authorities scrambling to restore services and investigate the source of the breach.

Cybersecurity Breach Leaves Israel Vulnerable

The cyber attack on Israel’s critical infrastructure has exposed the vulnerabilities within the country’s systems. Power outages have been reported nationwide, affecting homes, businesses, and essential services. The scale of the attack suggests a highly coordinated effort by skilled hackers.

The timing of the attack, on Christmas Day, has added to the chaos as emergency services and government agencies were already operating with reduced staff. The blackout has disrupted daily life, leaving people without electricity for heating, communication, and other essential needs.

Authorities Investigate the Attack

Israeli authorities are working tirelessly to investigate the source of the cyber attack and restore power to affected areas. The Israeli National Cyber Directorate (INCD) has been mobilized to coordinate efforts and minimize the impact of the breach.

INCD officials suspect that the attack may have originated from a state-sponsored actor, given its sophistication and the scale of the disruption caused. They are working closely with international cybersecurity agencies to gather intelligence and track down the perpetrators.

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The Israeli government has urged the public to remain calm and follow instructions from local authorities. In the midst of the crisis, citizens are advised to conserve energy and use alternative means of communication until power is fully restored.

The Impact on Israel’s Critical Infrastructure

The cyber attack has highlighted the vulnerability of Israel’s critical infrastructure, including its power grid, water supply, and transportation systems. While efforts are being made to restore services, the incident raises concerns about the country’s ability to defend against future cyber threats.

In recent years, Israel has faced numerous cyber attacks, attributed to various threat actors, including state-sponsored groups and hacktivists. The government has invested heavily in cybersecurity measures and established the INCD to enhance defense capabilities.

However, this latest breach underscores the need for continuous improvement and collaboration between government agencies, private sector entities, and international partners. Cybersecurity experts are calling for increased investment in advanced threat detection systems and training programs to address the evolving cyber threats.

The Geopolitical Implications

The cyber attack on Israel’s critical infrastructure comes at a time of heightened tension in the region. The country has faced ongoing conflicts and security challenges, both domestically and internationally.

While the source of the attack has not been officially confirmed, speculation is rife about possible perpetrators. Given the tweet from the Twitter account associated with Palestine, some have suggested a potential link to politically motivated actors.

However, it is essential to await the findings of the investigation before drawing any conclusions. Cyber attacks have the potential to be used as a tool in geopolitical conflicts, making attribution a complex task.

Conclusion

The massive cyber attack on Israel’s critical infrastructure has caused widespread power outages and highlighted the vulnerabilities within the country’s systems. Authorities are working diligently to investigate the breach, restore services, and strengthen defense capabilities.

As the investigation unfolds, it is crucial for Israel and other nations to learn from this incident and prioritize cybersecurity measures. Collaboration between governments, the private sector, and international partners will be key in defending against future cyber threats and protecting critical infrastructure.

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BREAKING

A massive cyber attack has been launched on Israel’s critical infrastructure

Power outages are reported everywhere in Israel

— Palestine (@palestinegaza57) December 25, 2023

Source

@palestinegaza57 said BREAKING A massive cyber attack has been launched on Israel’s critical infrastructure Power outages are reported everywhere in Israel

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This is the official site. 43 states have removed some form of tax. And also made Gold & Silver legal tender. Please study this link. For those who think I am blowing smoke up your a**. https://soundmoneydefense.org/state-legal-tender

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States Continue Removing Sales Taxes on Gold & Silver

To date, 43 states have removed some or all taxes from the purchase of gold and silver. Of the seven states that still apply this outmoded tax to purchases of precious metals, five of them considered legislation to end this tax in 2023. 

Taxing the exchange of Federal Reserve Notes for the monetary metals is an atrocious policy, for several reasons.

States generally don’t tax the purchase of investments. States don’t slap sales taxes on the purchase of stocks, bonds, ETFs, currencies, and other financial instruments. Gold and silver are held as forms of savings and investment. So taxing precious metals penalizes a single class of savers and investors.

Taxing precious metals actually reduces a state’s tax revenues. A Michigan analysis revealed that the sales tax revenue extracted was actually exceeded by revenue lost from conventions, businesses, and economic activity driven out of the state.

And states with sales taxes on precious metals are at a competitive disadvantage to neighboring states that have ended the practice.

Taxing precious metals is harmful to citizens attempting to protect their assets. Purchasers of precious metals generally aren’t fat cat investors. Most who buy precious metals do so in small increments as a way of saving money.

People purchase precious metals, in part, to preserve their wealth against the ravages of inflation. Inflation especially harms the poorest among us, including pensioners, senior citizens on fixed incomes, wage earners, and savers. 

Levying taxes on precious metals is illogical and inappropriate. Purchases of computers, shirts, and shoes are taxable to the final consumer. But precious metals are inherently held for resale, not “consumption,” making the entire notion of taxing their purchase illogical from the start.

More States Want to End Income Taxes on Gold & Silver

In 2019, the Sound Money Defense League teamed up with sound money advocates in West Virginia to eliminate sales taxes on precious metals. Several states have introduced similar legislation since.

A capital gains tax on precious metals is often a tax on imaginary gains.

Under current law, a taxpayer who sells precious metals may end up with a capital “gain” in terms of Federal Reserve Notes. This capital “gain” is not necessarily a real gain, it’s often a nominal gain that results from the inflation created by the Federal Reserve and the attendant decline in the dollar’s purchasing power.

Yet this nominal gain is taxed at the federal level – and, because most states use federal adjusted gross income (AGI) as a starting point for income calculations, this nominal gain is taxed again by the state (in most cases).

Neutralizing punitive income tax treatment of the monetary metals would remove the last major disincentive that stands against the ownership and use of the monetary metals.

Not Just Taxes, States Do More to Restore Sound Money

State legislative efforts don’t end with taxation. Legislation to establish an in-state gold depository, and protect taxpayer reserve funds with gold and silver. Measures that would permit – but not require – the State Treasurer to hold some portion of state funds in physical gold and silver would help secure state assets against the risks of inflation and financial turmoil. These bills have enjoyed grassroots support across several states.

Ultimately, individual states cannot bring soundness to America’s monetary system on their own. The root of the problem is the Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, and Congress who have fully embraced fiat money and abandoned monetary restraint.

With the Consumer Price Index running at its highest rate in 40 years, inflation is becoming the most pressing economic issue of our time. States must not waste time in restoring sound money.

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Editoir’s Note: Why is the trade rate between the USD and the Iraqi Dinar important? The strength of the USD vrs. the weakness of the Iraqi Dinar has been based on the payment of oil from Iraq. Since the USD in no longer an “accepted” form of payment within the country of Iraq, the USD has now started fading in strength in this previously under developed country. Stay tuned as more and more nations reject the USD as the global standard for paying bills of international trade.

The USD is “fiat” and not backed by anything other than the word of the US Govt. This is the reason why gold and precious metals are being used as a basis for new currencies. The US has NOT been able to sell any bonds overseas to support the printing of USD.

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Earth News/ After months of unreasonable rise in dollar prices in local Iraqi markets, which caused great exhaustion for families, especially those with limited incomes, the Iraqi dinar was able to break the rise of the dollar, which sometimes reached about 170 thousand for every 100 dollars.

In conjunction with the rise of the dollar, the prices of foodstuffs also rose significantly as they are linked to the dollar, given that most of them are imported and are therefore purchased through the dollar, which caused great discontent in the Iraqi street, which demanded that the government must find solutions to address this unjustified rise.

Yesterday, Sunday, the US Ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, announced that her country is continuing to provide dollar services to Iraq.

Romanowski said in a tweet on X, “The US Treasury continues its cooperation with the Central Bank of Iraq, as many Iraqi banks have now formed relationships with international banks for the first time.”

She added that it “is considered a positive step in making progress in reforming the banking sector,” noting “the continuation of providing US dollar services to Iraq in the interest of economic stability.”

A government source had previously revealed that government and private banks had imported $255 million within two weeks.

The source told Earth News Agency, “According to the latest statistics provided by the Central Bank of Iraq, the amount of dollars imported into Iraq within two weeks through some government and private banks is estimated at approximately 255 million dollars.”

He added, “A number of other requests to import the dollar are on their way to being audited and implemented,” expecting that “other amounts will arrive within the next few days.”

In this context, the economic advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Nimhammad Salih, told Earth News Agency, “The monetary policy of the Central Bank of Iraq, based on its Law No. 56 of 2004, has the central and primary goal of stabilizing the general level of prices and fighting inflation, and the largest source of stability of the general level of prices is the exchange rate.” .

Saleh stated that “the bank’s operational objectives are its signals and procedures regarding the banking market and the monetary system as a whole and to achieve its intermediate objectives, which are the stability of the exchange rate so that the exchange rate in the secondary market approaches the official central price in reality, and this approach achieves complete stability in the Iraqi economy.”

Saleh pointed out that “the monetary policy works in this direction, and the economic policy also supports it, meaning that the state is a large commercial arm and supplies the market with stable, imported goods and supplies on the basis of 1,320 dinars, and all of these factors are combined, whether the economic policy is with the monetary policy of the central bank, its goal is to bring market prices closer.” Parallel and noise in it, although this market constitutes only 10%, but it causes some noise until this noise is eliminated from that market and its prices approach the official price. The monetary policy of the Central Bank exercises its role accurately and positively and in accordance with short and medium-term plans to maintain overall stability in the national economy as a goal. Macroeconomics and monetary policy.

He pointed out, “The process of importing all types of currencies, including the US dollar, takes place in light of the Central Bank’s permission for all Iraqi banks to meet the foreign currency needs of those banks’ customers.”

Regarding this matter, the specialist in financial and banking affairs, Safwan Qusay, told Earth News Agency, “It is clear that the Central Bank’s policy is to comply with international requirements and cooperate with the US Federal Reserve by allowing the American banks Citibank and JPMorgan to manage international financial transfer operations in a direct relationship with five Iraqi banks at this stage.” The first is through the mediation of a section of Jordanian banks, and it is also possible that five other banks will be added early next year. All of this will lead to reducing the waiting period and dealing with the expansion of the knowledge of small and large Iraqi merchants, and the possibility of having dealings in different currencies.”

He added, “These tools helped restore confidence in the Iraqi dinar and consolidate the trade process with all types of countries and various types of goods. We also note that the reforms of the Sudanese government, which seem to have international acceptance at the level of the United Nations, are in removing Iraq from the circle of dependence on oil only to the circle of economic integration.” In all sectors and the search for sustainable revenues from the geographical location of the food industries and the stimulation of commercial activity in Iraq, all of these will also support the Iraqi dinar.”

Qusay pointed out that “the value of the dollar in the informal market will certainly continue to decline with the continuation of government measures to monitor the prices of imported goods at official prices and stabilize their sale process and not allow them to be sold at shadow market prices. The strong relationship with the Turkish side will allow for the resumption of Iraq’s oil exports and trade openness to the European system through Turkey.

The exchange rates of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar fell in the local markets today, Monday, to below 150,000 per 100 dollars, after it had recorded more than 155,000 per 100 dollars during the past days.

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