Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Confident of victory over Ukraine, Russia exhibits Western war trophies

Two women are seeking Mexico’s presidency. But the race is about a man.

Hamas in Cairo for hostage talks as Israel briefs aid agencies on Rafah

The New York Times, alone in its outrage over access to Biden

The ‘Access Hollywood’ video cemented Trump’s air of invincibility

Stephen A. Smith would like even more of your attention

Biden confronts campus protests; Trump hedges on accepting election results

Kristi Noem just won’t stop talking about killing her dog

Noem’s dog-killing isn’t popular, though Trump supporters are divided

Trump Media auditor charged by SEC with ‘massive fraud’

Google’s empire is massive. A judge will soon rule if it’s a monopoly.

Five tech products we actually like

The Post endorses April McClain Delaney and Tom Royals for Maryland’s 6th District

On Press Freedom Day, little to celebrate for Hong Kong’s journalists

Young Georgians want to be part of Europe. Their government is in the way.

In photos: At least 39 dead as historic flooding hits southern Brazil

Sea level rise brings new era of dangerous flooding

Michael Cohen keeps broadcasting despite being a witness

Strangers help Sesame Street puppeteer after heirloom necklace was stolen

Teen grabs wheel when driver passes out and school bus veers into traffic

Cat climbed into Amazon return box, found alive 630 miles away

Ask Amy: My boyfriend just confessed he’s almost $20,000 in debt

Miss Manners: Is it inappropriate to reach out to old girlfriends?

Carolyn Hax: Longtime friend won’t forgive being last-minute canceled for a guy

In a pinch, the Nationals finally find some offense

Is Pastis as good as our food critic thought? He sent spies to find out.

The Capitals, a team in transition, know what they want this offseason

The new cure-all for vacation excess: the IV drip 

What’s the best bus to New York? We tested 5 for comfort and value.

Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive

See more coverage in your recommendations

Get the weekly Campaign Moment newsletter

Set alerts for major election developments

Election 2024

The Campaign Moment newsletter

Politics alerts

Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! One thing I did this past weekend was play Dungeons &amp; Dragons with my favorite campaign creator, Keith Baker. <a href="https://twitter.com/HellcowKeith/status/1576406889180844033">(This is the character I played.)</a> You just never know what sentences you'll end up uttering in your lifetime.

Below: Officials warn of cyberthreats ahead of midterm <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">election</a>s, and revelations about Pegasus spyware rock Mexico. First:

For better or worse, Cybersecurity Awareness Month sparks a running commentary

Daniel Acker

Ever since 2004, October has been Cybersecurity Awareness Month, created by the Department of Homeland Security and the nonprofit, industry-sponsored National Cybersecurity Alliance to … well … promote awareness of cybersecurity.

“During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we highlight the importance of safeguarding our Nation’s critical infrastructure from malicious cyber activity and protecting citizens and businesses from ransomware and other attacks,” <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/30/a-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2022/">reads the annual proclamation</a> President Biden released Monday. “We also raise awareness about the simple steps Americans can take to secure their sensitive data and stay safe online.”

But not everyone is so into it.

Every year, the awareness month provokes a kaleidoscope of reactions on Twitter. Government officials push their message alongside defenders who view the event as worthwhile. Lots of reporters and cyber pros are tired of hearing about it and think it’s pointless at best. Then there’s everything in-between and a bunch outside of that, too.

My predecessor Joseph Marks <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/01/cybersecurity-202-americans-are-insecure-ever-17th-annual-cybersecurity-awareness-month/">did a thoughtful examination</a> a couple years ago about the value, or lack thereof, of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The mix of responses comes in the form of meme warfare, corporate shilling and authentic enthusiasm. This year is no exception.

Rob Joyce, the director of cybersecurity for the National Security Agency, might most exemplify the push-and-pull of whether to joke about, or celebrate, the month:

<a href="https://twitter.com/NSA_CSDirector/status/1576367618805465088">He ultimately settled</a> on a <a href="https://twitter.com/RGB_Lights/status/1576628098040483840/">mix of both</a>.

Most government cybersecurity officials, though, took a purely earnest approach, at least on the first workday of the month. Here’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, advocating for the agency’s message for the event (and later suggesting <a href="https://twitter.com/CISAJen/status/1577040074222411776">it shouldn’t just be one month</a>):

National Cyber Director Chris Inglis offered a video message:

<a href="https://twitter.com/FBIWFO/status/1576905087204687874">The FBI</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/28/camille-stewart-gloster-shares-her-plans-new-white-house-cyber-gig/">Inglis’s new hire</a> Camille Stewart Gloster also took the sincere approach, although Stewart Gloster promised a “fun video series” later.

'Oh no it's cybersecurity awareness month'

Some leaned fully toward making jokes on the occasion of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.&nbsp;

Here's Jason Atwell of cybersecurity firm Mandiant with the “Zoolander” reference, with the comedy message of <a href="https://twitter.com/Viss/status/1576988883329294336">“maybe nobody's paying attention”</a>:

Ken Westin of Cybereason wrote a homemade greeting card in the joke style of <a href="https://twitter.com/brianloveswords/status/1576930880551276544">“do the opposite of what you should in cyberspace”</a>:

Some of the silliness around Cybersecurity Awareness Month comes from a place of affection, of course. Take Confidence Staveley, founder of the Cybersafe Foundation (with … a “Hunger Games” whistle-dance?):

‘You are now aware of cybersecurity, thank you’

Cybersecurity writers and reporters are among the most biting in their commentary on Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It comes, mostly, from a place of overflowing emails from public relations firms. I personally received my first Cybersecurity Awareness Month pitch in mid-August. (Full disclosure: I've made jokes on Twitter about the holiday <a href="https://twitter.com/timstarks/status/1570738250788278272">as recently as mid-September</a>.)

It's a little like the general public's exasperation about holiday decorations smacking everyone in the eyeballs long before the holiday itself, which TechCrunch's Zack Whittaker seized on:

Sorry, Benjamin Freed of StateScoop, you are definitely not going to get what you're asking for this year:

Andrea Peterson of the Record would, in essence, like some of their life back:

At least public relations pros can have a sense of humor about it, too, like Anne Cutler, communications director for Keeper Security:

It's not just government officials who are giving Cybersecurity Awareness Month a chance. Bryson Bort, CEO of cybersecurity company Scythe, solicited and received sincere answers on how to measure whether the event is making a difference:

The cynical running jokes on Twitter don't amuse Tracy Maleeff, a security researcher for the Krebs Stamos Group:

Aside from the question of whether to celebrate or joke about the event, there are separate, serious issues related to October and Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

As the term “child sex abuse material” and its acronym “CSAM” have grown in use, there have been more frequent calls for people to not use that acronym for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Here's Merritt Baer of Amazon Web Services (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post):

October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, putting an extra spotlight on October for Eva Galperin, co-founder of the Coalition Against Stalkerware and director of cybersecurity for the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

Even with somber overlaps, there's still room for witty remarks from Cisco's Wendy Nather:

Officials warn about security threats ahead of midterm elections

Robb Hill

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and FBI told reporters that they’re focusing on election threats in the run-up to November midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal’s Dustin Volz <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-warns-of-security-threats-ahead-of-midterm-elections-11664826276">reports</a>. The elections could see a confluence of threats, including foreign hacks, disinformation campaigns, threats to election workers and malicious insiders.

It’s a “more complex threat environment than what occurred in 2020 or that we’ve ever seen because of the various components of threat,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said.&nbsp;

So far, the U.S. government notably hasn’t seen foreign governments target election systems like in previous years, officials said. But they noted that they’re on alert for potential cyberattacks between now and Nov. 8. FBI agents are concerned that a foreign disinformation campaign could boost incorrect or overstated claims about election equipment being compromised, a senior FBI official said.

Hackers leak data from second-largest school district in U.S.

Frederic J. Brown

The data released by a ransomware gang calling itself “Vice Society” appeared to include documents from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s facilities services division and W-9 tax forms, the Los Angeles Times’s Howard Blume <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-02/hackers-release-data-ahead-of-deadline-in-response-to-lausd-refusal-to-pay-ransom">reports</a>. The group posted the data after the school district’s superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, told the Los Angeles Times that he wouldn’t pay a ransom or negotiate with the group.&nbsp;

“Paying ransom never guarantees the full recovery of data, and Los Angeles Unified believes public dollars are better spent on our students rather than capitulating to a nefarious and illicit crime syndicate,” Carvalho said in a statement Friday. That day, he told the Los Angeles Times that he didn’t think employees’ confidential information was stolen, but he was less certain about data on students. On Monday, Carvalho said at a news conference that the leaked data was “more limited than we originally anticipated,” though it did include some sensitive information, ABC7 <a href="https://abc7.com/lausd-hack-superintendent-alberto-carvalho-cyberattack/12292279/">reports</a>.

When the ransomware attack was discovered Sept. 3, “district technicians quickly shut down all computer operations to limit the damage, and officials were able to open campuses as scheduled on the Tuesday after the holiday weekend,” Blume writes. “The shutdown and the hack resulted in a week of significant disruptions as more than 600,000 users had to reset passwords and systems were gradually screened for breaches and restored.”&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/07/back-school-is-also-back-cyberattacks-some-districts/">The hack came amid the busy “back-to-school” season</a>. Dozens of schools and universities have been targeted with ransomware this year, according to researchers.

Researchers find recent Pegasus infections on Mexican activists’ phones

Cristopher Rogel Blanquet

The apparent hacks with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware come despite Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promising that his government wouldn’t conduct spying, the Associated Press’s Mark Stevenson <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-mexico-caribbean-hacking-cd4e4a0bcf13705072af19b2d97bbf63">reports</a>. López Obrador has said he was the target of government surveillance when he was an opposition leader in the country.&nbsp;

“We are not involved in that,” López Obrador said when asked about Pegasus in 2019. “Here we have decided not to go after anybody. Before, when we were in the opposition, we were spied on.”

Human rights activist Raymundo Ramos was reportedly hacked with Pegasus in 2020. Two journalists were also reportedly the victims of Pegasus in the country. The hacks were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-mexico-caribbean-hacking-cd4e4a0bcf13705072af19b2d97bbf63">confirmed by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab</a>, which didn't attribute the hacks to a particular NSO client. &nbsp;Mexican digital rights group R3D, which <a href="https://ejercitoespia.r3d.mx/evidencia/#10">wrote a report on the hacks</a>, concluded that the country's military was probably behind the hacks.

Journalists and human rights activists have filed a criminal complaint and asked the office of the country’s attorney general to investigate, <a href="https://www.animalpolitico.com/2022/10/periodistas-ong-denuncian-espionaje-sedena/">reports</a> Animal Político. One of the hacked journalists worked for the outlet.&nbsp;

NSO Group <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/pegasus-spyware-attacks-mexico-continued-under-lopez-obrador-report-2022-10-03/">told</a> Reuters that it couldn’t verify the findings without seeing detailed data on the hacks. It also said it terminates contracts when it detects wrongdoing.

The report comes as pressure also ramps up in Europe for criminal investigations over Pegasus use. The European Parliament committee investigating European use of Pegasus and other spyware wants European law enforcement organization Europol to propose that European Union member countries launch criminal investigations into spyware use, according to a <a href="https://twitter.com/EP_PegaInquiry/status/1576855149733380096">letter</a> that committee chair Jeroen Lenaers wrote to Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle. “There is evidence of criminal acts,” Lenaers wrote.

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/politics/republican-election-objectors.html" target="_blank">They legitimized the myth of a stolen election — and reaped the rewards (The New York Times)</a>

<a href="https://www.nextgov.com/technology-news/2022/10/us-uk-data-sharing-program-goes-effect/377978/" target="_blank">U.S.-U.K. data sharing program goes into effect (NextGov)</a>

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/03/pro-russian-groups-are-raising-cryptocurrency-to-prop-up-military-operations.html" target="_blank">Pro-Russian groups are raising funds in crypto to prop up military operations and evade U.S. sanctions (CNBC)</a>

<a href="https://www.wpri.com/target-12/langevin-tops-1-million-in-wall-street-trades-for-2022-despite-backing-a-ban/" target="_blank">Langevin tops $1 million in Wall Street trades for 2022 despite backing a ban (WPRI)</a>

<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-03/feds-seized-311m-in-bitcoin-btc-the-crypto-hacker-stole-it-back" target="_blank">Millions in cryptocurrency vanished as agents watched helplessly (Bloomberg Businessweek)</a>

Recorded Future <a href="https://www.recordedfuture.com/predict">holds</a> its Predict intelligence conference today and Wednesday.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies <a href="https://www.csis.org/events/nafo-and-winning-information-war-lessons-learned-ukraine">hosts</a> an event on information warfare and Ukraine on Wednesday at noon.

The FS-ISAC <a href="https://www.fsisac.com/events/2022-fincyber-today">holds</a> its FinCyber Today summit in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Oct. 10 through Oct. 12.

Nicole Kidman AMC Ad - SNL

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

2022 American Society of Business Publication Editors, Bronze National Award, Government Coverage

2022 American Society of Business Publication Editors, Silver Regional Award, Government Coverage

2022 American Society of Business Publication Editors, Bronze Regional Award, Single Topic Coverage by a Team

2022 Society of Professional Journalists Washington, D.C., Chapter, Finalist, Staff

2021 Best in Business Awards, Honorable Mention, Technology, Small Division (for editing role)

2009 National Press Club Sandy Hume Memorial Ward for Excellence in Political Journalism

2001 Indiana Associated Press Managing Editors, 1st Place, Non-Deadline News Reporting (with another reporter)

2001 Hoosier State Press Association, 3rd Place, Business Writing (team project)

University of Southern Indiana, BA in Print Journalism

Tim Starks is the author of the Cybersecurity 202 newsletter at The Washington Post. He previously served as senior editor at CyberScoop and ran Politico's cybersecurity newsletter. The Evansville, Ind., native also has held reporting roles for CQ Roll Call, the New York Sun and the Evansville Courier & Press.

Tim Starks

Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business award, Newsletter, 2019

American University, MA in journalism and public affairs

University of Rochester, BA in international relations

Aaron Schaffer is assistant editor of The Post's 202 newsletter franchise, where he helps edit The Early 202.