One scary part about living in the digital world is that the distance between the powerful and those who wish to do harm is smaller than most would like to consider. Recently, a U.K. email prankster who goes by the Twitter handle @SINON_REBORN was able to fool top members of the Trump administration by creating fake email accounts and posing as administration officials.
“I try and keep it on the humorous side of things,” the prankster told CNN. “I’m not trying to get the keys to the vault or anything like that.” But the spear-phishing techniques he used are similar to those Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta fell for during the 2016 election.
“This shows how susceptible government officials are to spear-phishing in general,” Adam Malone, a former cyber specialist, told CNN. “Spear-phishing is the most common technique used by hackers to gain access to their victims. This information shines a light on how easy it is for people to build trust with unverified individuals.”
In one exchange, the prankster, posing as White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, had a conversation with Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert.

Fake Kushner: Tom, we are arranging a bit of a soirée towards the end of August. It would be great if you could make it, I promise food of at least comparible quality to that which we ate in Iraq. Should be a great evening.:

Bossert: Thanks, Jared. With a promise like that, I can’t refuse. Also, if you ever need it, my personal email is…

The prankster also tricked then-White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci into thinking he was communicating with his rival, former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, the day after his resignation.

Fake Priebus: I had promised myself I would leave my hands mud free, but after reading your tweet today which stated how; ‘soon we will learn who in the media who has class, and who hasn’t, has pushed me to this. That tweet was breathtakingly hypocritical, even for you. At no stage have you acted in a way that’s even remotely classy, yet you believe that’s the standard by which everyone should behave towards you? General Kelly will do a fine job. I’ll even admit he will do a better job than me. But the way in which that transition has come about has been diabolical. And hurtful. I don’t expect a reply.

Scaramucci: You know what you did. We all do. Even today. But rest assured we were prepared. A Man would apologize.

Fake Priebus: I can’t believe you are questioning my ethics! The so called ‘Mooch’, who can’t even manage his first week in the White House without leaving upset in his wake. I have nothing to apologize for.

Scaramucci: Read Shakespeare. Particularly Othello. You are right there. My family is fine by the way and will thrive. I know what you did. No more replies from me.

While in the role of communications director, Scaramucci was also fooled by the prankster posing as Jon Huntsman Jr., the ambassador-designate to Russia. The conversation revolved around Scaramucci’s recent criticisms of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and Priebus to The New Yorker.

Huntsman: Who’s head should roll first? Maybe I can help things along somewhat.

Scaramucci: Both of them

Huntsman was also the victim of the prankster, this time posing as Eric Trump.

Huntsman: Russia will be a challenging but no doubt rewarding assignment.

Trump: Maybe we could have Dad sat on a horse, top off, giving the full Putin! He’s in better shape than his suits suggest.

According to Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House is taking a serious look into the security breach. “We take all cyber related issues very seriously and are looking into these incidents further,” she told CNN. While they’re at it, the White House should also take a look into a more serious threat to cyber security: Russia’s attempt to hack the 2016 election.
  • Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
    Dogs have impressive observational powers.Photo credit: Canva

    Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.

    “A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”

    His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.

    pregnancy signs, dogs and pregnancy, pitbull behavior, pet intuition, dog overprotection, Reddit stories, viral Reddit, dog instincts, canine emotions, dog owner tips
    Otis knew before they did. Canva

    Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.

    So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”

    The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.

    Any chance your wife is pregnant?

    ZZBC | Reddit

    The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!

    “The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”

    Redditors responded with similar experiences.

    Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.

    realityisworse | Reddit

    So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?

    Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”

    The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.

    This article originally appeared last year.

  • Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

  • ,

    Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

    Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.

    While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

    When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

    Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.


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