The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 27th, 2024: America's Adversaries Target Critical Infrastructure & Bolivia's Failed Coup

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    A recent string of cyber-attacks on U.S. water systems is leading to renewed warnings from cyber security experts and federal officials regarding the risks posed to America’s critical infrastructure by foreign adversaries. We’ll look at the chaos in Bolivia, which was rocked yesterday by a failed coup attempt that led to the arrest of a dozen Bolivian military officers. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, a string of cyber attacks on U.S. water systems is leading to renewed warnings from cybersecurity experts and federal officials regarding the risks posed to America's critical infrastructure by foreign adversaries. Now, I've spent years talking about this problem because our adversaries have spent years mapping, testing, and probing U.S. critical infrastructure to find weaknesses and points of possible attack in the event of a global conflict. Also, we'll take a look at the chaos in Bolivia, which was rocked yesterday by a failed coup attempt that led to the arrest of a dozen Bolivian military officers. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Cyber security experts and federal authorities are once again sounding the alarm on the threats

facing America's critical infrastructure, particularly from Russia, Iran, and China. American communities have increasingly come under attack in recent months by state sponsors, cyber groups who are attempting to damage water treatment plants, local electrical grids, transportation systems, and other essential infrastructure. One strategic game is destabilization and psychological manipulation as the groups seek to erode trust in basic government services, and that's according to a recent investigation by CNBC. The escalating intrusions prompted a warning from the Biden administration back in March to state leaders, telling them, to bolster security defenses of their water systems and create an action plan in the event of an attack.

Oh, well, look, not to sound cynical, but it's the year 2024. One would have hoped that local, state, and federal authorities already have action plans. But, you know, it's the government, and the government can move in mysterious ways. Cybersecurity experts, speaking with CNBC, warned that the U.S. government remains seriously underprepared to defend against the current threat landscape, particularly when it comes to water facilities. Adam Isles, head of cybersecurity for the Chertoff Group, told CNBC, quote, water is among the least mature in terms of security. Now experts note that most water and sewage facilities in the U.S. currently lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous

cybersecurity practices. Outdated infrastructure and budget constraints are also increasing the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure, preventing localities from implementing comprehensive security protocols. Stuart Madnick, co-founder of cybersecurity at MIT Sloan, told CNBC, quote, It has not happened yet, and serious action to prevent a significant attack likely will not happen until after it has happened. Madnick warned that groups are seeking to cause more widespread damage by disrupting the availability or flow of water, or altering chemical levels, thereby contaminating public drinking water supplies.

To date, no hack of critical infrastructure has gone that far, but Madnick says it's only a matter of time. He told CNBC, quote, we've demonstrated in our lab how operations such as a water plant could be shut down not just for hours or days, but for weeks. It's definitely technically possible, end quote. One of the latest victims was the city of Wichita, Kansas, which had their water system hacked last month by an unknown group, disrupting water metering, billing, and payment processing. That attack, however, was a relatively minor incident. A more troubling example from this year was a cyber attack in January against a water facility in Texas that caused a tank to overflow and spill tens of thousands of gallons of water into the streets. The hacking collective behind this attack was, for the attack. found to have direct connections to the Russian military, specifically Russia's GRU, their military

intelligence. It was the first confirmed hack into U.S. water systems by groups tied to the Russian government, marking a troubling escalation. While the U.S. has so far managed to avoid a destabilizing breach of critical systems, well, obviously the risk is ever present. As you may recall, back in November, a group of Iranian-backed hackers took control of a municipal water station in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, shutting down a pump on a supply line that provides drinking water to two townships in the county. During that same month, a North Texas water utility faced a foreign cyber attack of unknown origin, briefly disrupting service to nearly two million people. U.S. officials have singled out Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and China, as posing the greatest

risk of cyber sabotage. Officials at the EPA said that they are particularly focused, on water systems and other essential infrastructure due to their relative vulnerability to cyber intrusions, and they only expect infiltration attempts by America's adversaries to intensify. An EPA spokesman told CNBC, quote, rapid advances in artificial intelligence are giving cyber threat actors more sophisticated tactics, techniques, and procedures to penetrate operational technology that controls critical infrastructure facilities. All drinking water and wastewater systems are at risk, end quote. Coming up after the break, Bolivia was gripped by widespread chaos yesterday, resulting from a

failed coup attempt that led to the arrest of a dozen Bolivian military officers. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the matter. Manager, you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.

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Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Chaos in Bolivia yesterday as President Luis Arseille survived a coup attempt. A group of Bolivian army soldiers, led by dismissed General Juan Jose Zuniga, occupied and then withdrew from La Pazas's main square, Plaza Marillo, following a tense three-hour standoff. General Zuniga, who was ousted as Commander General of the Bolivian Army by President Arce, a day before the attempted coup, had publicly declared his attention to arrest former President Evo Morales. Zuniga cited Morales' 2019 attempt to bypass the Constitution and seek a fourth term, an action that ignited widespread protests and political instability. In a power grab, General Zuniga led a military contingent to Plaza Marilla, which then rammed the historic doors of the presidential palace with an armored vehicle.

President Arce issued a rallying cry to the nation, urging citizens to take to the streets in opposition to the coup. Clashes erupted between protesters and soldiers, as Zuniga in a declaration proclaimed his intent to, quote, restructure democracy, while acknowledging President Arce's authority, quote, for now. The whole affair reached its climax with footage, capturing the moment when President Arce confronted Zuniga within the presidential palace, demanding his immediate surrender and the withdrawal of his soldiers. Zuniga was arrested, but attempted to justify his actions, claiming that he was acting on President Arse's orders in order to bolster his popularity.

Justice Minister Yvonne Lima swiftly dismissed these allegations and vowed to hold Zuniga accountable for his actions. The Bolivian Attorney General's Office launched a criminal investigation against Suniga and the military personnel involved. New military commanders were swiftly appointed, and President Arsay declared the government back in control. And Bob's your uncle. There goes another coup attempt. So attempted coups are something of a national pastime in Bolivia, with the country experiencing nearly 40 such events since 1946, which, if my math is somewhat correct, is almost an average of one coup attempt every two years. So there's that.

Currently, the country is grappling with a severe economic crisis facing dwindling foreign currency reserves and fuel shortages. Wednesday's coup attempt is the culmination of months of unrest. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 27 June. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at the FirstTV.com. And if you're so inclined, check out our premium membership

at PDBPremium.com, considered by many to be the finest value in all of podcast land. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed.

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