Included in Ventura County Treasurer Steven Hintz's email warning that the county's website had been hacked was this phrase:

We think the real scam (if this is more than a simple attempt to produce chaos) will begin with a follow-up email seeking personal information to correct some mistake in the records.

While all signs indicate that this is a run-of-the-mill phishing scheme, in which hackers attempt to trick victims into providing sensitive information, we should keep in mind that entities in foreign countries are interested in probing American websites for vulnerabilities in preparation for a potential cyber attacks. It's a virtual certainty that's not the case here, but, generally speaking, governments and companies should be aware of the cyber danger posed by our enemies abroad.

Monday, the Los Angeles Times concluded that a virtual war was a real threat. In a feature article, it described how lax security standards by county water employees allowed a white-hat hacker to break into the system.

The weak link: County employees had been logging into the network through their home computers, leaving a gaping security hole. Officials of the urban water system told Maiffret that with a few mouse clicks, he could have rendered the water undrinkable for millions of homes.

What else is vulnerable? Everything.

The weaknesses that he found in California exist in crucial facilities nationwide, U.S. officials and private experts say.

The same industrial control systems Maiffret's team was able to commandeer also run electrical grids, pipelines, chemical plants and other infrastructure. Those systems, many designed without security in mind, are vulnerable to cyber attacks that have the potential to blow up city blocks, erase bank data, crash planes and cut power to large sections of the country.

While Al Queda doesn't seem to have the capability to pull off such an attack, China and Russia do, according to the Times.

A 2007 article from The Times of UK noted that "China's cyber army is preparing to march on America."

Chinese military hackers have prepared a detailed plan to disable America's aircraft battle carrier fleet with a devastating cyber attack, according to a Pentagon report obtained by The Times.

The article stated that China's intent is to achieve "electronic dominance" over each of its global rivals.

Last year, China rerouted a large portion of the world's internet traffic.

For 18 minutes in April, China's state-controlled telecommunications company hijacked 15 percent of the world's Internet traffic, including data from U.S. military, civilian organizations and those of other U.S. allies.

Look at the chaos produced by last year's "fat finger" that caused the Dow to drop 1,000 points. Imagine if a hacker was able to duplicate that. The chaos it would generate would be enough to throw us off our footing and put us at a serious disadvantage for any military engagements. Back to the LA Times article:

CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told Congress recently that he worried about a cyber Pearl Harbor. Yet many who follow the issue believe that's what it will take to force Americans to awaken to the threat.

Today's great news is that JEFF WALKER of Camarillo has endorsed me. Jeff brings supporters with him who wanted vigorous young-minded leadership and sound financial experience. Jeff had great ideas for bringing the TTC into the 21st century. He was very close to making the runoff. I WELCOME HIS SUPPORT.

Voters agreed with all eleven recommendations of the editorial board of the Ventura County Star. It either has an uncanny finger on the pulse of Ventura County (and the state), or its coverage is so trusted that voters take it to heart when they vote.

The Star endorsed Geoff Dean, Linda Parks, Peter Foy, Steven Hintz, Mark Lunn, and Paul Blatz. All five candidates were the top vote-getters in their respective races (although Hintz will face a runoff in November).

All five of the Star's recommendations on the props came to fruition as well.

It should be noted that the Star isn't trying to predict victory--it's merely selecting who the best candidate would be for each office. Voters overwhelmingly agreed with the newspaper, particularly with the surprisingly large wins for Dean and Parks who were involved in tough races. It's difficult to assign cause-and-effect as to whether the Star's coverage influenced the outcome or ran parallel to voter attitudes. [continue reading]

Retired Superior Court Judge Steven Hintz made a big statement Wednesday when he announced that he's running for treasurer-tax collector--and loaning his campaign committee $150,000 of his own money.

The money should make any potential opponents have second thoughts.

Hintz seeks to replace the retiring Larry Matheney, whose seat garnered much attention lately when the Ventura County Board of Supervisors effectively ended Audra Strickland's campaign for it by establishing educational criteria. Hintz believes that some business classes he took satisfies the requirement.

He also earned a law degree in 1971 from UC Berkeley, which must have been some interesting times for a law-and-order type. He became a JAG, joined the Ventura County DA's office, then was appointed to be a judge in 1982. The Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association named him Judge of the Year in 1984 and 1988.

In 1992, he was reproved by the California Commission of Judicial Performance for exceeding the lawful authority of his position.  He had ordered his bailiffs to search people in his courtroom for weapons and outstanding arrest warrants. I think he should have been awarded another Judge of the Year award for that.

Judge Hintz is a lifetime member of the NRA, and an avid train buff who builds model train sets. He also oversaw a $2.8 million budget as the CFO for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, which maintains a museum in Old Town Sacramento.  

It will be interesting to see if Hintz's hefty loan will clear the field of competitors, now that the person who was his biggest obstacle is running for county supervisor.