Daily Archives: April 26, 2016

Burn Bag: @StateDept announces its disappointment … 👀 OMG! It’s nice to feel valued!

April 26, 2016 By in Awards, FSOs, Google Stuff, Leadership and Management, Realities of the FS, State Department Tags: , , , , , , ,

 

Via Burn Bag:

[Last week] we got the word that the Department will have to pay out on the 2013 MSIs.  They lost once, appealed and the review board denied the appeal.

Unbelievably, they added this line to the cable “The Department is disappointed by the  [review board] decision.”

It’s nice to feel valued.

via reactiongifs.com

via reactiongifs.com

To read more about the implementation disputes governing the award of the 2013 Meritorious Service Increases (MSIs), check the files below. The Foreign Service Grievance Board found in AFSA’s favor last year. The Department appealed this decision to the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board (FLRA), which rendered its decision on April 20, 2016, see below:

 

Related files

  • AFSA v. State Department – Decision FSGB No. 2014-028  (PDF)
  • AFSA v. State Department – Timeliness FSGB No. 2015-006 (PDF)
  • AFSA v. State Department – Timeliness FSGB No. 2015-005 (PDF)

 

 

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Pro-ISIS Hackers Post Alleged “Kill” List With 43 Names Including @StateDept Names

April 26, 2016 By in Foreign Service, FSOs, Realities of the FS, Security, Social Media, State Department, Technology and Work, Trends, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Updated: 2:58 am ET
[twitter-follow screen_name=’Diplopundit’ ]

 

In August last year, we blogged about the Purported ISIS ‘Hit List’ With 1,482 Targets including State Department names. Now, according to  Vocativ, hackers with a pro-ISIS group calling themselves the United Cyber Caliphate have distributed a “kill” list on Monday that appears to include dozens of U.S. government personnel.

The list features 43 names of people linked to the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the departments of defense, energy, commerce and health and services. It also identifies the U.S. embassies in Santiago and Kathmandu—as well as the Department of the Navy in Gulfport, Mississippi—as targets.

The purported “hit list” last year reportedly included personnel data of more than 1,482 members of the U.S. military, NASA, the FBI, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the State Department.  Technology security expert, Troy Hunt,  wrote at that time that “nothing makes headlines like a combination of ISIS / hackers / terrorism!” and had taken a closer look with an analysis here.  How many of these names are from “pastes” that have been reproduced or recycled or new? Whatever the answer, this is a trend that will probably continue into the foreseeable future. Reports like this should be a periodic reminder to review your/your family members privacy settings and digital footprint regularly.

 

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