{"id":50623,"date":"2023-02-17T15:37:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T15:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34339\/Actually-America-Loves-Spy-Balloons.html"},"modified":"2023-02-17T15:37:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T15:37:56","slug":"actually-america-loves-spy-balloons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/","title":{"rendered":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 eLNveM align--bleed js_marquee-assetfigure\" data-id=\"be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"3839\" data-height=\"2160\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 loxZOX has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-link-reference data-link-target data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"shutterstock\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\" readability=\"7\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 dnhHtZ js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 lktKQM image-hydration-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 80w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_140\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 140w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_265\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 265w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_340\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 340w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_490\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 490w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_645\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 645w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_740\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 740w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 965w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1165\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 1165w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1315\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 1315w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1465\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 1465w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1600\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 25em) calc(100vw - 32px),(max-width: 37.31em) calc(100vw - 32px),(min-width: 37.37em) and (max-width: 49.94em) calc(100vw - 32px),(min-width: 50em) and (max-width: 63.69em) 800px,(min-width: 63.75em) and (max-width: 85.19em) calc(66.5vw - 32px),800px\" alt=\"Image for article titled Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons\" draggable=\"auto\" data-chomp-id=\"be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-alt=\"Image for article titled Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons\" data-anim-src><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 ikKPtM no-caption\">Photo<!-- -->: <!-- -->Broadcast Media<!-- --> (<!-- -->Shutterstock<!-- -->)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/be098fffe87ec03075af51c710648323\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"3839\" data-height=\"2160\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">It\u2019s a bird! It\u2019s a plane! It\u2019s a helium-fueled nightmare here to steal all our national security secrets!<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-1 drQYFN\">\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-0 bzIKDG instream-native-video instream-permalink instream-native-video--mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-1h0epat-0 hykIxg\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-0 hxLRyg video-html5-playlist\" data-playlist=\"193376,193822,193812\" data-current=\"193376\">\n<div class=\"video-html5-loaded\">\n<div class=\"video-html5-player\">\n<div class=\"lhhce6-0 bVyOPq video-html5 autoplay muted mobile\" data-video-id=\"193376\" data-monetizable=\"true\" data-position=\"sidebar\" data-video-title=\"John Deere Owners Rejoice... Kinda\" data-video-blog-id=\"4\" data-video-network=\"gizmodo\" data-video-duration=\"95\"><video disablepictureinpicture muted playsinline width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" preload=\"none\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/193376\/193376_240p.mp4\" label=\"240p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/193376\/193376_480p.mp4\" label=\"480p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/193376\/193376_720p.mp4\" label=\"720p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/193376\/193376_1080p.mp4\" label=\"1080p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><track kind=\"captions\" label=\"English\" src=\"https:\/\/kinja.com\/api\/videoupload\/caption\/18829.vtt\" srclang=\"en\"><\/video><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1yhvqfu-2 hovEJL video-controls\">\n<div class=\"sc-1yhvqfu-0 hGlMLe closed-captions\"><button class=\"cc\" type=\"button\">CC<\/button><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"selected\" data-label>Off<\/li>\n<li class data-label=\"English\">English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-1h0epat-2 eXrsVI js_close-sticky-mobile-video\"><span class=\"iyvn34-0 bYIjtl\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"18\" aria-label=\"Close icon\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M15.25 2.13a.44.44 0 1 1 .62.62L9.62 9l6.25 6.25a.44.44 0 1 1-.62.62L9 9.62l-6.25 6.25a.44.44 0 0 1-.55.06l-.07-.06a.44.44 0 0 1 0-.62L8.38 9 2.13 2.75a.44.44 0 0 1 .62-.62L9 8.38z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Yes, the Chinese balloon <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/pentagon-chinea-surveillance-balloon-united-states-1850067980&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/pentagon-chinea-surveillance-balloon-united-states-1850067980\">scandal<\/a><\/span> has eaten up a lot of bandwidth over the last few weeks. Other, arguably more important stories (like the Norfolk Southern <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/3857172-five-lingering-questions-over-ohio-train-derailment-toxic-spill\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/3857172-five-lingering-questions-over-ohio-train-derailment-toxic-spill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mushroom cloud<\/a><\/span>) haven\u2019t gotten nearly as much media attention as the floating white blob that the government decided to <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/News-Stories\/Article\/Article\/3288543\/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/News-Stories\/Article\/Article\/3288543\/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shoot down<\/a><\/span> earlier this month. News of the balloon\u2019s intrusion into U.S. airspace sidelined what promised to be a productive diplomatic mission by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who \u201cindefinitely postponed\u201d his flight to Beijing after the balloon reared its head. Instead of de-escalation and diplomacy, America decided to completely and utterly lose its shit. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">In addition to the military <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/us-military-shoots-down-object-flying-over-lake-huron&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/us-military-shoots-down-object-flying-over-lake-huron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shooting down<\/a><\/span> a bunch of other unidentified objects in recent weeks, America\u2019s national security zealots have gone full-on gonzo about the dreaded balloon, with one Fox News guest recently <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/china-expert-warns-spy-balloon-hovering-over-us-not-leading-in-a-good-direction&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/china-expert-warns-spy-balloon-hovering-over-us-not-leading-in-a-good-direction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggesting<\/a><\/span> that the balloon could\u2019ve been carrying \u201canything\u201d and that it was \u201cextremely dangerous.\u201d Blinken himself has <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/02\/03\/us-secretary-of-state-blinken-postpones-high-stakes-trip-to-china-after-us-discovers-suspected-spy-balloon-.html&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/02\/03\/us-secretary-of-state-blinken-postpones-high-stakes-trip-to-china-after-us-discovers-suspected-spy-balloon-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called<\/a><\/span> the balloon expedition an \u201cirresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Critics of America\u2019s great national balloon freakout have pointed out that this really <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/made-by-history\/2023\/02\/13\/panic-over-spy-balloon-echoes-misguided-alarm-over-sputnik\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/made-by-history\/2023\/02\/13\/panic-over-spy-balloon-echoes-misguided-alarm-over-sputnik\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">isn\u2019t that big of a deal<\/a><\/span>, that it\u2019s <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/abc7ny.com\/chinese-spy-balloon-defense-intelligence-agency-classified-report-shot-down\/12801661\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7ny.com\/chinese-spy-balloon-defense-intelligence-agency-classified-report-shot-down\/12801661\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">not clear<\/a><\/span> that the balloon was actually collecting any actionable intelligence, and some have even <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2023\/2\/6\/china_balloon_us&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2023\/2\/6\/china_balloon_us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggested<\/a><\/span> that all this hubbub is just a cynical ploy to sabotage the political detente between the two countries. China\u2019s foreign ministry has also <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-64621598&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-64621598\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">alleged<\/a><\/span> that the U.S. has used balloons to enter Chinese airspace \u201cmore than ten times\u201d in the past year, though the U.S. denies this is the case. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">When it comes to spy balloons, though, America freaking out about this is pretty hypocritical. Why? Because we\u2019re one of the worst propagators of these dreaded floating snoops. America loves spy balloons. We just love them. Our own, that is. And we\u2019ve been using them a very long time! Allow me to enumerate some examples.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bxm4mm-7 BkGlG\" readability=\"4.3636363636364\">\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-0 sc-1atgi65-1 bdNdA-D js_commerce-inset-permalink\" data-inset-url=\"https:\/\/howl.me\/ci5Ein3IXOu\" data-inset-category=\"CommerceInsetMobile\" readability=\"4.99203187251\">\n<p>G\/O Media may get a commission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR\">\n<div class=\"bxm4mm-0 cULvCC\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h53080\">Exhibit A: Cold War s<!-- -->pying <\/h3>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">In modern times, America\u2019s love of the spy balloon goes all the way back to the Cold War (we could go even <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/000\/air-balloons-in-the-civil-war.htm&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/000\/air-balloons-in-the-civil-war.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">further back<\/a><\/span>, but I presume you don\u2019t want to be here all day), when our security agencies discovered they could be quite useful in our war with the Soviets. Most notably, the U.S. Air Force secretly launched a program called <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/articles\/cold-war-balloon-surveillance&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/articles\/cold-war-balloon-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Project Moby Dick<\/a><\/span>, in which it sent droves of camera-armed, high-altitude balloons, capable of drifting as high as 50,000 feet, to float over the USSR and take pictures of Russian defense installations. Similarly, the CIA <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/archive\/2018\/12\/project-troy-science-cold-war-psychological-warfare\/576847\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/archive\/2018\/12\/project-troy-science-cold-war-psychological-warfare\/576847\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">used balloons<\/a><\/span> during this period to drop psychological warfare material into communist countries to undermine (or, at the very least, irk) their governments. This included using balloons to <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/spyscape.com\/article\/how-cia-spies-used-george-orwell-to-help-win-the-cold-war&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/spyscape.com\/article\/how-cia-spies-used-george-orwell-to-help-win-the-cold-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sneak<\/a><\/span> copies of George Orwell\u2019s novel <em>1984<\/em> from West Germany into Eastern Europe\u2014apparently as a way of inspiring dreams of liberal democracy beyond the Iron Curtain. Go figure!<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h53081\">Exhibit B: Spying on <!-- -->goat herders <\/h3>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">In recent years, the spy balloon has gotten way more high-tech and way more invasive. These days, big boy defense contractors like Lockheed Martin engineer sophisticated spy balloons, also known technically as \u201caerostats\u201d (or, in one government <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/690\/683456.pdf&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/690\/683456.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a><\/span>, \u201cunmanned buoyant craft\u201d), which have been used to spy on foreign populations\u2014mostly in the Middle East. The idea behind the balloons, which were reportedly used quite frequently during the \u201cWar on Terror,\u201d is to automate surveillance capabilities to that real human beings don\u2019t have to do the hard work of monitoring entire regions or villages. Still, most people in the areas where they\u2019ve been deployed don\u2019t seem to like them very much. A New York Times <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/05\/13\/world\/asia\/in-afghanistan-spy-balloons-now-part-of-landscape.html&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/05\/13\/world\/asia\/in-afghanistan-spy-balloons-now-part-of-landscape.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a><\/span> from 2012 noted that the U.S. had a habit of deploying these floating narc blimps in rural areas in Afghanistan and then just leaving them there indefinitely; the goat herders living in places like Kabul and Kandahar told the paper that they didn\u2019t appreciate being watched constantly, expressing that the balloons contributed to an overall \u201csense of oppression\u201d in local populations. You can see why. It\u2019s basically like being watched by that thing from Jordan Peele\u2019s <em>Nope<\/em> all day long. Not so great.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h53082\">Exhibit C: Spying on ourselves&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">In 2019, news <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/aug\/02\/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/aug\/02\/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">broke<\/a><\/span> that the Pentagon had been testing surveillance balloons \u201cacross the U.S,\u201d allegedly deploying them in six midwest states as an experiment to see whether they could fulfill the vague mandate of responding to \u201cnarcotic trafficking and homeland security threats.\u201d The dirigibles, which could hover at altitudes as high as 65,000 feet, may have been rigged with <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/longreads.com\/2019\/06\/21\/nothing-kept-me-up-at-night-the-way-the-gorgon-stare-did\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2019\/06\/21\/nothing-kept-me-up-at-night-the-way-the-gorgon-stare-did\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gorgon Stare<\/a><\/span>, a sophisticated surveillance software that the government has used to spy on foreign populations via drones. Gorgon Stare has the ability to record ground-level activity in urban environments with granular detail, essentially supplying government operators with an \u201cinstant replay\u201d function when monitoring events in cities. These experiments were part of something dubbed \u201cOperation COLD STAR\u201d that, according to <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/v7v9qm\/us-military-swears-its-not-spying-on-china-with-balloons-it-spent-millions-developing&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/v7v9qm\/us-military-swears-its-not-spying-on-china-with-balloons-it-spent-millions-developing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Motherboard<\/a><\/span>, \u201cnever really ended,\u201d meaning they appear to be ongoing. However, they don\u2019t seem to be all that effective: The Guardian quotes a military official who acknowledged that, while the balloons were improving \u201cefficiency,\u201d the government still was only able to interdict \u201cabout six percent of known drug movements.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">At the time of the operation\u2019s reveal, resident debbie downer Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, said of the balloons, \u201cWe do not think that American cities should be subject to wide-area surveillance in which every vehicle could be tracked wherever they go&#8230;it\u2019s disturbing to hear that these tests are being carried out, by the military no less.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Whatever, Jay! Killing personal privacy in the U.S. seems like a small price to pay for a 6 percent drug interdiction rate!<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Another memorable balloon <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.columbiadailyherald.com\/story\/news\/nation-world\/2015\/10\/28\/military-has-lost-control-giant\/25692344007\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.columbiadailyherald.com\/story\/news\/nation-world\/2015\/10\/28\/military-has-lost-control-giant\/25692344007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">incident<\/a><\/span> took place in 2015, when the U.S. military somehow lost control of one of its aerostats, which then proceeded to saunter drunkenly over the skies of Pennsylvania at low altitudes until it became tangled in power lines and caused a power outage for some 35,000 people. <\/p>\n<h3 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h53083\">In Conclusion&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">To avoid future international rancor and potentially bring China and the U.S. back together, I submit that we should all just agree that we love balloons. We love them floating high above us, beautiful and mysterious (and potentially rigged with <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/aug\/02\/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/aug\/02\/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">facial recognition<\/a><\/span>). We love them when they monitor our enemies. We love them at birthday parties. Are they a little bit unnerving? Sure! But, as we\u2019ve just acknowledged, we\u2019re all in this together. Mostly, I want us all to acknowledge that we love balloons so that we can also agree to STFU about them. Because with everything going on in the world today, I really don\u2019t think I can handle another \u201c<span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/newrepublic\/status\/1625518415996760067&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/newrepublic\/status\/1625518415996760067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">balloon news cycle<\/a><\/span>.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>READ MORE <a href=\"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34339\/Actually-America-Loves-Spy-Balloons.html\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>READ MORE HERE&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[10367],"class_list":["post-50623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-packet-storm","tag-headlinegovernmentusachinacyberwarspywaremilitary"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security &amp; Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security &amp; Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"435\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"TH Author\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@threatshub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@threatshub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"TH Author\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"TH Author\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12e0a8671ff89a863584f193e7062476\"},\"headline\":\"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\"},\"wordCount\":1179,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif\",\"keywords\":[\"headline,government,usa,china,cyberwar,spyware,military\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Packet Storm\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\",\"name\":\"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security & Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif\",\"width\":1,\"height\":1},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"headline,government,usa,china,cyberwar,spyware,military\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/tag\/headlinegovernmentusachinacyberwarspywaremilitary\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News\",\"description\":\"%%focuskw%% Threat Intel \u2013 Threat Intel Services \u2013 CyberIntelligence \u2013 Cyber Threat Intelligence - Threat Intelligence Feeds - Threat Intelligence Reports - CyberSecurity Report \u2013 Cyber Security PDF \u2013 Cybersecurity Trends - Cloud Sandbox \u2013- Threat IntelligencePortal \u2013 Incident Response \u2013 Threat Hunting \u2013 IOC - Yara - Security Operations Center \u2013 SecurityOperation Center \u2013 Security SOC \u2013 SOC Services - Advanced Threat - Threat Detection - TargetedAttack \u2013 APT \u2013 Anti-APT \u2013 Advanced Protection \u2013 Cyber Security Services \u2013 Cybersecurity Services -Threat Intelligence Platform\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Threatshub.org\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ThreatsHub.org\",\"alternateName\":\"Threatshub.org\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg\",\"width\":432,\"height\":435,\"caption\":\"ThreatsHub.org\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/threatshub\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12e0a8671ff89a863584f193e7062476\",\"name\":\"TH Author\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/066276f086d5155df79c850206a779ad368418a844da0182ce43f9cd5b506c3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/066276f086d5155df79c850206a779ad368418a844da0182ce43f9cd5b506c3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"TH Author\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News","description":"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security & Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News","og_description":"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security & Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/","og_site_name":"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News","article_published_time":"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":432,"height":435,"url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"TH Author","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@threatshub","twitter_site":"@threatshub","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"TH Author","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/"},"author":{"name":"TH Author","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12e0a8671ff89a863584f193e7062476"},"headline":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons","datePublished":"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/"},"wordCount":1179,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif","keywords":["headline,government,usa,china,cyberwar,spyware,military"],"articleSection":["Packet Storm"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/","url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/","name":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons 2026 | ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif","datePublished":"2023-02-17T15:37:56+00:00","description":"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News | ThreatsHub.org | Cloud Security & Cyber Threats Analysis Hub. 100% Free OSINT Threat Intelligent and Cybersecurity News.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2023\/02\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons.gif","width":1,"height":1},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/actually-america-loves-spy-balloons\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"headline,government,usa,china,cyberwar,spyware,military","item":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/tag\/headlinegovernmentusachinacyberwarspywaremilitary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Actually, America Loves Spy Balloons"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/","name":"ThreatsHub Cybersecurity News","description":"%%focuskw%% Threat Intel \u2013 Threat Intel Services \u2013 CyberIntelligence \u2013 Cyber Threat Intelligence - Threat Intelligence Feeds - Threat Intelligence Reports - CyberSecurity Report \u2013 Cyber Security PDF \u2013 Cybersecurity Trends - Cloud Sandbox \u2013- Threat IntelligencePortal \u2013 Incident Response \u2013 Threat Hunting \u2013 IOC - Yara - Security Operations Center \u2013 SecurityOperation Center \u2013 Security SOC \u2013 SOC Services - Advanced Threat - Threat Detection - TargetedAttack \u2013 APT \u2013 Anti-APT \u2013 Advanced Protection \u2013 Cyber Security Services \u2013 Cybersecurity Services -Threat Intelligence Platform","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Threatshub.org","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"ThreatsHub.org","alternateName":"Threatshub.org","url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/coredata\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Threatshub_Favicon1.jpg","width":432,"height":435,"caption":"ThreatsHub.org"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/threatshub"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12e0a8671ff89a863584f193e7062476","name":"TH Author","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/066276f086d5155df79c850206a779ad368418a844da0182ce43f9cd5b506c3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/066276f086d5155df79c850206a779ad368418a844da0182ce43f9cd5b506c3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"TH Author"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}