A security expert breaks down the Trump assassination attempt
đź‘‹ Welcome back to the Medium Newsletter
Issue #126: the Backstreet Boys are forever, how to make Apple Notes work for you, and that CrowdStrike bug
By Harris Sockel
“The number one principle when it comes to security is the principle of deterrence,” writes veteran security guard John Wight on Medium. For almost 20 years, he worked with former members of the U.S. Secret Service to guard crowds and celebrities at movie premieres, political conventions, and concerts. And he was just as confused as I was by how a shooter could have climbed onto a roof in full view of U.S. Secret Service snipers.
Wight breaks down the multiple security failures, including a few details I haven’t heard anywhere else — even after watching the Director of the Secret Service (who just resigned) testify to Congress on Monday:
- Of course, they should have had agents on and around that roof. Again, the first rule of security is deterrence.
- The giant flag behind the podium is an added danger; an experienced shooter could use it to adjust their aim based on the wind.
- “They should have dragged him off that rostrum immediately. To hell with the shoe. A shoe doesn’t bleed. Those precious few seconds placed both themselves and Trump in danger. I still can’t believe it, watching it back now.”
Lesser-known fact: The Secret Service wasn’t created to shoot down assassins. It was created in 1865 to catch counterfeit U.S. currency at the end of the Civil War. It’s been a reactionary institution from the start — it only started protecting people’s security after a 1901 assassination attempt on President McKinley.
Elsewhere on Medium…
- The Backstreet Boys have, somehow, been performing for 30 years (wow, writing that made me feel middle-aged). They’ve sold over 130 million records, more than Bob Dylan and Cher. To celebrate, journalist Leena Tailor interviewed 30 of their family members, friends, and fans. “There’s no smoke and mirrors,” says friend Debbie Gibson, “just willingness to work hard and re-invent to stay current in pop music.”
- A hidden Apple Notes functionality that I am absolutely going to use in meetings this week: type fn+Q to bring up a new quick note, then click “Keep on top” under the “Window” menu. It makes note-taking a little less painful!
🛠️ Your daily dose of practical wisdom: about testing software
Professor of cryptography Prof Bill Buchanan draws one lesson from the null pointer exception error that delayed or canceled over 50,000 flights on Friday: Never underestimate the importance of testing a change before you ship it. Yes, testing can be complex and expensive, and sometimes it can feel like a formality, but it’s not. “For many companies,” Buchanan writes, “the testing process can be considerably longer than the development phases.”
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Edited and produced by Scott Lamb & Carly Rose Gillis
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