SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR [1]. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, more about invasive species. Pictured above are the dreaded Zebra Mussels. (A public domain photo by Andres Musta.)
The Ongoing Invasive Species Fight
Department of Interior: Invasive Species Accomplishments Report, 2021-2025 [2].
Australia Is Losing its Rabbit War
In Australia’s The Saturday Paper: Australia once again losing the rabbit war [3]. Here is a quote:
“From the Western Australian wheatbelt to southern Queensland, rabbits are causing headaches for local councils and havoc for landowners and farmers. The arsenal of biological control weapons that for decades has kept rabbit numbers in check is dangerously depleted, as a lack of funding slows the research and development needed to keep pace with rabbit reproduction.”
Aquatic Invasive Species in Canada
Government of Canada investing in aquatic invasive species prevention, monitoring, and management [4].
Colorado Attempting to Contain Zebra Mussels
‘An incredible fight ahead:’ Colorado calls in reinforcements to contain zebra mussel threat [5].
Wiping Your Own Phone Can Now Be a Federal Crime
Reader C.B. sent this troubling news: Wiping your own phone is now a federal crime — if you do it at the airport [6]. An excerpt:
“A federal grand jury in Atlanta [7] indicted him in November 2025 for a crime most people didn’t know existed: erasing his own phone. Border agents pulled him into secondary inspection at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport [8] in January 2025, as he came home from vacation, and asked for his passcode. He gave them one. The screen went blank, flashed, and restarted. He’d entered a duress code built into his phone’s privacy software, and it wiped the device clean. Prosecutors say that’s a federal crime, destroying property to prevent its lawful seizure, and it carries up to five years in prison.”
U.S. Airlines are Engaging in Surveillance Pricing
I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com [9]news aggregation site: Airlines Caught Spying on Grieving Families: Ticket Prices Double for Funerals Under Creepy ‘Surveillance Pricing’ Scam [10].
AI Creates First Synthetic Viruses
SurvivalBlog editor Tom Christianson sent this link and asked: “What could possibly go wrong?” AI creates first synthetic viruses [11].
Spy Cameras on British Drones Secretly Sent Data to China
The UK Telegraph had this troubling report of a belatedly-discovered vulnerability: Spy cameras on Navy drones secretly sent data to China [12].
12 States Hit By Iran-Backed Hackers
At least 12 states report cyberattacks on water systems possibly linked to Iran-backed hackers, sources say [13]. JWR’s Comments: By “online infrastructure” they mean System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software. I’ve been warning about SCADA software vulnerability for more than 20 years. These reported attacks could be just the first shots in in a cyber warfare barrage.
In some possibly related news: California city declares a ‘state of emergency’ after cyberattack on computer systems [14].
FBI Issues Warning on Outdated Home Routers
An item from MSN: The FBI says hackers are hijacking outdated home routers, and it named the models to check [15].
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You can send your news tips to JWR [1]. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact [16] form.) Thanks!