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Today's Topics:
1. Making America great (Stephen Loosley)
2. Life isn't easy if your last name is 'Null' as it still
breaks database entries the world over (Antony Barry)
3. Re: Life isn't easy if your last name is 'Null' as it still
breaks database entries the world over (Rick Welykochy)
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:10:48 +1100
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: [LINK] Making America great
Message-ID:
<sy5p282mb44093288a6770d900f851c4dc2...@sy5p282mb4409.ausp282.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Please Note: This email did not come from ANU, Be careful of any request to buy
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OPM procurement processing fully halted following agency layoffs,
internal email says
> By David DiMolfetta
> <https://www.nextgov.com/voices/david-dimolfetta/25968/?oref=ng-post-author?oref=rf-post-author>,
> Ross Wilkers
> <https://www.nextgov.com/voices/ross-wilkers/22614/?oref=ng-post-author?oref=rf-post-author>?and
> Eric Katz
> <https://www.nextgov.com/voices/eric-katz/6739/?oref=ng-post-author?oref=rf-post-author>
> February 25, 2025 02:35 PM ET
>
>
> S
>
> Sweeping terminations in OPM?s Office of Procurement Operations
> have fully halted agency contracting business and are likely to
> increase OPM?s operational risks, an internal email reads.
>
> * OPM
>
> <https://www.nextgov.com/topic/office-of-personnel-management/?oref=ng-article-topics>
> * Workforce
> <https://www.nextgov.com/topic/ng-workforce/?oref=ng-article-topics>
> * Procurement
> <https://www.nextgov.com/topic/procurement/?oref=ng-article-topics>
>
> *
> <https://x.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nextgov.com%2Fpeople%2F2025%2F02%2Fopm-procurement-processing-fully-halted-following-agency-layoffs-internal-email-says%2F403263%2F&text=OPM+procurement+processing+fully+halted+following+agency+layoffs%2C+internal+email+says&via=Nextgov>
> *
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> *
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> *
> <mailto:?body=Sweeping%20terminations%20in%20OPM%E2%80%99s%20Office%20of%20Procurement%20Operations%20have%20fully%20halted%20agency%20contracting%20business%20and%20are%20likely%20to%20increase%20OPM%E2%80%99s%20operational%20risks%2C%20an%20internal%20email%20reads.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//www.nextgov.com/people/2025/02/opm-procurement-processing-fully-halted-following-agency-layoffs-internal-email-says/403263/&subject=Nextgov.com%3A%20OPM%20procurement%20processing%20fully%20halted%20following%20agency%20layoffs%2C%20internal%20email%20says>
>
> *
> <https://x.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nextgov.com%2Fpeople%2F2025%2F02%2Fopm-procurement-processing-fully-halted-following-agency-layoffs-internal-email-says%2F403263%2F&text=OPM+procurement+processing+fully+halted+following+agency+layoffs%2C+internal+email+says&via=Nextgov>
> *
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> *
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> *
> <mailto:?body=Sweeping%20terminations%20in%20OPM%E2%80%99s%20Office%20of%20Procurement%20Operations%20have%20fully%20halted%20agency%20contracting%20business%20and%20are%20likely%20to%20increase%20OPM%E2%80%99s%20operational%20risks%2C%20an%20internal%20email%20reads.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//www.nextgov.com/people/2025/02/opm-procurement-processing-fully-halted-following-agency-layoffs-internal-email-says/403263/&subject=Nextgov.com%3A%20OPM%20procurement%20processing%20fully%20halted%20following%20agency%20layoffs%2C%20internal%20email%20says>The
> Office of Personnel Management?s procurement unit said it?s no
> longer able to process contracting opportunities and that all
> related operations have been halted after a ?complete reduction in
> force? in the agency?s Office of Procurement Operations, according
> to an internal email viewed by Nextgov/FCW.
>
> The terminations in the agency?s procurement office mean that ?all new
> procurement actions, contract modifications, and ongoing solicitations
> are effectively stalled until alternative solutions are identified,?
> said the email sent Tuesday morning by Shreena Morris, who leads the
> office.
>
> ?The implications of this are significant, including potential delays
> in mission-critical acquisitions, contract lapses, and increased
> operational risk for OPM. OPO?s limited team will be prioritizing the
> processing of critical contract expirations and funding actions,? the
> notice added.
>
> ?We are actively assessing mitigation strategies, including potential
> transition support from external agencies or emergency procurement
> measures. However, I urge all teams to immediately assess their
> procurement dependencies and identify any urgent needs so we can
> prioritize potential workarounds,? it also said.
>
> The email did not include specifics on how OPM?s procurement office
> will prioritize expiring contracts and funding actions, nor details on
> which contracts will be prioritized depending on their date of expiration.
>
> Some of OPM procurement?s biggest spends each year support running the
> Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which contains benefits for
> more than 8 million enrollees; managing USAJobs, where virtually all
> federal job openings are posted; processing online retirement
> applications; and running the federal government?s training platform,
> USALearning, among others.
>
> OPM informed employees in its procurement office last week that their
> positions were being ?abolished?
> <https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/02/opm-triggers-more-rifs-after-clean-cleaving-entire-office/403200/?__hstc=7334573.707a65fe4f293fe700d07c2cc81ece5b.1738635527231.1739886164700.1740531291620.3&__hssc=7334573.1.1740531291620&__hsfp=3862842400>?and
> they would be separated from federal service in 60 days. The moves are
> part of an effort to fold some OPM functions into the General Services
> Administration, one employee impacted by the layoffs told Government
> Executive.
>
> ?While the work may go to GSA, it presents a massive risk of failure
> to suddenly transfer administration of them to another agency that's
> unfamiliar with any of it,? the employee said.
>
> The employees impacted by Friday?s moves received reduction-in-force
> notices from acting OPM Director Charles Ezell, who said he was
> issuing the layoffs due to three separate executive orders issued by
> President Trump.
>
> ?It is with great regret that I must inform you that your position of
> Procurement Analyst is being abolished, and you have been reached for
> release in the reduction in for action,? Ezell wrote in the notices.
>
> An employee impacted by the RIFs said that the office supported
> functions throughout OPM ? including human resources, training,
> communications, retirements and separations and health insurance
> benefits ? and at other federal agencies.
>
> ?People will suffer and the job will not get done without our work,?
> they said. ?There was no thought to this, it's a clean cleaving of an
> entire function of an agency and the agency will not be able to
> function properly without it.?
>
> Earlier this month, OPM also slashed its communications office and
> placed all employees on administrative leave, including its web team,
> according to two sources familiar with the moves.
>
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 14:02:37 +1100
From: Antony Barry <[email protected]>
To: Link list <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Life isn't easy if your last name is 'Null' as it
still breaks database entries the world over
Message-ID:
<CAECOtWyezSeog4_cg9NfhYRN=ycdjokgurllum3p21mrumr...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/life-isnt-easy-if-your-last-name-is-null-as-it-still-breaks-database-entries-the-world-over/?lctg=1980929&utm_source=digitaltrends&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:1980929&utm_campaign=DTDaily20250225
--
Mob:04 3365 2400 Email: [email protected], [email protected]
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:19:58 -0800
From: Rick Welykochy <[email protected]>
To: The Link Institute <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [LINK] Life isn't easy if your last name is 'Null' as it
still breaks database entries the world over
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Antony Barry wrote:
> https://www.pcgamer.com/software/life-isnt-easy-if-your-last-name-is-null-as-it-still-breaks-database-entries-the-world-over/?lctg=1980929&utm_source=digitaltrends&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:1980929&utm_campaign=DTDaily20250225
<pedantic mode="on">
Seems strange since the string "NULL" and the token NULL sans quotes are
treated completely differently in SQL.
Observe:
# sqlite3 abc.db
sqlite> create table 'null' (id, thing);
sqlite> insert into 'null' (id,thing) values (1,"NULL"), (2,'null'), (3,NULL);
sqlite> select * from 'null';
1|NULL
2|null
3|
sqlite> select count(*) from 'null' where thing like '%null%';
2
sqlite> select count(*) from 'null' where thing like '%Null%';
2
sqlite> select count(*) from 'null' where thing like null;
0
sqlite> select count(*) from 'null' where thing is null;
1
Lesson learned: "NULL" and 'null' are two matches when looking up the string
"NULL"
whereas the token NULL does not match the strings.
The correct SQL to find someone with the last name of Null is
select * from table where lastname = 'Null';
whereas is unquoted, incorrect results are returned:
select * from table where lastname = Null;
Competent web developers know of SQL injection attacks. The last SQL statement
above is a simple example of such an animal and is to be avoided at the risk of
your entire database being compromised. And who would want that?
cheers
rickw
p.s. as shown above, SQL can even handle a table by the name of 'null' without
getting confused.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welykochy, Rick
MMXXV
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nullius in verba - Take no one's word for it
-- anon
------------------------------
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