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Patients' information — including the reasons for their visits — going back three decades from Bluewater Health in Sarnia, Ont., and its predecessor hospitals is among the data confirmed stolen in the cyberattack on five southwestern Ontario hospitals. Transform, the hospital's IT provider, now confirms a database report containing information on 267,000 patients was taken. The report includes details about "every patient" seen at Bluewater Health and its predecessors since Feb. 24, 1992. Those predecessor institutions are: Lambton Hospitals Group. Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital of Bluewater Health. Sarnia General Hospital. St. Joseph's Hospital.
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#destiel meme#tech problems#tech news#Like the beginning of dystopian novel right here#No planes#No TV media#Compromised banks and healthcare and public transit#Tell me again this ISN'T a cyber attack
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Hackers publish NHS patients’ data after “demanding ransom”
The data from the ransomware virus attack allegedly hit the web weeks after a cyberattack halted operations and tests at major London hospitals, The Guardian reported.
The cyberattack��targeted Synnovis, a private pathology firm that analyses blood tests for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) and King’s College Trust, on June 3, forcing the capital’s hospitals to cancel nearly 1,600 operations and outpatient appointments.
On Friday, NHS England said that “it has learnt that last night a group of cyber criminals published data they claim belongs to Synnovis and was stolen in this attack. We realise how distressing this event can be for many people. We are taking it very seriously.”
In the attack, hackers from the criminal group Qilin infiltrated Synnovis’ IT system and locked the computer system, encrypting its files to extort fees to regain access. The trusts had contracts totalling just under £1.1bn with Synnovis to provide services vital to the smooth running of the NHS.
Qilin published 104 files, each containing 3.7GB of data, on the messaging platform. The message ended with an image of the Synnovis logo, a description of the company and a link to its website. The Guardian was unable to confirm the contents of the message, but the BBC reported on Friday that the data included patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers and descriptions of blood tests, although it is not known whether test results were also leaked.
Vulnerability of the UK healthcare sector
NHS England said it is currently analysing the data with the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners to confirm whether the data was taken from Synnovis systems and what information it contained.
Typically, the release of stolen data by ransomware gangs indicates that Synnovis has not made payment – usually demanded in the cryptocurrency bitcoin – for decrypting its systems or deleting stolen files.
Don Smith, vice president of threat research at Secureworks, a cybersecurity firm, said the attack highlighted the vulnerability of the healthcare sector, as huge data sets make it a prime target. The Qilin attack follows the hacking of NHS Dumfries and Galloway health board, which resulted in the theft of patient data. He also added:
“It follows closely in the wake of attacks on the NHS in Dumfries and Galloway and underlines that this sector, which is incredibly rich in data, must be protected.”
Since the hack began, seven hospitals run by two NHS trusts have experienced major disruption, including the cancellation or postponement of planned operations. Between June 3 and 9, two major London trusts postponed 832 surgical procedures, including cancer and organ transplants.
The disruptions affected Guy’s, St Thomas’ and King’s College, as well as the Evelina children’s hospital, Royal Brompton, the Harefield specialist heart and lung hospitals and the Princess Royal hospital in Orpington.
Read more HERE
#world news#world politics#news#europe#european news#uk#uk politics#uk news#england#united kingdom#politics#london#cyberattack#cyber attack#cyber awareness#healthcare#health center#nhs#nhs england#british politics#uk government#current events#current reality#global news#global politics
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#destiel meme#destiel meme news#this is a long one but i wanted to pack as much info as possible into the image#united states#us news#cyberattack#cyber attack#i didn't just wanna be like blergh hospital cyber attack and leave it at that#health news#us health system#us healthcare
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'Light at end of tunnel' for London NHS after June cyber attack
Four months after a malicious cyber attack on IT systems serving major hospitals in south London, the NHS says that it is in “the final stages of recovery” and “nearly all services are now up and running”. “There is still work ahead of us… but thankfully we now see light at the end of this tunnel,” according to one senior official. Pathology services provider Synnovis suffered the hack attack on…
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#Bromley Healthcare#cyber attack#cyber crime#Guy&039;s Hospital#KIngs College Hospital#NHS London#St Thomas&039; Hospital#Synnovis
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Transforming cybersecurity with AI
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/transforming-cybersecurity-with-ai/
Transforming cybersecurity with AI
This article is based on Lee Klarich’s brilliant talk at the AI Accelerator Summit in San Jose. As an AIAI member, you can enjoy the complete recording here. For more exclusive content, head to your membership dashboard.
Hey there! My name’s Lee Klarich. I’m the Chief Product Officer for Palo Alto Networks, a role I’ve had in various forms for almost 20 years – since the company started.
In that time, I’ve seen new technologies emerge that require security and enablement. However, I don’t think I’ve seen anything adopted as abruptly as generative AI over the last 12 months. It’s incredible.
Think about the amazing things that are being worked on – exciting new creative concepts, advancements in healthcare, and much more. Just last week, I was on a panel with someone from the Mayo Clinic discussing how AI will change medicine, transform how doctors will work, and even revolutionize prosthetics.
We’ve got all sorts of cool stuff emerging, and I’m hoping you’re creating “good AI bees” that positively pollinate rather than killer bees! But alas, I work in cybersecurity. So, the AI developments I pay attention to are how attackers exploit generative AI to make our lives more difficult.
So, in this article, I’ll discuss the rise of adversarial AI, how we’re using AI to counter this challenge, and how we hope to enable you to do amazing things responsibly.
AI is expanding the horizons of what’s possible – for cyber threats
Let’s look at some examples of how adversaries use AI.
Remember the SolarWinds attack of 2020? In case you don’t, let me remind you. The Russian state-sponsored group ATP29 compromised SolarWinds’ source code for their IT monitoring app. So, when SolarWinds sent updates, their customers were compromised. The attackers systematically worked through US government orgs, system integrators, and cybersecurity companies – around 100 high-value targets.
The interesting part is that ATP29 could have targeted around 3,000 companies, but they were limited by human resources to only 100 serial attacks before being caught. Imagine if, instead of relying on people, they had used AI to automatically execute 3,000 parallel attacks. That’s scary.
At Palo Alto, we’re thinking hard about this. Attacks are speeding up – our experiments show ransomware attackers could use automation to carry out attacks four to five times faster than they do today.
Attackers are already getting faster, thanks to automation tools – and we’re getting faster at blocking them. Just this morning, my team’s researchers showed me how quickly we can use AI to anticipate what adversaries will do next. We do this proactively to retrain our security capabilities.
Despite everything that’s going on, I’m one of the rare optimists in the cybersecurity space. Most people dwell on the horrible threats, but I think AI provides more opportunity than risk – if we take advantage of it in the right way.
Better security with AI
Let me share a couple of examples of how we’ve used AI, which might spark ideas for how you could use it too.
Reactive cybersecurity
For many years, whenever anyone in the cybersecurity industry uncovered a new attack, we’d generate a signature to detect and block it. This worked for known attacks but not zero-day or unseen attacks, since you can’t have a signature for the unknown. There was always a “patient zero” in this model of attack prevention.
The cycle was to detect attacks, create signatures, and push signatures out. We got faster and faster at doing this – from weeks with floppy disks in the 90s, down to minutes. But we were still using this detect-update-respond model.
The problem is that AI makes it possible for nearly every attack to be a zero-day attack. So how do we deal with zero-day attacks enabled by AI?
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#000#adversaries#ai#amazing#app#Article#Articles#attackers#attention#automation#bees#challenge#change#code#Companies#content#cyber#cybersecurity#dashboard#deal#defenses#Developments#Forms#generative#generative ai#Government#healthcare#how#human#human resources
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Beyond Change Healthcare
The continued onslaught of cybersecurity attacks which if anything are only getting worse have impacted the healthcare system in dramatic fashion with the payment network brought down by the attack on Change Healthcare. Healthcare under Cyber Attack I keep hoping that we all get better at combatting these attempts to breach our data and that overall vigilance rises as we become more wary of…
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#cyber attacks#cyber awareness#cyber defense#cyber hygiene#cyber resilience#cyber safety#cyber threats#CyberCrime#Cybersecurity#cybersecurity awareness#cybersecurity best practices#cybersecurity challenges#cybersecurity culture#cybersecurity education#cybersecurity measures#cybersecurity news#cybersecurity protocols#cybersecurity resources#cybersecurity risks#cybersecurity solutions#cybersecurity strategy#cybersecurity tips#cybersecurity training#cybersecurity trends#data breach#data encryption#data protection#data security#Digital Health#Healthcare
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On another note, looks like there was a massive cyberattack in the U.S. that no one’s talking about regarding Americans being able to get their medications with health insurance.
So basically,
“Change Healthcare, a health care technology company that is part of Optum and owned by UnitedHealth Group, announced Feb. 21 they were hit with a cyberattack that disrupted a number of its systems and services, according to a statement posted on its website. Change Healthcare indicated it had disconnected its systems “in the interest of protecting our partners and patients.” Due to its sector-wide presence and the concentration of mission critical services it provides, the reported interruption could have significant cascading and disruptive effects on the health care field within revenue cycle, pharmacy, certain health care technologies, clinical authorizations and other services.”
What does this mean?
People in the United States go to their pharmacies and when they go to pay for their medications over the counter, the payment runs through their insurance. Then the chemists dispense the medications.
Change healthcare works between the pharmacies and the insurance companies.
When the pharmacies login, then Change healthcare goes to the insurance company, and gets the payment for the pharmacy.
“Change Healthcare was merged with Optum, a healthcare provider, in 2022 by UnitedHealth. Change Healthcare provides prescription processing services through Optum, which supplies technology services for more than 67,000 pharmacies and care to 129 million individual customers.”
A ton. I heard 1/3rd, but that was by a podcast with no evidence, of all prescriptions in the United States were supposedly processed by Change Health/Optum, which is also owned by the United Health Group just like Change Health, so they’re also affected.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-urged-to-disconnect-from-unitedhealths-hacked-pharmacy-unit-11c9691e
This from February 23rd, 2024.
They had to shut down all of their computers to protect people’s identities and information.
So the American Hospital Association has recommended all of its medical facilities to disconnect from Optum, from Change Health, to take off United Health, to not use ANY of these systems.
So. The systems aren’t working, people cannot access their prescriptions. Chemists won’t be able to process the medications.
Then, 129 million people use one of these compromised systems.
There is no estimation at this time when the systems could be up and running.
So what if people need their medications?
They’ll have to pay out of pocket.
The Chemists can issue the prescriptions, just can’t find out if they qualify for a deduction or take money off of the price for that.
And the prices of their medications are quite high.
99% of Blue Cross Blue Shield is down, as well as Med E America, Change Healthcare, Priority Heath, Good RX, more? Use these systems.
So when they need their medications? They’re going to have some big issues.
So yes, I believe that there is a Russian or Chinese presence behind this attack.
#American healthcare#us healthcare#us health system#us health insurance#american health insurance#cyberattack#ww3#world war 3#united healthcare#United health cyber attack
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Abridge secures $150 million to develop generative AI for medical documentation
- By InnoNurse Staff -
According to CEO Shivdev Rao, M.D., the Pittsburgh-based startup secured a $150 million series C fundraising round to fund additional R&D to create solid foundation models that would fuel both enhancements to the business's current technologies and new products.
Read more at Fierce Healthcare
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Other recent news and insights
While US pharmacy disruptions continue, UnitedHealth claims that Change Healthcare was hacked by a nation-state (TechCrunch)
#abridge#health it#medical documentation#documentation#ai#generative ai#ehr#emr#health tech#cybersecurity#cyber attacks#change healthcare#usa#pharmacy#unitedhealth
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Cybersecurity Threats In The Healthcare Industry In 2024
Cybersecurity Threats In The Healthcare Industry In 2024 – As the healthcare industry increasingly relies on technology to manage patient records, monitor vital signs, and even perform surgery, the risk of cyber attacks is growing. Hackers can target hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities, potentially putting patient data and even lives at risk. In this article, we’ll explore the top…
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#Cybersecurity Threats In The Healthcare Industry In 2024#Importance of Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Industry#The Challenges of Cybersecurity in The Healthcare Industry#The Consequences of a Cyber Attack On The Health Industry
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Prescription for Disaster: Top 5 Data Storage and Backup Device Security Risks in Healthcare
What are the top 5 data storage and backup device security risks that must be addressed by addressed by healthcare providers to better protect patient data? Read to find out - https://bit.ly/44wB6NQ
#healthcare#big data#data analytics#data#data management#data security#data breach#data protection#cybercrime#cyber attack
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Dream Come True - Part 2
Summary: The “Garbage Men” are the guys in the mob who get the dirt on others and clean up after the higher ups. They have many different ways of gathering intel by running legitimate businesses. One such business is Jefferson/Jensen’s cyber cafe where you regularly go to work. You’ve actually become good friends with Jefferson’s daughter and Jensen’s niece. You even volunteered as their after-school tutor. One day, there’s a robbery attempt where you get hurt protecting the girls. This is how you are introduced to Curtis Everett, the guy in charge of the “Garbage Men”.
A/N: Reader is plus sized, femme. No other descriptors used.
Warnings: Shooting mentioned, not written. American healthcare system. Insecure reader. Bullying with an emphasis on fat shaming. Please let me know if I miss any!
Part 1 -- Part 3
Series Masterlist
It's only been a few days but you find yourself unable to follow the advice of the medical staff and get some rest. Your brain won't let you. You've got budgets to consider, a resume to update, and follow up appointments to schedule. Thankfully when Jake and Jefferson had brought the girls for a visit they made sure to bring your laptop.
Because you hated not knowing, you opted to spend your time researching to see about how much you might be getting from that back-pay promised by Curtis. Jefferson had assured you that Curtis did, in fact, have that kind of pull but "please don't dig too much into it." You got the impression not everything was on the up-and-up but you have bills to pay so you agreed.
On day four you got a notice of deposit from your bank. You took a look and your jaw dropped. That couldn't be right! You'd done the research. There's no way even an experienced, highly qualified tutor would ever be earning that much! There must've been a mistake! You immediately make a note to tell someone who knows Curtis.
Curtis and Mace were going through their weekly itineraries. Between the two of them nothing got lost. Mace would, occasionally, grumble about needing a vacation but the two of them were the only people who keep all the moving pieces in mind.
"At least we can check a few things off the list this week," Curtis grunted. "Hal's got the bugs planted in the Smith law building. Jake's confirmed they're working."
"Fowler confirmed McMann won't be a problem," Mace reported. "Apparently the guy's busy trying to hunt down the guy that ran away with his wife."
Curtis chuckled at that. "That was Nat, right?"
Mace smiled, "yeah. Nat called "dibs" and we didn't have a counterargument."
"McMann's gonna spend a long time searching," Curtis shakes his head. "Nat's the best at not being found when she doesn't want to be."
"And the Missus is definitely better off," Mace agreed. "Nat's setting her up for life."
"That reminds me," Curtis interjected. "How's the back-pay for Hero doing?"
Mace double checked a few things on his phone before replying, "it's been deposited into her account."
"Good. One more thing we can cross off the list."
"Not yet, actually," Mace hesitated. Curtis gave him a curious look. "Turns out, she's trying to get ahold of you to talk about the amount. Beck says she's adamant that it's too much."
"Huh," Curtis's eyebrows raised. "There's something you don't hear every day. I'll talk to Barber and got some legal-ese that'll explain without explaining."
Mace nods and the two continue their meeting, switching to ongoing tasks.
"Excuse me?" It's been a few days since the money hit your account and you've finally gotten a visit from Curtis.
They kept you at the hospital longer because your stress levels made it "irresponsible" for Dr. Beck to discharge you, lest you have a heart attack as soon as you get outside. At this point you're certain Dr. Beck wants to get as much money from your stay as he can. Everyone who visits, however, says otherwise.
"Hazard pay," Curtis patiently repeated. "That's why there's so much more money than you expected."
"You can't expect me to believe that!" You are indignant. "That's not how hazard pay works. I've done my research Mr. um, Mr." you pause because you realize you don't know his last name. You feel the pang of embarrassment because you've been saying you've done your research but you don't know something as simple as a last name! You push past it and continue, "I've done my research, sir!"
You open up your laptop and bring up all of your documents of notes, focusing in on the bibliography. "I've got data from reputed tutoring websites, the Department of Labor, Glassdoor, even the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and none of them support the amount I was given."
Curtis finds himself smiling. He's been talked back to plenty of times, but never like this. "You're cute," he blurts out.
Thinking he's making fun of you, you look away from him and try not to show too much hurt. Curtis assures, "I'm not saying that to belittle you. You really have put a lot of work into this."
You shake your head, "it's besides the point, sir. You've grossly overpaid me. I know you've overpaid me. Yet you are refusing to acknowledge this."
"That's partly because I'm not sure why it's such a big deal to you," he calmly states.
"Because I don't want to cheat you!"
"Are you saying there's a price limit for saving my nieces?"
"I mean, technically there is. Could probably use some actuarial tables used in life insurance policies to find it out." Curtis gives you a hard glare but you persist, "I'm not saying that your nieces aren't priceless. I'm saying that I don't want to take what isn't mine. This is a lot of money and I don't want you going hungry or something because you feel you owe me when you don't. I only did what any decent person would do!"
"It's been my experience that decent people are rarities," Curtis stated. "As such they, and by extension you, should be treated well and given plenty."
"That's another part of the problem," you sighed. "I have not been told anything specific but I've seen and heard enough to suspect that this money might not be... legitimate."
Curtis's jaw tensed up. He'd have to have a word with the J's about being more careful. "I assure you," he nearly growled, "that the money you received was honestly earned by us and then you. All tax forms have been taken care of. All employment paperwork is settled."
You meet his gaze, undeterred by the intensity in his eyes. You see no signs of trickery. Nothing in those icy blue eyes indicating he was hiding the truth from you. You nod your acceptance and he relaxes a bit.
"Now," he says in a much lighter tone, "was there anything else?"
"Um, just one," you replied. "You said that I'm officially employed? That you might have more work for me? Who am I employed by and what other work should I be ready for?"
"The official name of my company is Everett Enterprises," he explained. "That's the company title on your W-2. As for the "other work" that was implied, it's simply a notice that I may have other employees in need of a tutor. I know Hal has been looking at getting his GED."
"So all you would need from me is more tutoring?"
Curtis can hear the tremor in your voice. You're a good person who doesn't want to get mixed up in anything illegal and he's happy to accommodate that. "Yes," he asserts. "Though that may involve helping some of my people learn how to cite their sources like you did."
That gets a half smile from you and Curtis considers the conversation done. "Now please follow the doctor's orders and rest up," he pleads. As he turns to leave he says, "make sure to get your beauty sleep."
Because he's facing away he doesn't see your face fall at the comment.
Part 1 -- Part 3
Tagging @alicedopey because I promised I would.
@dontbescaredtosingalong
@icefrozendeadlyqueen
@texmexdarling
@veltana
@winter-soldier-101
Let me know if you'd like to be tagged.
#curtis everett x reader#curtis everett x plus size!reader#plus size!reader#mob!curtis everett#mafia!curtis everett#dream come true
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politics
disclamer: i am not american. this does not affect me, at least for now. this perhaps may decrease my following but my friends are in danger, and im drinking a beer, i dont give a shit at the moment
"Project 2025 is a strategic initiative aimed at transforming the US Army into a more lethal, agile, and adaptable fighting force by the year 2025. This ambitious plan encompasses a wide range of modernization efforts across all aspects of the Army, from its personnel and training to its equipment and technology. A key element of Project 2025 is the development and integration of advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems. These technologies are intended to enhance the Army's ability to collect and analyze information, conduct operations in complex environments, and engage adversaries effectively. The project also emphasizes the importance of network modernization and cyber security, recognizing the growing role of cyber warfare and the need for resilient and secure communication systems. In addition to technological advancements, Project 2025 prioritizes the development of human capital by focusing on training, education, and recruitment. The goal is to cultivate a workforce that is skilled, adaptable, and capable of operating effectively in a rapidly changing world. By combining these technological and human elements, Project 2025 aspires to create an Army that is prepared to meet the challenges of future conflicts and maintain its position as the premier military force in the world. " - Unknown name
I am not american. I will not say my views, whether republican, liberal, democrat or whatever views and titles there are
But i will simply say what i have heard and what i have read
Project 2025, a nefarious agenda cloaked in a veil of progress, looms over society, threatening to erode fundamental freedoms and plunge us into a dystopian nightmare. At its core is a sinister plot to restrict access to reproductive healthcare, stripping women of their control over their own bodies. Abortion, a fundamental human right, is deemed a heinous crime, with draconian punishments meted out to those who dare to seek or provide it. I do not doubt they will be going after birth control as well, which is also a human right.
Furthermore, Project 2025 viciously targets the LGBTQ+ community, attempting to erase their very existence. Marriage equality is revoked, and same-sex couples are denied the right to love, raise families, or live their lives openly. Hateful rhetoric spews from the highest offices, fostering an atmosphere of fear and persecution.
Education is also under attack, with curricula twisted to promote a narrow, intolerant worldview. Critical thinking and open discussion are stifled, replaced with indoctrination and propaganda. Young minds are poisoned with messages of hate and exclusion, shaping a generation destined for ignorance and intolerance.
The arts, once a bastion of free expression, are now subject to censorship. Artists who dare to challenge the status quo are silenced, their works banned or destroyed. Culture is homogenized and controlled, leaving no room for diversity or dissent.
Trump's tax cuts, primarily benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations, have been criticized for increasing the national debt and widening income inequality. Trump's administration has rolled back environmental regulations, including those addressing climate change and pollution control, drawing criticism from scientists and environmentalists.
Trump's immigration policies, such as the border wall and family separations, have been condemned as inhumane and ineffective, exacerbating tensions at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump's attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, were unsuccessful. However, his administration's actions, such as weakening the mandate and Medicaid expansion, have led to concerns about reduced healthcare access.
Trump's rhetoric and policies have been criticized for fueling racial tensions and promoting gender discrimination. The travel ban targeting majority-Muslim countries and the separation of families at the border have drawn accusations of racism and xenophobia.
Trump's presidency and the Republican Party's support of his policies have contributed to deep political polarization in the United States. His divisive rhetoric and inflammatory tweets have exacerbated existing divisions and made it harder to find common ground. Trump's attacks on the media, the judiciary, and law enforcement have raised concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions. His refusal to concede defeat in the 2020 election and his supporters' storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have further undermined public trust in the electoral process.
This is what i have heard
I have women friends, gay friends, trans friends that live in america
I suggest not voting for trump, but lets be honest, thats been said a dozen timew, doesnt make it any less hwlpful of advice
your all off your heads (or perhaps faces) if ye think project 2025 is good
#trump 2024#project 2025#us politics#politics#journalism#opinion#criticism#controversy#boke#drunken dinger
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Blog post week 11
Who keeps mainstream media accountable for their bias?
Black Twitter plays a major role in holding mainstream media accountable by actively challenging biased narratives and advocating for greater representation of Black voices and the issues impacting their communities. Black Twitter users not only call out biased coverage but also spotlight stories that are often overlooked, pressuring media organizations to address a system shaped by systemic bias. Accountability serves as a powerful tool, demanding fair and inclusive coverage of issues relevant to Black communities and pushing for media representation.
Can online activism cause physical harm?
While advocacy and organization in online activism are typically nonviolent, S. Vegh argues that certain forms of actions can lead to indirect physical harm. For example, disruptions to digital services or cyber-attacks targeting vital public infrastructure, such as healthcare, can impact critical emergency services in vulnerable areas. Although some of these activism attacks might not cause harm directly, these types of online actions can have real-world consequences by disrupting the public services people rely on for essential needs and security.
Can online social movements be influenced by outside influence?
Fuchs argues that online social movements are not secure from outside influence. Digital platforms make it easy for activists to mobilize and communicate, but they also expose movements to external threats like government surveillance and corporate data control. For example, during the Arab Spring, governments in countries like Egypt used digital surveillance to monitor activists' online communications. This led to the arrest of organizers and suppression of the protesters. Social media companies can also limit the reach of certain messages or censor content by government pressure. In some cases, the government will temporarily shut down social media platforms during protests to disrupt the organization of communication by the protesters. While activists may use counter-surveillance like encryption and VPNs to improve security, online movements remain vulnerable to external interference.
Fuchs, Christian . Communication Power and the Arab Sping.pdf
Vegh, Sandor. Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice
Lee, Latoya. Black twitter: A response to bias in mainstream media.
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Ransomware attack causes city street lights to "misbehave" - CyberTalk
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ransomware-attack-causes-city-street-lights-to-misbehave-cybertalk/
Ransomware attack causes city street lights to "misbehave" - CyberTalk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In England, Leicester City is experiencing persistent problems with its street light system due to a recent cyber attack.
While the street lights are ordinarily switched on and off at dawn and dusk, for the last six weeks, street lights across Leicester have remained illuminated during both the day and night. In some instances, street lights remain lit on one side of the street, while remaining off on the other side of the street.
Residents have noticed and commented on this peculiar behavior. When one individual spoke with the Leicester City Council about the issue, he was informed that the cyber attack had affected the ‘central operating system’ for the street lights, causing them to “misbehave.”
What happened
The cyber attack in question occurred on March 7th of this year and has been labeled “highly sophisticated.”
The responsible party, the INC Ransom group, is known for targeting government, education and healthcare organizations around the world. Attackers appear to have stolen documents from the Leicester City Council, a number of which have surfaced online.
Upon recognizing signs of an impending issue, the Leicester City Council IT team did remove systems from the internet; a standard best practice in the event of a possible ransomware attack.
Local impact
The unintended and continuous illumination of street lights is a concern for locals due to the high level of energy consumption and high costs involved.
“The lights in my area have been burning away all day and all night, so it’s going to be costing a lot,” said resident Roger Ewens. The City Council aims to resolve the issue by the end of the first week in May.
A spokesperson for the Leicester City Council stated that IT systems were shut down as a precautionary measure in the aftermath of the attack. In turn, specialists cannot currently address faults in the street lighting system.
The spokesperson explained that the default mode for such lights is for them to remain ‘on’ in the event of disruptions to systems, ensuring road safety and preventing unlit areas from becoming hazardous.
Technical details
To more technical readers, it may come as a surprise that these street lights are centrally controlled. All that needs to happen is for the street lights to turn on at dusk and to turn off at dawn, a process that could ostensibly be managed via an ambient light sensor.
Nonetheless, a number of cities are swapping out ambient light sensors with wireless controllers. This arguably provides operators with grater flexibility and the ability to switch lights on and off in such a way as to reduce energy consumption.
More information
The Council states that it is working with the Leicestershire Police and the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate the incident. The City will not be paying a ransom.
The Council is also committed to diligently resolving all issues via a series of restorative steps. Efforts will be made to restore normal operations of the street lighting system as quickly as possible.
For more on this story, please visit the BBC. Get in-depth ransomware prevention insights here. To receive compelling cyber insights, groundbreaking research and emerging threat analyses each week, subscribe to the CyberTalk.org newsletter.
#ambient#analyses#attackers#BBC#Behavior#cities#continuous#cyber#cyber attack#cyber security#details#education#encryption#energy#energy consumption#Explained#Government#healthcare#impact#INC Ransom#incident#insights#Internet#issues#it#IT systems#Light#lighting#malware#measure
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https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-declares-mpox-global-public-health-emergency-second-time-two-years-2024-08-14/
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