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Shannon Vavra (/Community/Shanvav) 6 hrs ago
Worldwide "ransomware" cyber attack hit 74 countries today
@fendifille via AP
Today Spain's largest telecom company in was hit with pop-ups demanding ransoms before employees could gain access to files. But it wasn't just Spain. The ransomware swept around the globe as the day progressed, hitting 73 other countries, including England's National Health Service, which left doctors and patients scrambling for information and care services unless they paid the ransoms. Reports have just surfaced that the ransomware has come to the U.S. as well. Our thought bubble: This isn't just about user accounts, credit cards, or corporate security — all areas in which breaches are more common. The AP reports ransomware attacks are on the rise. Plus, when one computer is compromised, it can affect an entire corporate network, according to Spain's National Cryptologic Center (https://www.ccn-cert.cni.es/seguridad-al-dia/comunicados-ccn-cert/4464-ataque-masivo-de-ransomware-que-afecta-aun-elevado-numero-de-organizaciones-espanolas.html), and your computer can be affected before you even touch it. The progression of events: After reports came out about Spain, England's National Health Service (https://www.axios.com/uk-nhs-hospitalshit-with-cyber-attack-demanding-ransom-2404714088.html) was attacked by similar popups.
Over a few hours, reports surfaced that similar cyber attacks hit 74 countries around the world, for a whopping total of 45,000 attacks, according to Kaspersky's Lab Global Research & Analysis Team (https://securelist.com/blog/incidents/78351/wannacry-ransomware-used-in-widespread-attacks-all-over-theworld/), one of the top cybersecurity firms in the world. Russia was the country with the most targets, per Kaspersky. It is believed that the group running these attacks exploited a vulnerability the hacking group, Shadow Brokers, exposed from NSA files (https://www.axios.com/leak-nsa-targeted-middle-east-banks-2360849570.html) in April. Microsoft said it already issued patches for these holes, but it appears many users haven't updated their systems yet, per the AP. Many companies in Spain have regained control of their systems, per the AP. ArsTechnica reports (https://arstechnica.com/security/2017/05/an-nsa-derived-ransomware-worm-is-shuttingdown-computers-worldwide/) MalwareTechBlog stopped the attack by taking control of a key domain name. Show less
Stef W. Kight (/Community/StefWKight) 9 hrs ago F E AT U R E D
A tale of two worlds
Evan Vucci, Carolyn Kaster / AP
Democratic members of Congress and media publishers have focused on Comey's firing, while Facebook analytics showed that news stories about the firing didn't match up to the viral levels of other Trump controversies. Approval: 39% of Americans approved of Trump firing Comey, compared to 46% disapproval, according to the Gallup Poll. Stories were quickly published of the Comey event threatening Trump's presidency, while Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/poll/203207/trump-job-approval-weekly.aspx) has watched Trump's approval rating climb from 38% at the beginning of April to 42% this week. Keep reading
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Shane Savitsky (/Community/Ssavitsky) 9 hrs ago
Paul Ryan: "I'm not going to comment on the tweets of the day"
Evan Vucci / AP
Sean Spicer said from the White House podium this afternoon that he was going to let President Trump's "tapes" tweet speak for itself, and it looks like Paul Ryan is taking the same approach. He told reporters (https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/863143647449141248) in Delavan, Wisconsin today:
I've decided I'm not going to comment on the tweets of the day or the hour. I haven't seen them all to be candid with you.
Other quick hits: Ryan said there's "a lot of reasons (https://twitter.com/TheoKeith/status/863133720068468736)" that he's chosen to do telephone town halls over in-person meetings with his constituents. He also said (https://twitter.com/TheoKeith/status/863135159972921348) that Trump had never asked him for a loyalty pledge and dismissed a question regarding Trump potentially taping their conversations.
Shannon Vavra (/Community/Shanvav) 10 hrs ago
Trump to Fox News: I may do press briefings myself
Evan Vucci / AP
Trump has a new interview out with Fox's Judge Jeanine Pirro where he revealed he might do press conferences for himself to replace the daily briefing. Why it matters: Trump has a lot of power to do that, and as WH reporters raised earlier today, this would weaken the transparency of the administration. Keep reading
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Ina Fried (/Community/Ina) 10 hrs ago
Google tries again to make Android updates easier
Google is trying, yet again, to address one of the thorniest problems in the Android world: Remarkably few phones get upgraded to the latest versions of the operating system. Announced ahead of next week's I/O developer conference, "Project Treble" is designed to reduce the burden on phone makers looking to support the latest versions. "One thing we've consistently heard from our device-maker partners is that updating existing devices to a new version of Android is incredibly time consuming and costly," Iliyan Malchev, lead on Project Treble, said in a blog post (https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes-treble-modular-base-for.html?m=1). Malchev billed Treble as "the biggest change to the low-level system architecture of Android to date."
Why it matters: When users stay on older versions of Android they are more vulnerable to security issues and also fail to gain the benefits of new features, which could affect which device they buy the next time around. Keep reading
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Shannon Vavra (/Community/Shanvav) 10 hrs ago
Comey turns down Senate invite, won't testify next week
Carolyn Kaster / AP
Senate Intel committee ranking member Mark Warner (D-VA) told MSNBC Friday that former FBI Director James Comey will not be appearing before the committee next Tuesday, despite an invitation to speak with the committee behind closed doors. That's after a day of intrigue following President Trump taunting Comey over the prospect of "tapes" from their conversations before the firing. Still on the agenda: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has agreed to speak with the committee next week, date TBD.
Shane Savitsky (/Community/Ssavitsky) 11 hrs ago
Scientists want to build a human genome
Anthony Camerano / AP
A group of scientists calling themselves the "Genome Project-write" wants to revolutionize species creation as you know it: they're figuring out how to write entire genomes to then build thousands of different species, per the Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/we-can-read-genomes-easily-now-what-about-writingthem/526086/). The controversy: Building — and especially, editing — a human genome presents some moral hazards. From a Stanford synthetic biologist and Northwestern bioethicist who pushed back against the project (https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/102449/ShouldWeGenome.pdf?sequence=1): "The creation of new human life is one of the last human-associated processes that has not yet been industrialized or fully commodified." Progress
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Alayna Treene (/Community/Atreene) 11 hrs ago
Hacking group used leaked NSA tool for global cyber attack
Patrick Semansky / AP
A massive cyber attack that hit over 12 countries across Europe and Asia and led to major breakdowns in England's NHS hospitals (https://www.axios.com/uk-nhs-hospitals-hit-with-cyber-attack-demanding-ransom-2404714088.html) Friday involved a type of malware that is used by the National Security Agency, called ransomware, according to The New York Times. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/world/europe/uk-national-health-service-cyberattack.html) The ransomware was leaked by a hacker crew called Shadow Brokers, which has been leaking NSA hacking tools for the past year. Microsoft has since developed a better protection system to strengthen the NSA tool, but the hackers discovered that certain places, like NHS hospitals, hadn't updated their software yet. The targets,which were all hit with the same type of ransomware, were reported in over 12 countries — including the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan. Hospitals and telecommunications companies were among the most common institutions affected. Broader implications
Shane Savitsky (/Community/Ssavitsky) 12 hrs ago
Deputy AG Rosenstein to brief full Senate next week
Patrick Semansky / AP
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the author of the memo that was — for a time — the basis for the firing of FBI Director James Comey, has agreed to brief the full Senate next week, though the date and time are still TBD, per a statement from Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's office. No word if the briefing will be open or closed, but expect Senate Dems to pounce on Comey's firing and attempt to gain momentum in their push for a special counsel for the Russia investigation.
Alison Snyder (/Community/Alison) 12 hrs ago
Startup claims Apple Watch + AI can detect heart conditions
Eric Risberg / AP
Using the Apple Watch and artificial intelligence, health startup Cardiogram reports (https://blog.cardiogr.am/applying-artificial-intelligence-in-medicine-our-early-results-78bfe7605d32) they could detect a type of abnormal heart rhythm with 97% accuracy by analyzing data from the watch's heart sensor. Why it matters: Atrial fibrillation affects an estimated 2.7 million people (https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_atrial_fibrillation.htm) in the U.S. and is a predictor of heart attack, stroke and dementia. The abnormal rhythms are the cause of 1 in 4 strokes. In many cases, there are no symptoms and though people are monitored for weeks to try to catch the abnormalities, months can pass before they occur, so they are missed. The researchers hope by continuously monitoring for abnormalities they can lower the number of undiagnosed cases. Keep reading
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Alayna Treene (/Community/Atreene) 13 hrs ago
"A lot of what we do ... is trying to keep up with the President"
Susan Walsh / AP
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster kicked off Sean Spicer's briefing Friday discuss Trump's upcoming foreign trip, stating the president will bring a "message of hope and tolerance" to the Middle East: Afghanistan troop levels: "The president has not made a decision," said McMaster, adding "America First didn't mean America alone — ever." The council's duties: "A lot of what we do at the National Security Council is trying to keep up with the President." Trump on Russia: The president has made clear "he will confront Russian disruptive behavior" but is "also looking for areas of cooperation" with Moscow, said McMaster.
Jonathan Swan (/Community/Jonathanswan) 13 hrs ago
Koch network opposes Sessions restart of War on Drugs
Susan Walsh / AP
The well-funded political network helmed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch is publicly opposing Attorney General Jeff Sessions' push for tougher punishments for drug offenders. "We favor a different approach which requires changing some of the existing federal laws," said Mark Holden, a top Koch network official who worked closely with the Obama administration on criminal justice reform. "There are less costly and more effective ways to help low level offenders who aren't a threat to public safety other than incarceration." Context: Sessions rescinded an (https://www.axios.com/sessions-calls-for-return-to-mandatory-minimum-sentences2404306128.html) Obama-era policy that had directed prosecutors to not always pursue the most serious charges so nonviolent drug offenders wouldn't face lengthy mandatory minimums. Keep reading
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T R E ND I NG
A tale of two worlds 9 hrs ago (https://www.axios.com/a-tale-of-two-worlds-2404884964.html) Worldwide "ransomware" cyber attack hit 74 countries today 6 hrs ago (https://www.axios.com/worldwide-cyber-attack-hit-74countries-today-2405335666.html) Google tries again to make Android updates easier 10 hrs ago (https://www.axios.com/google-tries-again-to-make-android-updateseasier-2405098377.html)
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