Tag Archive for: NPR

Election security device under suspicion by Washington GOP : NPR

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A video screengrab of the meeting earlier this year where Ferry County commissioners voted to remove a cybersecurity device called an Albert sensor from the Washington state county’s computer network.

Ferry County, Wash./Screenshot provided by Austin Jenkins/Northwest News Network


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Ferry County, Wash./Screenshot provided by Austin Jenkins/Northwest News Network

In northeast Washington state, a remote region nestled against the Canadian border, the politics lean conservative and wariness of government runs high.

Earlier this year, a Republican-led county commission there made a decision that rippled across Washington — triggering alarm at the secretary of state’s office, and now among cybersecurity experts who have worked for the past six years to shore up the security of America’s voting systems.

It happened on Valentine’s Day during the regular weekly meeting of the three-member commission in Ferry County, where Donald Trump received more than 63% of the vote in the 2020 election.

After an agenda that included an update on the county fair and a discussion about a local water and sewer district, the commissioners took up a proposal to disconnect a recently installed cybersecurity device from the county’s computer network.

The device, known as an Albert sensor, was designed to alert local governments to potential hacking attempts against their networks. More than 900 Albert sensors have been deployed across the country, primarily to states and counties, and they have been a key component of the federal government’s cybersecurity response following Russian election interference around the 2016 election.

But the commissioners in Ferry County had come to the conclusion that the sensor, which had been provided by the state at no cost, was more of a liability than an asset.

“Let’s get rid of it,” Commissioner Nathan Davis said before making his motion to…

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Russian cyberattacks target Romania – NPR

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Russian cyberattacks target Romania  NPR

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Justice Department indicts two men over ransomware scheme : NPR

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Attorney General Merrick Garland announced indictments against two men connected with ransomware attacks last summer.

Andrew Harnik/AP


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Andrew Harnik/AP

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced indictments against two men connected with ransomware attacks last summer.

Andrew Harnik/AP

The Justice Department says authorities have indicted two men in connection with a wave of ransomware attacks that, among other targets, shut down a meat processing company and an internet software provider earlier this year.

Attorney General Merrick Garland says one of the men, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, a Ukrainian, was arrested when he traveled to Poland. The second man was identified as Yevgeniy Polyanin, a 28-year-old Russian. Garrick says the U.S. seized some $6.1 million from Polyanin.

Both men are said to be behind the REvil ransomware attacks that encrypt the data of companies and demand payments to unblock them.

REvil, A Notorious Ransomware Gang, Was Behind JBS Cyberattack, The FBI Says

Polyanin is believed to be abroad, the department says.

Garland asserted that the “U.S. government will continue to aggressively pursue the entire ransom ware ecosystem and increase our nations resilience to cyber threats.”

The Justice Department says that Vasinskyi was allegedly responsible for the July 2 ransomware attack against Kaseya, “which resulted in the encryption of data on computers of organizations around the world that used Kaseya software.”

A Ransomware Attack Hit Up To 1,500 Businesses. A Cybersecurity Expert On What's Next

As Cyberattacks Surge, Biden Is Seeking To Mount A Better Defense

It says that Vasinskyi and Polyanin are charged in separate indictments with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, substantive counts of…

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The New iPhone 13 Has 1-Terabyte Storage Option : NPR

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Apple introduced its new iPhone 13 smartphones during a virtual event on Tuesday.

Jae C. Hong/AP


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Jae C. Hong/AP

Apple introduced its new iPhone 13 smartphones during a virtual event on Tuesday.

Jae C. Hong/AP

SAN RAMON, Calif. — Apple unveiled its next iPhone lineup, including a model that offers twice the storage available in earlier versions and other modest upgrades to last year’s editions that proved to be a big hit among consumers devouring the latest technology during the pandemic.

The pre-recorded video event streamed Tuesday gave Apple a chance to present a polished story following a turbulent few weeks. The recent bumps included a hastily patched security vulnerability that could let hackers secretly take control of iPhones and other Apple devices; a backlash to the company’s plans to scan iPhones for images of child sex abuse and a federal judge’s ruling that chipped away further at the competitive barrier Apple built around its app store, which generates billions of dollars in profits each year.

Apple Issues Critical Patch To Fix Security Hole Exploited By Spyware Company

As has been the case since Apple’s late co-founder unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, Apple executives talked reverently about the latest model, even though it isn’t dramatically different from the version Apple released nearly a year ago.

Like last year’s model, the new iPhone 13 will come in four different designs, with prices starting from $700 to $1,100. They’re scheduled to be in stores September 24.

“It’s an incremental upgrade,” said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen. “Some of the new features are impressive, but most of them are not noticeable or practical for most users.”

Possibly the most notable change in the latest high-end iPhone 13 will be an option for a full terabyte of…

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