Tag Archive for: October

Department Press Briefing – October 6, 2022

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2:13 p.m. EDT

MR PATEL: Good afternoon, everybody. And sorry that we are running just a smidge tardy.

As I promised, we have a special guest with us today. Today it is my pleasure to introduce Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nate Fick, who started just a couple weeks ago and had his swearing-in ceremony earlier this week, on October 4th, just in time to kick off Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Last year and over the course of his tenure as Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken has laid out an ambitious modernization agenda to help the State Department lead in the policy areas that will define the coming decades. Cyberspace and digital policy are at the top of that list, and this is the arrival of our first-ever ambassador-at-large to lead our new Cyberspace and Digital Policy Bureau. And this is a key milestone in delivering on the Secretary’s agenda.

Ambassador Fick was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, has an impressive and impeccable record of leadership in both the public and private sector, and is an expert on many issue areas in the cyberspace and digital policy arenas.

I am pleased to have him here. He’s going to have some remarks for you, and then we’ll take a few questions, before he has to continue on with some meetings throughout the day. So Ambassador Fick, please. The floor is yours.

AMBASSADOR FICK: Thank you. Hi, everybody. I don’t know if you keep it like this in here to keep you brief or keep me brief, but it may have that effect. I hope we all have our flu shots. (Laughter.)

My name’s Nate Fick. I’m the new ambassador-at-large leading the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. And as you heard, it is – this is my first week in the building. So I will play the new guy card shamelessly.

The – I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to lead State’s newest bureau, to lead an organization focused on integrating and elevating the United States approach to technology diplomacy with our partners and allies, and to uphold a vision for how we can all use technology to enrich our lives and uphold democratic values.

I bring to this some personal, visceral convictions. I was a…

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE receives October 2022 Android security patch

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South Korean smartphone company Samsung has started releasing October 2022 Android security patch to Galaxy S21 FE, reports SamMobile. The update brings firmware version G990EXXU3CVI8 and is currently available to Galaxy S22 FE users in India having model number SM-G990E. The rollout is expected to expand in other countries as well.

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, you can update your device to the latest Android update by visiting the Settings app on your device. Here go to the Software Update menu and then tap on Download and Install.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE specifications

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G sports a 12MP ultra-wide lens, 12MP main lens along with an 8MP telephoto sensor. The smartphone gets a 32MP front camera. The camera system comes with Dual Recording, Portrait Mode, Enhanced Night Mode and 30X Space Zoom.

Galaxy S21 FE 5G features a 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is powered by a 5nm Exynos 2100 processor and a 4500mAh battery. It comes with wireless power share and wireless fast charging 2.0 and supports 25W Super-Fast charging. The IP68 rating makes the smartphone dust and water resistant.

8GB+128GB variant of Galaxy S21 FE 5G at ₹49,999 and 8GB+256GB variant at ₹53,999. The smartphone is currently selling at ₹34,999 on Flipkart for the 8GB+128GB model.

Meanwhile, Samsung India recently claimed that it has sold more than 1.2 million Galaxy devices, creating a new record in India. According to Samsung, the Galaxy smartphones range were among the most sought-after devices, due to special discounts and offers on Amazon and Flipkart. In terms of value, Samsung sold Galaxy devices worth over INR 1000 crore on Amazon in 24 hours. Moreover, the South Korean technology giant…

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Three key ransomware actors changed jobs on October 18 • The Register

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October 18, 2021, was a tricky day for the ransomware industry. First, the gang that ran the REvil ransomware had its servers compromised, and then three individuals with key roles changed jobs.

That version of history was told today by Juan Antonio Velasco – a cybersecurity analyst at Spanish financial services giant Santander Group. Speaking at CyberCrimeCon 21, an event convened by threat-hunting and security software company Group-IB, Velasco’s talk tracked the recent career moves of four ransomware actors named Orange, MRT, Kajit and 999.

All have been active on various crime forums for some time. Orange served as the main administrator on a Russia-centric forum called Ramp. He or she reported details of the ransomware gang Babuk’s activities after the group infamously infected The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington DC in April 2021.

999 was Ramp’s forum moderator. Kajit also performed some moderation duties and was active on rival forums such as XXX.is and exploit.in.

They all changed jobs on October 18. Orange, MRT, and 999 decided to go private, while Kajit was named the admin of Ramp. Velasco’s analysis of traffic on crime forums suggests he or she now has a line of contact to the masters of the REvil ransomware once enjoyed by Orange. Kajit has also launched a redesign of Ramp.

Ramp has recently started to court Chinese actors, in addition to its usual Russian-and-English-speaking clientele. Velasco was unable to explain why that’s happened, but thought the increasing interaction between Russian and Chinese actors was notable.

He also noted that October 18 is the day REvil’s servers went offline – but didn’t explicitly link the change of gigs to the (possible) demise of the (probably) Russian gang.

The researcher discussed the job moves in the context of his probes of how ransomware groups operate an increasingly sophisticated and diverse supply chain. Velasco said labor is now divided…

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Malawi Household Food Security Bulletin | Mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) on the Effects of COVID-19 in Malawi Round 17: 8th September – 7 th October 2021 – Malawi

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SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

  • The food security situation across the country remains stable, with almost all interviewed households classified as having acceptable to borderline food consumption as they consume from the 2021 harvest.

  • The proportion of households who are employing the most severe consumption-based coping strategies remains relatively low, ranging between 19 percent and 21 percent for the current round and the immediate past four rounds, indicating a generally stable food security situation.

  • Physical access to markets has increased slightly, likely due to the decrease in new COVID-19 cases as the third wave of the pandemic dies down coupled with the fact that rural households are still selling their produce from the recent harvest.

BACKGROUND

During this reporting period, Malawi continued experiencing a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and admissions to Emergency Treatment Units (ETUs). As of the last day of this reporting period (7th October 2021), the Ministry of Health indicated that the country registered nine new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, down from 952 cases during the peak of third wave on 22 July 2021.

Cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 61,648 cases, including 2,287 deaths with a case fatality rate at 3.71 percent.
Further, cumulatively, 56,208 cases recovered, with an overall recovery rate of 91.2 percent. Furthermore, on 8th October 2021, the Government announced the continued observance of the COVID-19 restrictions, which include wearing face masks, observing social distancing, and washing hands to prevent the spread of the disease.

METHODOLOGY

Round 17 of remote household-level survey data collection in response to COVID-19 monitoring and seasonal trends in food security took place between 8th September – 7 th October 2021. The survey for this report was conducted using live telephone calls, collecting information from some 2,504 households in all districts and major cities across the country.

The sample size was calculated based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Technical Manual (Version 3.0) guideline of having at least 150 samples per strata. Additional details on this methodology are available in…

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