Tag Archive for: place

What security procedures are in place for the 2022 election?

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The Hamilton County Board of Elections gets questions from the public about the 2020 election and election security every day, even almost two years later.

As the 2022 election nears, the number of emails and public records requests from members of the public regarding the 2020 election have spiked, said Alex Linser, the board’s deputy director. In the past two weeks, they have averaged about three a day, he said.

“There are two common themes that we receive, distrust of the voting machines, and the other seeking reproduction of all of the documents created in the 2020 election,” Linser said. The latter, which includes every ballot ID envelope, costs $75,000 to copy every sheet. No one has taken the board of elections up on that offer, Linser said.

Zach Cox, Hamilton County Board of Elections worker, prepping voter booths at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Norwood.

Learn about the US voting rights in all 50 states before the 2022 midterm elections with the USA TODAY Network’s searchable voters’ rights database.

It’s not just Hamilton County. Backers of former President Donald Trump and his false claims of a stolen 2020 election have swamped the boards of election in more than two dozen states and counties all across Ohio, the Washington Post, National Public Radio and other news agencies reported.

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Hackers offer Novartis stolen data on darknet market place

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The transition to digital has created new cybersecurity concerns for pharmaceutical companies. © Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has been targeted by hackers, according to media reports. The Basel-based company says no sensitive data has been stolen.

This content was published on June 5, 2022 – 13:35

swissinfo.ch/ds

Novartis confirmed to Swiss media on Sunday that it had been the victim of a hacking attack, first reported by the specialised IT website Bleeping ComputerExternal link.

The company told Keystone-SDA news agency the case had been thoroughly investigated and that theft of sensitive data could be ruled out.

“We take data protection and data security very seriously and have taken industry-standard measures in response to this type of threat to ensure data security,” Novartis added.

According to the website Bleeping Computer, the hacker group Industrial Spy offered to sell stolen Novartis data on the darknet for $500,000, payable in Bitcoins.

The hacker group claims it stole the data directly from the laboratories of a Novartis factory. The information relates to RNA and DNA-based drug technology and tests.

Switzerland ranks third among the most targeted European countries, behind Germany and the UK, for advanced and targeted cyber-attacks (APT), according to insurance company Swiss Risk & Care.

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In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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Ransomware Attacks: Have Your Team And Plan In Place Now

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Ransomware attacks have risen drastically in the past several years, and their costs — both in terms of damage to businesses and actual ransoms paid — are poised to continue to escalate. This form of cyberattack poses real risks to any organization that relies on computer systems for its essential operations. For many organizations, the loss of the use of such systems for days or even hours can be devastating. So being prepared in advance to handle such attacks is a prudent part of risk management.

Ransomware is malicious computer software used to render data unusable. In its most common form, ransomware encrypts files on a victim’s computer or computer systems. After a cybercriminal has infected a victim’s computer files, they will contact the victim and demand a ransom payment. In return for payment, the perpetrator promises to provide the victim a digital “key,” allowing them to decrypt their files, rendering them usable again. In some cases, the perpetrator may also make their own copy of the affected files and threaten to sell them or release them publicly unless their ransom demand is met.

This extortionate practice is one of the most profitable business models in cybercrime today, with a cumulative price tag in the billions of dollars. According to the FBI, there was a 225% increase in losses due to ransomware attacks from 2019 to 2020. Estimated ransomware attacks have continued to rise, with more than 300 million estimated global attacks in the first half of 2021. Some attacks make headline news, such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that caused fuel shortages along the East Coast in 2021, or the widely reported attacks on hospitals, which can place lives at risk. But many attacks target smaller organizations and may never be reported in the press. All in all, no organization that relies on computer systems to conduct its essential operations can afford to be complacent about the risk of ransomware attacks.

If your organization is targeted with a ransomware attack, being prepared to respond quickly is critical. It is prudent to plan your first steps in advance so as to make best use of time to mitigate the damage and facilitate a quick recovery.

Your first…

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Right time, right place: opportunities for banks and credit unions with Buy Now, Pay Later

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Since the birth of currency, the use of credit has been essential to empowering consumers to obtain goods and services immediately while delaying their financial obligation to pay that debt back.

In the mid-20th century, with the advent of national and global payment card brands, more consumers could access greater lines of credit more quickly and spend on those balances in more places. Today, the connectivity of consumers, via mobile devices, has enabled the meteoric growth of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) as one of the fastest growing methods for payment at checkouts online and in store.

Consumers have numerous options when it comes to selecting a BNPL service provider. Many of the largest banks offer BNPL-style payment methods, as well as American Express, PayPal, and Apple. There are also quite a few pure players to choose from, including the likes of Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay.

Essentially, these services are offering zero-percent interest, short-term loans to their customers with an installments-based payback period of several weeks or months. Typically, the BNPL provider will charge a service fee to the merchant, and late fees and/or interest for late payment. Offering this type of payment method gives merchants that ability to offer a low-friction, delayed payback option to people who may or may not have a credit card, which can grow ticket value and volumes.

BNPL payment methods are most common when purchasing big ticket items; however, as more and more e-commerce and retail stores onboard BNPL providers and capabilities, the transaction volume will continue to broaden. It’s possible that the dramatic growth of BNPL as a payment method is in part driven by how the types of products consumers purchasing through the pandemic have shifted to categories more apt for a short-term lending contract — home goods (furniture, air purifiers, appliances) and home office items (laptops, desks, monitors). With more money being spent online, where BNPL found the earliest traction, the numbers of consumers they were able to serve grew. Conversely, credit cards may have suffered disproportionately given travel, dining, and big events were severely curtailed.

All of this is to say,…

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