Tag Archive for: seeks

FDNY seeks firewall to stop doxxing of workers’ personal data

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The FDNY is seeking to build a digital firewall to protect the Big Apple’s thousands of rescue workers from cyberattacks, including “doxxing,” The Post has learned.

The department recently put out a call in the City Record for consultant services “for the development and implementation of protective strategies to address the cyber threat of doxxing and to provide resiliency for the security of personal information.”

Doxxing is the publishing of personal information on the internet with the intent to bully, harass or threaten others.

The sick practice has become increasingly prevalent online. A radical pro-choice group recently doxxed six Supreme Court justices to spur protesters into showing up outside their homes to oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling legalizing abortion.

An FDNY spokesman said the move to increase cybersecurity wasn’t triggered by a doxxing incident involving one of the city’s Bravest. But the department has enormous databases with the personal information of its 15,000 emergency responders and other workers — as well as retirees and patients it treats responding to 911 calls — that could be vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The search for the consultant is “part of the FDNY’s ongoing cybersecurity preparedness measures to protect the department’s data,” spokesman Frank Dwyer said.

Mayor Adams and Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh took part in the FDNY Medal Day ceremony at City Hall.
The FDNY has databases containing the personal information of approximately 15,000 members, according to a spokesman.
Gregory P. Mango

The selected cybersecurity pro would help implement anti-hack software and develop a training program for a workforce that interacts regularly with the public, the note to potential bidders says.

“The service should provide real time threat mitigation and recovery capabilities in the event of access to and misappropriation of personally identifiable data during the course of official duties as a member of the FDNY,” reads the note from the department.

One union leader representing FDNY responders said the solicitation to bolster firewall cybersecurity shows the department is behind the times in guarding against data breaches.

Oren Barzilay, President of The Uniformed EMT's, Paramedics ans Inspectors FDNY, at the city council Committee on Fire and Emergency Management hearing.
FDNY union president Oren Barzilay argues…

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UK watchdog seeks to make mobile browsers competitive • The Register

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The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday said it intends to launch an investigation of Apple’s and Google’s market power with respect to mobile browsers and cloud gaming, and to take enforcement action against Google for its app store payment practices.

“When it comes to how people use mobile phones, Apple and Google hold all the cards,” said Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, in a statement. “As good as many of their services and products are, their strong grip on mobile ecosystems allows them to shut out competitors, holding back the British tech sector and limiting choice.”

The decision to open a formal investigation follows the CMA’s year-long study of the mobile ecosystem. The competition watchdog’s findings have been published in a report that concludes Apple and Google have a duopoly that limits competition.

“We have found that Apple and Google have substantial and entrenched market power in mobile operating systems as there is limited effective competition between the two and rivals face significant barriers to entry and expansion,” the final report [PDF] says.

This is the third Google-oriented inquiry by the CMA this year. In March, the CMA and the EU announced an investigation of Google and Meta (Facebook) of an alleged ad collusion called Jedi Blue. And the CMA said it is looking into Google ad tech last month as well.

The CMA in March, 2021 opened competition law investigation into the terms and conditions governing Apple’s App Store.

Back in March, 2022 when the CMA was still accepting input from tech firms on how it should proceed, Apple urged the UK regulator to look past the “often self-serving complaints from a limited number of the largest market participants,” as Apple’s law firm Gibson Dunn put it.

Google also maintained that the status quo works well [PDF] while taking…

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SC-Appointed Technical Committee Seeks Details From Persons Suspecting Hacking Of Their Devices

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Persons who suspect that their devices have been targeted by the Pegasus spyware can write to the Technical Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate the allegations of snooping using the Pegasus spyware by the noon of January 7, 2022.

The Committee issued a public notice in this regard today asking such persons, who feel that they are targets of Pegasus spyware, to send an email to “[email protected]“. Those persons should also furnish reasons as to why they believe their devices have been infected by Pegasus spyware.

In case the Committee feels that such suspicions require further investigation, it can request for allowing the examination of the device. The collection point will be at New Delhi. The Committee will give an acknowledgement of having received the device for examination and will give the person a digital phone image of the records.

It was on October 26 last year that the Supreme Court constituted an independent expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice RV Raveendran to probe into the allegations of snooping of journalists, activists, politicians etc, using the Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO.

The Court also constituted a Technical Committee to assist the probe panel.

The members of the Technical Committee are :

  1. Dr. Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Professor (Cyber Security and Digital Forensics) and Dean, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
  2. Dr. Prabaharan P., Professor (School of Engineering), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kerala.
  3. Dr. Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair Associate Professor (Computer Science and Engineering), Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Maharashtra.

A bench led by the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana passed the direction in view of the refusal of the Union Government to make a clear statement as to whether it has availed the services of Pegasus spyware or not. The bench refused to accept the argument of “national security” raised by the Central Government, saying the state will “not get a free pass” every time national security is raised and the court will not remain a “mute spectator”. Refusing the proposal of the Union Government that it will constitute a…

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Hospital seeks dismissal of patient’s lawsuit over ransomware attack

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The parent company of UF Health-The Villages Hospital is seeking the dismissal of a patient’s lawsuit resulting from a ransomware attack that may have compromised her personal information.

Chrystal Holmes, identified as a Lake County resident, is suing The Villages Tri-County Medical Center, UF Health Central Florida and Leesburg Regional Medical Center Inc. in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida.

The hospital in Leesburg and UF Health-The Villages Hospital were both paralyzed as a result of the ransomware attack launched this past May.

UF Health played down the ransomware attack but on July 30 notified the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that 700,981 people were affected by the ransomware attack, according to the lawsuit, which is seeking damages in excess of $5 million.

This past week, UF Health filed for a dismissal of Holmes’ lawsuit.

“Plaintiff did not file the lawsuit because, as a result of the Ransomware Attack, someone obtained and fraudulently used or even attempted to use her personal information. Nor did she file the lawsuit because the Ransomware Attack caused her to incur any out-of-pocket costs. She filed the lawsuit because she was notified of the Ransomware Attack; nothing more,” according to the motion to dismiss. “Under Florida law, notification of a Ransomware Attack does not allow an individual, like Plaintiff here, to file a lawsuit. More is required. For each of her claims—negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty—Plaintiff must allege that she suffered a cognizable injury caused by the Ransomware Attack. She has not. For that reason alone, her claims must be dismissed.”

Holmes alleges that UF Health failed “to implement industry protocols and exercise reasonable care in protecting and safeguarding” patient information. She quotes the FBI in its warning that “prevention is the most effective defense against ransomware and it is critical to take precautions for protection.”

Like many other UF Health patients, Holmes received a letter in late July notifying her of the data breach.

She worries that her information will be used for “targeted marketing information” or sold on the…

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