Sean
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Short talking point:
- “Based on the estimated transmission advantage of the delta variant, it is expected that delta will rapidly outcompete other variants and become the dominant circulating lineage over the coming months,” the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
- Delta is the name for the B.1.617.2. variant.
- It is more transmissible because it contains mutations in the gene that codes for the spike protein (on replication) which the virus uses to enter cells in the body.
- Haiti’s president was assassinated today. Jovenel Moïse was killed in an attack on his private residence on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. His wife was also shot. Haiti’s prime minister called for ‘harmony’ after the president was killed.
Long talking point:
- Ransomware attacks seem to be trending:
- Ransomware is a type of malware that threatens to publish the victim’s personal data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.
- Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network.
- There was just a ransomware attack against a range of IT management companies that compromised their corporate clients by targeting a key software vendor called Kaseya. On Monday, the attackers requested a $70 million payment in bitcoin in exchange for a decryption tool that could help victims recover from the attack.
- Kaseya is the latest ransomware victim in a string of attacks that have also hit major fuel supplier Colonial Pipeline and meat processor JBS Foods, prompting worries among researchers, corporate leaders, and US officials
- Microsoft issues an urgent security update. They ask users to update their PCs immediately.
- The security flaw, known as PrintNightmare, affects the Windows Print Spooler service.
- Researchers at cybersecurity company Sangfor accidentally published a how-to guide for exploiting it. In late May they published a proof-of-concept online by mistake and subsequently deleted it — but not before it was published elsewhere online, including developer site GitHub.
- Security patches have been issued for Windows 10, and surprisingly Windows 7 too. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 last year but felt the security flaw was so important to fix that they created a patch for Windows 7 as well.
- Microsoft warned that hackers that exploit the vulnerability could install programs, view and delete data or even create new user accounts with full user rights. That gives hackers enough command and control of your PC to do some serious damage.
