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Home2020September

Month: September 2020

FBI warns about election night results hacking chaos; then election software firm says it’s been hacked

September 24, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

  Don’t believe everything you see The easiest way to hack an election in our media-intense age is not to hack the election itself — but merely to hack the results. Specifically, the appearance of results. Imagine if official government websites were hacked on election night to display vote tallies [Keep reading]

What’s it really like to negotiate with ransomware gangs?

September 24, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

  (FBI image) INTRODUCTION It might be the worst-kept secret in all of cybersecurity: the FBI says don’t pay ransomware gangs. But corporations do it all the time, sending millions every year in Bitcoin to recover data that’s been taken “hostage.” Sometimes, federal agents even help victims find experienced virtual ransom [Keep reading]

Covid scam complaints pass 200,000, too. Here’s how you can complain

September 24, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

Click to visit the FTC’s Covid complaint dashboard. U.S. consumers have now filed 203,000 Covid-19-releated complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, and counting. Vctims say scam artists have stolen $144 million, or about $300 per incident, the FTC’s dashboard says. “While people are scared about their health and finances, con [Keep reading]

Podcast — Dirty digital politics: ‘Brainwashing’ and a virus attacking democracy

September 11, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

Dirty digital politics is a fact of life all over the world now. Democracies are going to have to learn how to live with it. One thing that could help US voters understand this murky world is to learn about the kinds of tactics being used in other countries. Fortunately, [Keep reading]

In Conversation: NYT’s Kashmir Hill, and learning to live with facial recognition

September 8, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

Introduction “Privacy tends to lose when there is a clear public safety use case.” That means firms like Clearview AI, and everything else like it, is here to stay. Now what? That’s today’s “In Conversation.” Earlier this year, Kashmir Hill of The New York Times broke one of the most important [Keep reading]

Mail-in voting: Is it really safe? All you ever wanted to know, FAQ style

September 2, 2020 Bob Sullivan 1

Credit: California Secretary of State’s office Voting by mail is safe – at least as safe as any other way you’ve voted in a U.S. election. It’s hardly new.  I voted by mail for years when I lived in Washington State, one of five states that currently have all-mail elections.  [Keep reading]

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