Tag Archive for: connected

Jackson County legislator’s email not connected to ransomware attack

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An email sent from Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith was sent to roughly 50,000 voters on Friday.

The email is not related to the ransomware attack in Jackson County on Tuesday.


“It did not dawn on me that people would be concerned with its legitimacy because of the hacking issues that we had in Jackson County,” Smith said. “But yes, that’s me with a tool that we use at the county for email newsletters and stuff all the time. It’s all pretty safe and secure It’s absolutely separate from all of the county networks that we’ve had issues with.”

The email contains a link that leads to a survey. The survey asks voters how they voted on Tuesday’s “Question 1” and why they chose to vote that way.

“It’s a little weird. I don’t know why you’re sending out emails trying to figure out how people voted,” Broderick Jones said. “Whatever it was, it happened the way it happened, and that’s the way it is. Keep moving.”

Smith told FOX4 that he’s collecting the data because he’s “optimistic that we’ll eventually be in talks again with the teams and we need to understand what people’s concerns were in order to have any success going forward.” Leading up to the vote, Smith thought that the county was “not as ready as we’d like to be,” saying that the data will help him understand his constituency better. “Having data and information about why people have the preferences and concerns they have is the best way for me to represent them.”

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Connected vehicles can be at risk of hacking, consumer awareness paramount: experts

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TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.

These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at cybersecurity solutions company Check Point in Canada.

“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.

“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”

A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks — have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.

That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.

There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.

“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.

“That scenario is possible right now.”

Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking.

But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.

Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations across Canada — all of them connect…

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Connected vehicles at risk of hacking, Markham cybersecurity expert warns

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In wake of global automotive cybersecurity report showing remote attacks, which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, experts are raising awareness about potential security issues

TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 

But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.

These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering for Markham, Ont.-based cybersecurity solutions company Checkpoint Canada.

“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.

“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”

A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks —  have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.

That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.

There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.

“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.

“That scenario is possible right now.”

Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking. 

But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.

Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations…

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3G is being shut off across Australia. Here’s how to keep connected

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It’s the end of an internet era, with the nation’s major telecommunications providers announcing that 3G will begin phasing out within months.

While most smartphones are already connected to 4G and 5G services, a number of devices could require urgent action to remain connected.

Medical monitoring devices, baby monitors, EFTPOS machines, security cameras and smartwatches are some of the devices that might still be reliant on 3G.

Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>

Vodafone will be the first to switch off 3G this year, rolling out the change on December 15.

Telstra will shut off 3G in June next year, and Optus will say goodbye to the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology in September next year.

Even emergency triple-0 calls will no longer be possible on impacted devices.

That is why Telstra’s NSW regional general manager Mike Maron told 7NEWS: “It’s certainly really important to make sure that you make that change (to 4G or 5G) prior to June 2024.”

3G was introduced to the world in 2003, bringing with it a faster data rate, more secure encryption algorithms, and more efficient use of the radio bands it operates on.

“3G has done a fantastic job,” Maron said. “It was there to give us voice calls, text messages and also some light internet browsing.”

But now 20 years on it has since been superseded by more advanced technology, as online behaviour and internet demand drastically changes worldwide.

Why is 3G being phased out?

1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G are all generations of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, which operates using radio frequencies.

The “G” stands for generation, and the number corresponds with each upgraded iteration of the technology. 1G and 2G have already been phased out.

3G is being phased out because the technology is no longer in demand.

Data consumption is increasing by more than 30 per cent each year, largely through streaming in hi-definition, a change which meant 3G is “not fit for purpose anymore,” according to Maron.

3G is…

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