Tag Archive for: rest

DVIDS – News – Semper supra: Guardian instructor steps above the rest

/in



Sgt. Anastacia Lange, 333rd Training Squadron Cyber Warfare Operator (CWO) course instructor, is breaking barriers as the first Guardian and the first female instructor in the course’s history.

The 333rd TRS at Keesler provides officer communications and cyber warfare initial skills training, enlisted cyber warfare initial skills training, as well as initial and advanced training on spectrum operations. The squadron is also responsible for the development, revision and instruction of network courses supporting global command and control operations.

The CWO course teaches students to develop, sustain and enhance cyber warfare capabilities in order attack adversary interests while at the same time defending U.S. national interests from attack. Airmen and Guardians alike must be able to flex and change as rapidly as the cyber field changes.

Shortly after the Space Force was officially founded in 2019, members of the newest branch began to attend cyber warfare courses within the 333rd TRS. The squadron identified a need to give new Guardians representation in the course, as well as have someone who could unite new Space Force operational needs with current technical training structures.

One individual stood out amongst her peers.

“I asked the Instructor Supervisors if we had any rockstar Guardians and they unanimously suggested Sgt. Lange,” said Master Sgt. Kyle Griffin, former 333rd TRS flight chief. “She could already tie concepts in CWO back to Guardian objectives and was intelligent, motivated and well-spoken. I asked her if she had an interest in being an instructor someday, and she said yes.”

Joining the 333rd TRS instructor cadre isn’t the first time Lange has embraced uncharted territory. While she originally enlisted in the Air Force, she knew she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be a part of the newest branch.

“How often do we get to see a whole new force structure being established?”, said Lange. “It got me thinking that there is no other opportunity to make a difference and establish the kind of force that I want to see than by…

Source…

BlackBerry phones will finally rest in peace on January 4

/in


The pioneer of the smart phone before the smartphone BlackBerry has announced devices running on its BlackBerry OS software will stop working as of next week.

From January 4th, BlackBerry OS device owners won’t be able to make or receive calls, send texts, use Wi-Fi, or access mobile data.

That includes all smartphones running on BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, the ill-fated BlackBerry 10 operating system and even the tablet-based BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 (and earlier).

“As of this date, devices running these legacy services and software through either carrier or Wi-Fi connections will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 functionality,” the company said in a support post (via Liliputing).

However, if you have one of the few BlackBerry devices that launched running Android, such as the 2017 BlackBerry Priv, you won’t be affected.

The company had already announced over a year ago that its transition to a software company had been completed. Back in September of last year it would be “taking steps to decommission the legacy services” ahead of the termination date of January 4.

So, this has been coming for a long, long time but it still feels like the end of an era. Since it got out of the smartphone game Blackberry has reinvented itself as an internet security software company that assists governments and such. The company was initially renowned for the security of its email and BlackBerry Messenger platform so this isn’t too great of a leap.

In the announcement in September 2020, the company said: “Today BlackBerry is focused on providing intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. Since pivoting to an enterprise software and cybersecurity company, we have received questions about our plans to provide ongoing support for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier and BlackBerry 10 devices. In 2017, we committed to providing at least two more years of support for BlackBerry 10 and at least two years of BlackBerry network access for BBOS…

Source…

AT&T plans thousands of layoffs at HBO, Warner Bros., rest of WarnerMedia

/in
AT&T's logo pictured on a wall at its headquarters.

Enlarge / AT&T’s logo at its corporate headquarters on March 13, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (credit: Getty Images | Ronald Martinez )

AT&T is planning thousands of layoffs at HBO, Warner Bros., and other parts of WarnerMedia as part of a plan to cut costs by up to 20 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

WarnerMedia is what used to be called Time Warner Inc. before AT&T purchased the entertainment company in 2018. Layoffs and cost cuts are nothing new at AT&T in general, including at WarnerMedia. But WarnerMedia has taken a particularly big hit since the pandemic began. AT&T laid off about 600 people from WarnerMedia in August, a prelude to the new cuts revealed yesterday. The Journal wrote:

AT&T’s WarnerMedia is restructuring its workforce as it seeks to reduce costs by as much as 20 percent as the coronavirus pandemic drains income from movie tickets, cable subscriptions and television ads, according to people familiar with the matter.

The overhaul, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks, would result in thousands of layoffs across Warner Bros. studios and TV channels like HBO, TBS and TNT, the people said.

WarnerMedia told the Journal that it has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and plans to reorganize to focus on growth opportunities. “We are in the midst of that process and it will involve increased investments in priority areas and, unfortunately, reductions in others,” WarnerMedia said. WarnerMedia had nearly 30,000 employees earlier this year.

Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Biz & IT – Ars Technica

And in the rest of the world: Hacking victims “WannaCry” – The Middle Ground

/in

The Middle Ground

And in the rest of the world: Hacking victims “WannaCry”
The Middle Ground
HACKERS are having a great weekend, with the recent spate of cyber attacks. At home, concerns over internet security hit a new high when the the Ministry of Education revealed that the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological …

and more »

internet security news – read more