Ransomware Attacks Take On New Urgency Ahead of Vote

A Texas company that sells software that cities and states use to display results on election night was hit by ransomware last week, the latest of nearly a thousand such attacks over the past year against small towns, big cities and the contractors who run their voting systems. From a report: Many of the attacks are conducted by Russian criminal groups,…

Russia Claims To Have Registered World’s First COVID-19 Vaccine

New submitter Hmmmmmm shares a report from CNBC: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the registration of what Russia claims to be the first vaccine for the coronavirus in the world and said one of his daughters had already taken it. “Although I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity and, I repeat, has passed all the necessary…

Larry King Duped Into ‘Disinfomercial’ on Social Media By China (and Possibly Russia)

For 25 years, until 2010, Larry King had a live interview show on CNN. But now ProPublica reports “In the twilight of a remarkable radio and television career spanning more than six decades, battling health problems but determined to stay in the public eye, King was ensnared in an international disinformation scheme.” It involved filming Larry King asking questions, and then…

Who was the 1st woman in space?

On June 16, 1963, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova launched solo aboard a Soviet Vostok 6 rocket, becoming the first-ever woman in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-first-woman-in-space…

Putin Declares State of Emergency After Massive Fuel Leak Pollutes River in the Arctic Circle

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency in the city of Norilsk after a massive oil spill in the Arctic region. An estimated 20,000 tons of fuel from a power plant spilled onto a road, and a large part made its way into an river on May 29. From a report: A “considerable amount” of the oil seeped into…