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Smart Talk: Cyberattacks target healthcare computer networks

An employee of Global Cyber Security Company Group-IB develops a computer code in an office in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017.

 Pavel Golovkin / AP Photo

An employee of Global Cyber Security Company Group-IB develops a computer code in an office in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017.

Federal Government agencies issued a joint cybersecurity advisory last week warning of an imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. Hospitals and other healthcare providers.

The warning states that criminal elements are targeting healthcare organizations with malware.  Malware is any type of software that is intentionally designed to cause damage to computer networks. Viruses, worms, spyware, and ransomware are types of malware that are being used to essentially take over a healthcare network’s computer systems.  Cybercriminals are known to use malware to extract or hold data hostage that they can leverage for financial gain. There are multiple hospital systems in the U.S. reporting cyberattacks in the past week.

Bruce Young is an Information Security executive with 25 years’ experience and a Cybersecurity and Information Assurance lecturer with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. He Joins Smart Talk to discuss how the attacks are occurring and how to prevent them.

Dickinson College uses an unlikely source to power school’s farm and dairy site

Dickinson College is known for their Center for Sustainability Education and initiatives to reduce their ecological footprint.

Dickinson was one of the first institutions to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2008. By signing, Dickinson College pledged to adopt a climate action plan that would lead to carbon neutrality. Being carbon neutral happens when the activities included in their carbon footprint add zero net emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

It’s an admirable goal and the College is one step closer with a plan to put food waste, cow manure and brewery residual grain to use powering their farm and an adjoining dairy.

Appearing on Smart Talk to share the plan’s details are Ken Shultes, the Associate Vice President of Sustainability and Facilities Planning and Matt Steiman Assistant Director of the Dickinson Farm.

Election day: Where to find updated and accurate news

With information overwhelming social media users, it’s important for media organizations to ensure their listeners/viewers/readers can trust their reporting. Questions like, “How do people decide what news is trustworthy?” or “How can journalists influence what users consume and share?” have come up repeatedly at public forums with WITF journalists.

To help answer those questions, WITF is taking part in the Trusting News project and joining Smart Talk to offer perspective is WITF Multimedia News Director Tim Lambert.

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