Archive for April 1, 2023

Twitter Apparently Hasn’t Paid For Employee Charitable Donations Made In 2022…. WTF?

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 1, 2023 by itnerd

Twitter is a real gong show under Elon Musk. But you knew that. However, this Tweet from Zoe Schiffler of Platformer takes the gong show to another level:

Really? Elon’s literally stealing money from charities. Even by the standards that Elon operates under, that’s a new low. Even for him.

To give you some perspective about how much cash we’re talking about here, there’s this:

https://twitter.com/KarlRobillard1/status/1641958212684636160

Now if you expand Shiffler’s Tweet, Twitter claims that they are “is “actively working” to get the money to the NGOs.” But clearly Elon doesn’t want to cut the cheque, otherwise we wouldn’t be here talking about it. And I am willing to go out on a limb to say that now this is public, I am 50/50 as to whether he will because embarrassment and humiliation doesn’t seem to affect him.

You have to wonder if there is nothing that Elon won’t do at this point.

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The FDA Now Requires Stronger Cyber Security In Medical Devices 

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 1, 2023 by itnerd

Yesterday, the FDA published new guidelines strengthening the cybersecurity levels of products used by healthcare providers that are connected to the internet. This comes after years of concerns that these devices could be hit by attacks endangering lives, which was highlighted by a September 2022 report by Proofpoint’s Ponemon Institute that linked a 20% increase in mortality rates due to cyber-attacks targeting healthcare organizations.

According to a guidance, applicants seeking approval for new medical devices must:
 

  • Submit a plan designed to address possible cybersecurity issues
  • Outline a process to provide regular security updates and patches
  • Provide “a software bill of materials,” including commercial, open-source and off-the-shelf software components

The new FDA guidelines come a couple of months after security experts at Sonar found three vulnerabilities in OpenEMR, and more recently, KillNet was observed targeting healthcare applications hosted using the Microsoft Azure infrastructure.

George McGregor, VP, Approov had this to say:

“This is a major step forward in strengthening cybersecurity defenses in healthcare in the USA (something that we have been campaigning for as a leading provider of mobile security solutions)  A key element of the guidelines for medical devices is that companies must have a plan in place for “postmarket”  runtime protection.  

“Another welcome aspect of the requirements is that they explicitly state that cyber defenses must be able to be updated rapidly if and when required. This requires security administration to be a key element of the operational plan, including the ability to update policies as new vulnerabilities are uncovered and rotate secrets and keys quickly in the event that they are stolen. “

I am glad to see that the FDA is taking this step as attacks on healthcare are are thing as evidenced by the attack on Sick Kids hospital last year. Because sooner or later one of these attacks will affect patient care in a severe way if nothing is done.

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The Canadian Government Put Strings On The Rogers/Shaw Merger….. Not That It Makes A Difference….

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on April 1, 2023 by itnerd

Yesterday the Rogers/Shaw merger got approved by the Canadian government. That means less competition and higher prices for Canadians. But if you believe the Canadian government (Spoiler alert: I don’t) there are guardrails in place to make sure that this is a good deal for Canadians. Here’s the TL:DR for your perusal:

“As part of these agreements and conditions, Videotron:

  • Will offer plans that are comparable to those currently available in Quebec, and offer options at least 20% cheaper than those made available by the major players;
  • Cannot transfer the Freedom Mobile licences for a period of ten years;
  • Will have to expand its 5G wireless network in Freedom Mobile’s pre-existing operating territory within two years;
  • Will expand mobile service into Manitoba via the use of a signed Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement or other means and offer plans comparable to what it offers in Quebec; and,
  • Will increase data allotments of existing Freedom Mobile customers by 10% as a near-term bonus while it invests to bring down prices overall.

“Separately, Rogers will also be subject to strict and legally binding commitments requiring them to make major investments to improve connectivity within the next 5 years, including:

  • Creating 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada and maintaining them for a minimum of 10 years after the closing date;
  • Establishing a Western headquarters in Calgary and maintaining it for a minimum of 10 years after the closing date;
  • Investing $1 billion to expand broadband Internet access, at speeds of at least 50/10 megabits per second, and 5G mobile service in areas where it is not currently available;
  • Investing at least $2.5 billion to enhance its 5G network in Western Canada, and $3 billion in additional network service expansion projects; and,
  • Expanding access to low-cost broadband Internet plans and launching a new low-cost mobile offering for low-income Canadians.

“These agreements are subject to significant financial damages for non-compliance: up to $200 million in the case of Videotron and up to $1 billion in the case of Rogers. These agreements will be released publicly and are subject to annual reporting requirements.

“Should the parties fail to live up to any of their commitments, our government will use every means in our power to enforce the terms on behalf of Canadians.

Now that all sounds good and the potential fines sound big. Not to mention the potential fines are meant to encourage Videotron and Rogers to do everything on this list. But call me a skeptic, I really don’t see any of this bringing about more competition and lower prices. The problem with the Canadian telco space is that it’s an oligopoly. And this deal does nothing to address that. Until the folks in Ottawa figure out that there has to be a big foreign player that is allowed to enter the Canadian market, Canadians will continue to pay among the highest prices for their telco services.

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