EnGenius Introduces the New ECW526 2×2 Access Point

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 9, 2024 by itnerd

EnGenius Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced connectivity solutions, is excited to unveil the much-anticipated ECW526, the newest addition to the Cloud Wi-Fi 7 Access Point series. With the Wi-Fi 7 4×4 ECW536 access point, now priced at $499, and the new Wi-Fi 7 2×2 ECW526 access point, businesses of all sizes can now affordably deploy Wi-Fi 7, making it accessible and practical for every business environment. EnGenius now offers customers the flexibility to choose the appropriate Wi-Fi 7 access point for their specific needs, whether for densely populated areas like conference rooms or providing extensive coverage in large spaces such as assisted living or student housing. It’s the perfect choice for businesses that demand optimal performance and value as they transition onto the Wi-Fi 7 landscape and cater to the growing number of bandwidth-intensive devices and applications. 

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The ECW526 reaffirms EnGenius’s dedication to bringing the latest Wi-Fi technology to everyone. This cutting-edge access point is a sleekly designed tri-band device that delivers unprecedented speeds of up to 9.4 Gbps. By using three frequency bands – 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz -one access point can support a larger number of IoT devices, regular devices, and the latest high-tech gadgets. The device is backward compatible, seamlessly integrating with existing Wi-Fi setups, facilitating a smooth transition to the next generation of wireless connectivity.  

The ECW526 harnesses the advanced capabilities of Wi-Fi 7, including 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM, and Multi-Link Operation. It effortlessly supports bandwidth-intensive tasks such as streaming 4K videos and running cloud applications, guaranteeing optimal network utilization, low latency, and unparalleled signal reliability. EnGenius engineered the ECW526 with a lightning-fast 10 Gbps Ethernet port while maintaining a modest power consumption of just 21 Watts at peak, ensuring compatibility with traditional PoE+ switches and injectors. The ECW526 is the future of Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, offering businesses fast, flexible, and secure networks that will transform how they connect. 

Key Features:  

Experience Unmatched Performance with Next-Gen Technology: This elegant device uses Wi-Fi 7 for lightning-fast speeds of up to 9.4 gigabits using three bands, 320 MHz channels wide channels, 2×2 MU-MIMO, 4096-QAM, Multi-Link Operation, and Multi-RU puncturing to improve reliability and performance in data-intensive applications. 

Seamless Network Management Made Easy: The EnGenius Cloud platform simplifies modern network management, reducing operational costs while enhancing network performance and reliability.  

Security is Top Priority: With advanced security features like WPA3 Enterprise, the ECW526 ensures that your network is always protected against unauthorized access and potential threats, always keeping your data and connections secure.   

Simplified Setup: With a quick scan, you can register and configure your device in 5 minutes or less. You can easily monitor and troubleshoot your network remotely. 

Manage Your Network on the Go: With the EnGenius Cloud and our mobile app, you can easily manage your network from anywhere and effortlessly manage an unlimited number of APs.  

Hassle-Free Installation: The click-n-twist mount and Kensington lock slot ensure a hassle-free and secure installation process, giving you peace of mind that your device is securely installed. 

The ECW526 is now available through EnGenius resellers and distributors alongside the 4×4 ECW536 Wi-fi 7 access point. Visit https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-2x2x2-indoor-tri-band-wifi-7-access-point/ for more information about the ECW526.  

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A New Bell Telephone #Scam Is Making The Rounds

Posted in Commentary with tags , on May 9, 2024 by itnerd

I’ll say right up front that I am still investigating this, thus details are a bit light. But having said that, I wanted to make sure that this new scam involving Bell Canada is out there so that you are aware and can protect yourself accordingly.

Yesterday, my home number (as opposed to my business number) got a call which went to voice mail as nobody was home at the time. When I played the message back, it was a pre-recorded message that was claiming to be from Bell Canada. And that they were disconnecting my Internet and TV “line” temporally. I was then prompted to press one to get to a representative or press two to get to technical support to “address the unusual activity on your line.” So what the scammers are hoping that you will do is freak out because your Internet is being disconnected or that you have “unusual” activity on your connection and engage with them. Then they can execute whatever their evil plan is, which at this point isn’t clear.

Now while Bell Canada is our telco provider at the moment, I knew right away that this was clearly a scam. For starters, the audio quality was horrible. No telco would ever have an outbound message with audio that was that bad. That made me think that it might be the same threat actors that were behind this Bell Canada scam from a few weeks ago who clearly haven’t improved the approach to this scam. The second thing was the number that they calling from. It was from an 847 area code which is in Illinois and not Canada. So clearly the number is spoofed, and the threat actors aren’t smart enough to use a Canadian area code. Though there were two other things that tipped me off that this was a scam. But I am not going to disclose those at this time as I don’t want to give the threat actors ideas in terms of improving the effectiveness of the scam.

Now related to this, I did find on DSL Reports that there’s a slightly different version of this scam making the rounds as well, which I suspect is from the same threat actors. You can read about that here. Clearly there’s an active scam campaign out there that while it won’t get non-Bell Canada customers, some Bell Canada customers will fall for whatever version of this scam that hits their phone. I’ll be reaching out to Bell Canada later today to see if I can get some comment and some advice so that you can better protect yourself from this scam. But if you get a call from someone claiming to be Bell Canada, I feel safe in saying that you should immediately hang up and call 310-2355 and verify that the call that you received was real. Chances are, it wasn’t.

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London Drugs President Apologizes For Getting Pwned As Some More Details Come Out

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 9, 2024 by itnerd

So this is a bit different. After getting pwned by hackers which shut down their stores, the president and COO of London Drugs has done two things that catch my attention as stores have started to reopen:

President and chief operating officer Clint Mahlman issued a letter Wednesday offering his “sincere apologies for the inconvenience and any concerns” that arose amid the week-long closure of the company’s 79 stores across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

While Mahlman didn’t elaborate on the nature of the breach targeting the company, he said the retailer had security measures in place, but “given the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, no organization can be 100 per cent safe from advanced cybersecurity incidents orchestrated by sophisticated third parties.”

I have to give him credit for apologizing for getting pwned. While they shouldn’t have been pwned in the first place, this is the next best thing. The second thing that he did was put out some more details:

The Richmond, B.C.-based retailer says it has found no evidence that customer databases, including health data from its pharmacies, were compromised in the cybersecurity breach.

“However, should we discover any evidence that customer information was impacted, we will inform our customers and privacy commissioners in accordance with privacy laws,” the company president said.

“At the outset, we proactively alerted the privacy commissions in the provinces we operate in and have reported this incident to law enforcement.”

While this can change at any point, it’s good news that no health data was swiped…. That they know of. There’s also this:

Beyond forcing the retailer to close its physical locations, the security breach also prompted company leadership to temporarily disable its telephone lines as part of a system-wide effort to locate and contain the breach.

“As soon as we became aware of suspicious activity in our environment, we immediately engaged third-party cybersecurity specialists from across North America to assist with containment, mitigation, and to conduct a forensic investigation,” Mahlman said. “Our investigation is ongoing.”

I for one hope that they continue this transparency and show the results of their investigation. I say that because if London Drugs really wants to restore the trust of their customers, they have to make that public along with how intend to avoid getting pwned again. Let’s see if they do that.

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Children’s Mental Health Records Swiped From An NHS Trust And Published By Cybercriminals

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 9, 2024 by itnerd

Earlier this week, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, part of the Scottish healthcare system, confirmed some children’s mental health records has been published by criminals following a cyber attack and demand for an extortion payment from the local health board.

It follows NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s March announcement that it had been the target of “a focused and ongoing cyber attack,” and that while patient-facing services were functioning as normal, there was a risk “hackers have been able to acquire a significant quantity of data.” However, Julie White, the health board’s chief executive said it was unlikely that the hackers were able to access entire patient records.

The INC Ransom group claims to hold terabytes of data exfiltrated from the organization, meanwhile White said the number of people affected is still unknown but could be thousands.

   “Work is beginning to take place with partner agencies to assess the data which has been published,” added the statement on the official website.

Dumfries and Galloway is the southernmost region of Scotland and has a population of just under 150,000 people, all of which are likely to be users of the NHS.

Emily Phelps, Director, Cyware:

   “There is a fundamental need to better protect healthcare organizations, and every cybersecurity attack on a healthcare entity underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, including the critical role of bidirectional intelligence sharing. By engaging in proactive intelligence sharing, healthcare organizations can better anticipate, respond to, and mitigate cyber threats. Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) are a great resource to help empower healthcare providers with the necessary tools and community support to safeguard sensitive patient data effectively, ultimately fostering a more resilient healthcare infrastructure.”

This is another example of a health care organization being low hanging fruit for cybercriminals. While everyone needs to take measures to protect themselves from scumbags like the ones behind this event, health care needs particular attention.

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U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Comments On The Strategy For Cyberspace And Digital Policy  

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 9, 2024 by itnerd

On the same day the Department of State published a strategy for cyberspace and digital policy, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during an appearance at RSAC that The White House has plans to spend $3.5 trillion working with partners to set global standards and create resilient supply chains for critical technologies with the aim to enhance America’s competitiveness and drive international collaborations for standards to ensure safe and ethical use of new technologies.

The strategy laid out by the Department of State focuses on building digital solidarity, “recognizes that all who use digital technologies in a rights-respecting manner are more secure, resilient, self-determining, and prosperous when we work together to shape the international environment and innovate at the technological edge.”

The strategy has three guiding principles:

  • An affirmative vision for a secure and inclusive cyberspace grounded in international law and human rights
  • Integration of cybersecurity, sustainable development, and technological innovation
  • A comprehensive policy approach that utilizes the appropriate tools of diplomacy and international statecraft

And four areas of action:

  • Promote, build, and maintain an open, inclusive, secure, and resilient digital ecosystem
  • Align rights-respecting approaches to digital and data governance with international partners
  • Build coalitions and engage partners to advance responsible state behavior in cyberspace, and counter cyber threats
  • Strengthen and build international partner digital and cyber capacity

In regard to emerging technologies, Blinken said he wants to see the formation of global frameworks that balance innovation with security and ethical considerations ensuring that technologies such as AI aren’t used for actions that violate privacy rights or lead to societal harm.

   “Working together, we can seize this extraordinary moment to shape a future that makes life a little bit safer, a little bit more secure and a little bit more prosperous,” Blinken said.

Emily Phelps, Director, Cyware had this comment:

   “The U.S. Department of State’s new strategy for cyberspace underscores the critical importance of collective defense and collaboration in ensuring a secure, resilient digital future. By focusing on building partnerships to set global standards and enhance supply chain resiliencies, this initiative not only advances America’s competitiveness but also fosters a unified approach to safeguarding and advancing technological innovations. This collective strategy represents a significant step in strengthening global digital security, making a safer, more inclusive digital ecosystem achievable.”

I’ll echo what I said when this was first announced. This should be interesting to watch and see how effective it is. Which is something that will take years to measure.

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Cisco Unlocks AI-Powered Intelligence for Self-Hosted Observability

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 8, 2024 by itnerd

Cisco today announced a new virtual appliance for its AppDynamics On-Premises application observability offering, enabling customers to use a self-hosted observability solution built on AI-powered intelligence for anomaly detection and root cause analysis, application security, and SAP monitoring. The latest innovations allow IT operations teams to detect application performance anomalies faster and with greater accuracy, protect against security vulnerabilities and attacks, and maintain the performance of SAP applications and business processes, all while retaining full control of their observability deployment. Cisco also announced AppDynamics Flex, a new licensing model that provides optionality for customers to choose between self-hosted and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) observability offerings and support them through the transition from self-hosted to SaaS when the time is right for their business.

While there has been a significant increase in demand for SaaS observability solutions in recent years, for many organizations, self-hosted observability solutions remain in high demand. Self-hosted observability – also referred to as customer-managed observability – includes on-premises deployments or cloud-based deployments where the customer retains control of all the data and associated operations. These needs are typically driven by regulations for data residency and sensitive data protection, and in geographies without a local SaaS point-of-presence. For companies in industries including the public sector, finance, manufacturing, healthcare and retail, the option to have cutting-edge, self-hosted application observability solutions ensures that they can continue to provide end-to-end monitoring of their most critical business systems, in turn, enabling them to deliver market-differentiating digital experiences to their customers and users.

The new innovations include:

  • AI-Powered Detection and Remediation with Cognition Engine: Improve the accuracy of anomaly detection by leveraging dynamic baseline performance to understand what normal looks like against historical trend data, in turn reducing the mean time to identify (MTTI) for application performance issues. Performance issues can then be resolved faster with root cause analysis and automated transaction diagnostics – analyzing a continuous stream of transaction snapshots that capture events used in proactive performance troubleshooting. This enables IT operations to home in on the problem area and make use of intelligent suggestive issue identification.
  • Application Security: Cisco Secure Application allows customers to locate and highlight application security vulnerabilities with application context, and then leverage an automated business risk score that combines application intelligence and security intelligence, allowing them to prioritize their response by business impact. The addition of Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) enables organizations to defend the business from exploits that target application vulnerabilities.
  • A Resilient SAP Landscape: Customers can ensure service availability and performance with full-stack observability for on-premises SAP and non-SAP environments, surfacing insights to address performance issues before they impact the business. Cisco brings resiliency into the SAP landscape with application performance, augmented by AI-powered intelligence for the Java stack, enabling SAP developers and BASIS admins to ensure service availability, align performance with SAP business outcomes, and discover SAP related security vulnerabilities to mitigate risk.
  • Self-Hosted Offerings in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure: In addition to on-premises deployments, customers can manage their own observability deployments in AWS or Microsoft Azure by using the Amazon Machine Instance (AMI) or Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) images of the virtual appliance. This is valuable when a SaaS instance is not available in the country where a sensitive workload needs to be monitored, or when a customer wants to retain full control of the observability solution.

The Transition to SaaS
As digital transformation strategies mature and the nature of observable workloads change, some IT teams will find themselves looking to garner operational efficiency by moving some or all of their observed workloads from the purview of a self-hosted observability solution to a SaaS solution. To help customers on this journey, Cisco is introducing AppDynamics Flex Licensing, designed to simplify the transition to AppDynamics SaaS. Cisco AppDynamics Flex Licensing allows organizations to value-shift their chosen on-premises observability investments to the corresponding SaaS offer as their requirements evolve, while reusing the same agent fleet.

Availability:

  • The virtual appliance for Cisco AppDynamics On-Premises will be generally available in May 2024.
  • The Automated Transaction Diagnostics feature will be available in Q3 CY2024.
  • The AMI and VHD packages for self-hosted cloud-based deployments will be available in Q3 CY2024.
  • Please refer to the pricing guidelines or contact them for more information.

Additional Resources:

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Sage launches two new integrated suites in Canada and the UK  

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 8, 2024 by itnerd

Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), has launched two new suites in Canada and the UK, to transform how SMBs and accounting practices operate and grow their business.  

Bringing together Sage’s award-winning accounting, HR, and business management tools into two scalable solutions, Sage for Accountants and Sage for Small Business, marks a significant step forward in Sage’s commitment to championing SMBs, accountants and bookkeepers. 

The new suites are purpose-built to meet the changing needs of accountants, bookkeepers and SMBs, helping them to get more done by freeing up time, whilst boosting efficiency and productivity. With Sage for Accountants and Sage for Small Business, users can focus on what matters most, from growing their business and providing great service to pursuing their passions outside of work. 

Three customizable membership plans — Essentials, Standard, and Premium — will scale to match the unique needs of businesses and accounting practices. Small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers are now able to self-manage users and subscriptions, all in one integrated solution that is paid for on a single monthly invoice. 

Introducing Sage for Accountants  

Designed to enhance the functionality and productivity of accounting practices, Sage for Accountants streamlines client management, simplifies operations, boosts efficiency and enhances client collaboration. Even for those not using Sage ledger tools, it enables continuous accounting with seamless integration between tools, so they can harness the value of every tool across all their clients, freeing up more time for client relations.  

With evolving market demands, Sage for Accountants is an integrated experience that will help practices to:  

  • Win and onboard more profitable clients: Attract high-value clients efficiently by leveraging access to one of the largest accountants’ communities worldwide and a comprehensive accounting directory. 
  • Boost productivity with efficient compliance services: Ensure regulatory compliance with ease and confidence using Sage for Accountants, saving valuable time and resources. 
  • Deliver a trusted advisory service: Provide clients with expert insights and guidance for business growth, enhancing their trust and fostering long-term relationships. 

Empowering SMBs with Sage for Small Business 

Making it even easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to run and grow their business, Sage for Small Business simplifies the long list of jobs to be done from managing cashflow to engaging and managing a team of people. By bringing together critical business tools and expert advice designed for small businesses into a single suite, business owners can free up their time to focus on growing their business and what truly matters to them.  


The suite enables small businesses to start with what they need and will grow with them, helping them to: 

  • Streamline repetitive tasks: Enabling real-time data flow across accounting, payroll and HR from a single user interface, simplifying operations and saving small business owners’ valuable time.  
  • Gain enhanced business insights: With instant access to critical business and financial information, business owners can make smarter decisions, and collaborate closer with accountants on the same digital data. 
  • Remain confident with compliance: With over 40 years of experience building small business technology, offering a wealth of advice and award-winning support and services, Sage helps ensure small business owners have access to simplified tax, VAT and payroll compliance through the latest technology. 


Sage Copilot to be integrated into suites 

As part of the launch of the new suites, UK customers will be the first to get access Sage Copilot, a new generative AI powered productivity assistant.  

Integrated within Sage for Accountants and Sage for Small Business, Sage Copilot is designed to transform operations by automating routine administrative tasks and offering real-time business insights. This allows small businesses to operate more efficiently, and accountants and bookkeepers to make smarter, faster decisions, and focus more on strategic client management rather than administrative tasks.  

Sage Copilot will initially be launched in the UK in 2024. Canada is the next region Sage Copilot will be rolled out to and will be available at a later date. 

For more information, please visit Sage for Accountants and Sage for Small Business. 
 

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Netcraft Announces New AI-Powered Innovations to Disrupt and Expose Criminal Financial Infrastructure

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 8, 2024 by itnerd

Netcraft announced its new Conversational Scam Intelligence platform at RSAC in San Francisco, which builds on Netcraft’s intentional approach to using AI to stay ahead of criminals and protect client brands and customers.

The FBI reports that US losses to investment and “pig-butchering” scams were $4.6 Billion in 2023, a 38% increase over 2022. Through carefully constructed generative AI, the Conversational Scam Intelligence platform enables Netcraft and its customers to disrupt these nefarious scam attempts at scale, uncovering the underlying financial account networks and deploying countermeasures against criminal infrastructure.

By engaging criminals identified through its proprietary threat intelligence in private message threads, Netcraft’s AI exposes the scam in its entirety, extracting critical insight that can be used to disrupt and prevent future attacks. This innovative approach helps protect against tactics like pig-butchering, where scammers leverage direct messages, a previously undetectable threat source, to lure victims into sending money to fraudulent schemes.

Early results show a significant impact, accurately identifying the hidden financial infrastructure used in pig-butchering scam attempts, including thousands of criminal-controlled bank accounts, mule accounts, crypto wallet addresses, etc. Leveraging this evidence, Netcraft’s customers can flag or block payments to and from compromised accounts before any transaction has occurred, mitigating risk exposure for banking providers around the globe.

The regulatory landscape is shifting: US senators are pushing for greater accountability for financial institutions, and the UK now requires institutions to bear a 50:50 financial risk for fraudulent push payments. In response, banking leaders must deploy new strategies to react to current threats and intercept criminal behavior. Critical interventions like the use of AI to increase visibility and deploy proactive countermeasures provide a valuable new tool for anti-fraud, payment risk, and security teams worldwide.

AI, machine learning, and 70,000+ human-written rules are at the core of Netcraft’s detection, disruption, and takedown services. Leveraging advances in generative AI to anticipate – and prevent – criminal behavior was a natural next step.

Resources

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Cado Security Introduces First-Ever Support to Perform Investigations in Distroless Container Environments

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 8, 2024 by itnerd

Cado Security, provider of the first investigation and response automation platform, today announced the world’s first solution to perform forensic investigations in distroless container environments. With Cado Security’s new offering, security teams can investigate the root cause, scope, and impact of malicious activity detected within distroless container environments to gain greater visibility into cloud risk.

Distroless containers are designed for efficiency and security, stripped of standard OS components like shell utilities and package managers. While these containers offer some security benefits by minimizing the attack surface, they actually leave a huge security blindspot when something malicious does indeed occur. Until today, it was impossible to perform an investigation in these environments, resulting in a significant visibility gap.

Cado Security delivers a first-of-its-kind solution that addresses the unique challenges distroless containers introduce for security teams. Cado’s unique patent-pending approach collects data from distroless and private clusters without impacting the target container to enable immediate investigation. The collected data includes running processes, crucial log files, and forensic artifacts. Cado also uses its previously open-sourced “varc” toolset to collect memory from individual processes for forensic analysis. This evidence is then seamlessly presented in the Cado platform for unprecedented visibility into cloud risk.

Join Cado Security at RSA 2024: Visit the team at Booth #4316 or schedule an on-site meeting during the RSA Conference in San Francisco from May 6-9. For more information about Cado Security’s Distroless Container Support, please visit https://www.cadosecurity.com/blog/cado-introduces-first-ever-support-to-perform-investigations-in-distroless-containers.

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UK Military Payroll Provider Pwned… Military Members Data Accessed

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 8, 2024 by itnerd

Yesterday the BBC reported that a hack targeting a third-party payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence resulted in the unauthorized access of the personal information of an unknown number of UK military personnel.

In what is being considered a “significant data breach”, compromised data described as “personal HMRC-style information” includes names, bank details, and, in a very small number of cases, the personal addresses of both current and former members of the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force from over a period of several years.

The MoD is in the process of notifying those affected, including making veterans’ organizations aware of what has happened. 

Tomorrow, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is due to update MPs about the hack in the Commons where he is expected to set out a “multi-point plan”, including actions to protect affected service men and women.

While it has not been disclosed who is behind this hack, it comes shortly after the government publicly accused China of the 2021 hack targeting millions Electoral Commission voters and the NCSC said Russian intelligence was behind a “malicious cyber activity attempting to interfere in UK politics and democratic processes”.

Dave Ratner, CEO, HYAS had this to say:

   “Third-party breaches like this one and others will unfortunately continue and likely increase in volume; our increasing reliance on Cloud services and various third-party relationships dramatically increases the attack surface and creates a venerable panacea of entry points that can be exploited.  Only with the rapid implementation of cyber resiliency solutions, capable of seeing the telltale signs of a breach early and shutting it down before data is stolen, will we actually be able to stem the tide.”

Third party data breaches are getting just as bad as ransomware attacks. It’s time for it to stop as this is a situation that has become insanely bad. Which is not good for any of us.

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