ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot-detection company, has placed over 25,000 microphones in 170 cities worldwide, as reported by WIRED and South Side Weekly. Recent revelations suggest that ShotSpotter may continue providing gunshot data to police even after contracts have expired, sparking concerns about the fate of 2,500 microphones in Chicago once the contract ends.
Change Healthcare has admitted to paying a ransom to hackers who extorted the medical company. WIRED previously disclosed the $22 million ransom payment, one of the largest in history, but it wasn’t until recently that Change Healthcare confirmed the payment was made to protect patient data, some of which ended up on the dark web.
Research uncovered animators in North Korea creating artwork for major Hollywood studios, using a misconfigured cloud server to store animation files and working documents. Cisco also disclosed that state-sponsored hackers targeted their Adaptive Security Appliances, exploiting vulnerabilities in what is believed to be an espionage operation, potentially linked to China’s hackers.
Additionally, a bill signed by Joe Biden extends and enhances Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, granting increased surveillance capabilities to spy agencies, triggering concerns about potential abuse.
In other news, a former staff member in Baltimore was arrested for creating a fake audio clip of a local school principal making racist and antisemitic comments using artificial intelligence software. The individual was stopped at an airport with a gun, leading to charges of disrupting school activities and stalking, reportedly in retaliation for an investigation into irregular payments.
