SonicWall says it was hacked using zero-days in its own products

The networking device vendor has published a series of mitigations as it’s investigating the incident and preparing patches.https://11151e3e9f8c7b5a9c5f14f619b6e7fb.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

By Catalin Cimpanu for Zero Day | January 23, 2021 — 11:29 GMT (03:29 PST) | Topic: Security

Networking device maker SonicWall said on Friday night that it is investigating a security breach of its internal network after detecting what it described as a “coordinated attack.”

In a short statement posted on its knowledgebase portal, the company said that “highly sophisticated threat actors” targeted its internal systems by “exploiting probable zero-day vulnerabilities on certain SonicWall secure remote access products.”

The company listed NetExtender VPN clients and the Secure Mobile Access (SMA) gateways as impacted:

• NetExtender VPN client version 10.x (released in 2020) utilized to connect to SMA 100 series appliances and SonicWall firewalls.
• Secure Mobile Access (SMA) version 10.x running on SMA 200, SMA 210, SMA 400, SMA 410 physical appliances, and the SMA 500v virtual appliance.

SonicWall said that the newer SMA 1000 series is not impacted as that particular product series is using a different VPN client than NetExtender.

Patches for the zero-day vulnerabilities are not available at the time of writing.

To help keep its own customers’ networks safe, the vendor has included a series of mitigations in its knowledgebase article, such as deploying a firewall to limit who can interact with SMA devices or disabling access via the NetExtender VPN client to its firewalls.

SonicWall also urged companies to enable two-factor authentication options in its products for admin accounts.

The Project Management Professional Certification Training Bundle: Lifetime Access

This 9-Course, 102-Hour Bundle Will Be Your Ticket to a Six-Figure Career in the Booming Project Management Field.Training provided by TechRepublic Academy

The networking device maker, whose products are often used to secure access to corporate networks, now becomes the fourth security vendor to disclose a security breach over the past two months after FireEye, Microsoft, and Malwarebytes.

All three previous companies were breached during the SolarWinds supply chain attack. CrowdStrike said it was targeted in the SolarWinds hack as well, but the attack did not succeed.

Cisco, another major vendor of networking and security devices, was also targeted by the SolarWinds hackers. The company said last month it was investigating if attackers escalated their initial access from the SolarWinds products to other parts of its network.

Multiple sources in the threat intel community told ZDNet after the publication of this article that SonicWall might have fallen victim to a ransomware attack.

COVID-19 and Sleep: Here’s Why You Have ‘Coronasomnia’ and How to Get Rid of It

By Lindsay Champion | Jan. 22, 2021

NADIA_BORMOTOVA/GETTY IMAGES

Ahh, February 2020. The good old days, when we went to restaurants with friends without having a panic attack, we could casually chat with our co-workers at the coffee machine in the office kitchen, and we were getting eight hours of glorious sleep every night. (Well, sometimes.) Now, everything has changed—including our sleep patterns. We’ve learned the hard way that COVID-19 and sleep don’t exactly go hand-in-hand. There’s even a term for it: coronasomnia. So whether you’re currently recovering from COVID-19 or you just want to get your sleep hygiene back on track after staring at screens for 12 hours, read on for tips to get more quality z’s in the time of corona.

My sleep has been awful since the pandemic started. Why?

Raise your hand if you’ve had a big change in your daily routine and have felt more stressed since the pandemic started. Well, according to Dr. Rachel Manber, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Stanford Sleep Health and Insomnia Program (SHIP), this is definitely no coincidence. “The two main contributors to potential worsening of sleep are changes in stress levels and changes in sleep behaviors,” she explains. So it makes complete sense that less-than-stellar sleep (not to mention crazy stress dreams) would be a big issue for lots of people right now.

If you are a front-line worker, there are obvious challenges and stressors you are now facing on a daily basis that you weren’t before. But even if your routine has been relatively unchanged and you are merely adjusting to working from home instead of in an office, it can greatly impact your sleep. “Being stuck at home, especially if it has low levels of natural light, may reduce light-based cues for wakefulness and sleep, known as zeitgebers, which are crucial to our circadian rhythm,” says the National Sleep Foundation website.

If you are unemployed due to the pandemic, being faced with a lack of routine can have a big impact on sleep too. If you’re sleeping in later than you usually would, it can be difficult to fall asleep on time the following night. A 2006 study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that most people who suffer from depression also experience some type of sleep disturbance. And if you’re busy homeschooling kids all day and trying to cram in your extra work or chores after the kids go to sleep, it can be a challenge to give yourself adequate time to unwind for bed—leaving your mind racing instead of resting for the day ahead. 

If you are currently recovering from COVID-19, your symptoms might be affecting your sleep—these symptoms might include a fever and chills, muscle aches, headaches, shortness of breath, a sore throat, congestion, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC tells us. (Not to mention the worry about potentially spreading the illness to your friends and family, or wondering whether your symptoms are improving or getting worse.)

And this, friends, is why you’re having trouble sleeping right now. You aren’t alone—but luckily, there are a few things you can do to get back on track. 

How can I improve my sleep hygiene during the pandemic?

First, acknowledge the fact that nearly everyone is having trouble sleeping right now. And if you stop beating yourself up about your crappy sleep, it should help reduce your stress level a tiny bit.

But it’s important to get quality sleep whenever you can, especially during a pandemic. “The most important immune supporting tool that I see most [people] in the Western world eschew is adequate sleep, Rand McClain, M.D. tells us. “Regular sleep—seven to nine hours nightly—and during roughly the same period, daily exercise and proper nutrition (including hydration) are keys to maintaining health and a well-functioning immune system.”

How do you give yourself the best chance to get more sleep? It’s time to revamp your daily habits.

1. Set a schedule
Even if your day has become more flexible since the pandemic started, that doesn’t give you permission to throw your entire schedule out the window. Try to wake up and fall asleep roughly at the same time every day, even if your day-to-day tasks vary.

2. Resist the urge to work (or eat) in bed
If working at home is new for you, it can be tempting to want to clock in from under your duvet. But having no separation between work and your personal life can negatively impact your sleep. “Unless you are careful to maintain boundaries, you may start to feel like you’re always at work and losing a place to come home to,” says the Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Being More Productive. If you have no other quiet workspace besides your bed (we’ve been there), get dressed and sit on top of your made bed, using a pillow to support your back.

3. Spend time outside
On a cold day when you don’t technically need to leave the house, it can be tempting to skip your daily walk around the neighborhood. But exposing yourself to even a few minutes of natural blue light in the morning can be a game-changer. “Expose yourself to sunlight first thing in the morning by going for a 15-minute walk, suggests behavioral sleep medicine specialist Lisa Medalie, PsyD, CBSM. “It improves circadian rhythm and morning alertness, thereby reducing insomnia.”

4. Create a “worry log”
If your mind starts racing as soon as you turn out the lights, you might benefit from writing a “worry log” before bed, suggests the Massachusetts General Hospital Offload everything that’s been running through your brain into a notebook on your nightstand, so you can clear your head for a good night’s sleep.

5. Take time to relax before bed
You know you’re supposed to turn all screens off an hour before you fall asleep, but how often do you actually do it? (We thought so.) Use that hour to do a nighttime yoga routine, take a warm bath or listen to a sleep story (we like the Calm bedtime story app) instead.

And what if I have COVID-19? How do I get some rest?

If your doctor approves, some patients with COVID-19 are advised to take melatonin supplements to improve sleep quality. In fact, a recent study conducted by Columbia University found that critically ill patients who took melatonin had an increased likelihood of recovery. Running a cool mist humidifier in your bedroom while you sleep can also help loosen congestion, the Virginia Mason Medical Center website advises. If you continue to have trouble sleeping, contact your doctor.

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad drops to $199 at Amazon

A good deal if you want to use your tablet like a laptop.

Jon Fingas, @jonfingas13h ago 3Comments 159Shares 

Sponsored Links

A healthier “you” is within reach.Best Buy Canada10 Stocks for Canadian Investors to Buy This MonthThe Motley Fool CanadaChrome Users? Say Goodbye to Pop UpsGuardio

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. If you buy something through one of the links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of the time of publication but are subject to change.

It’s now decidedly more affordable to get the combo of an iPad and a Magic Keyboard — if you act quickly, at least. Amazon is selling the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air and 11-inch iPad Pro (no Pencil included) for $199, a full $100 below the usual price. The version for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has received a slight discount as well, to $330, but it’s clear the smaller model is the star.

Buy Magic Keyboard for iPad Air/11-inch iPad Pro at Amazon – $199

Buy Magic Keyboard for 12.9-inch iPad Pro at Amazon – $330

The Magic Keyboard isn’t the only viable iPad keyboard available, but it’s arguably one of the best. The keyboard and trackpad feel great to use, and that unusual ‘floating’ design lets you quickly grab your tablet for a drawing session or TV marathon. This is also one of those precious iPad keyboards you can use on your lap in some situations. It’s a good complement to the iPad Air and smaller iPad Pro if you’d rather not buy a laptop.

There are drawbacks. The limited range of motion won’t make it an ideal keyboard for lazing on the couch, and the USB-C port is only for charging. You may want to look at alternatives like Logitech’s Folio Touch if you want more versatility. However, this sale eliminates our main concern about the cost. Although $199 is still at the higher end of iPad keyboard pricing, it’s easier to justify if your Apple slate serves as a productivity machine.

Bloomberg: Face ID for iMac Likely Pushed Back to Second Iteration of Upcoming Redesign

Friday January 22, 2021 3:56 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Apple is believed to be working on redesigned versions of the iMac that feature the biggest design overhaul to the ‌iMac‌ line since 2012. However, Apple’s Face ID facial recognition authentication system is likely to feature in the second iteration of the redesign rather than the first, which is due this year, according to a new report today by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

The tidbit came at the end of a report today about a forthcoming redesign of the MacBook Air. In addition, the report highlights Apple’s intention to launch a slew of updates to its Mac lineup that reflect the desires of the Mac’s staunchest supporters, with the introduction of new ports, slots, and cellular connectivity.

Apple has also developed underlying Mac support for both cellular connectivity — the ability for Macs to connect to the internet via smartphone networks — and Face ID, the company’s facial recognition system. But neither feature appears to be coming soon. To that end, Face ID had originally been planned to arrive in this year’s ‌iMac‌ redesign, but it’s now unlikely to be included in the first iteration of the new design.

Face ID debuted in 2018’s iPhone X and has been a tentpole feature of Apple’s flagship iPhones ever since, with the iPad Pro also gaining the facial recognition system. Speculation that Apple will bring Face ID to Macs isn’t new, however rumors have been few and far between, which makes Gurman’s information worth highlighting.

Apple’s Face ID feature that allows a device to be unlocked with a facial scan is limited to the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad at the current time, but code found in the macOS Big Sur betas has suggested that Face ID may come to Macs in the future.

According to previous Bloomberg reports, the redesigned ‌iMac‌ models will feature slimmed down bezels around the display and the metal chin will be removed. It is expected to look quite similar to the Pro Display XDR monitor that Apple released in 2019.

Instead of a curved rear design, the iMacs will feature a flat back, and prior rumors have described the new iMacs as using an “‌iPad Pro‌ design language.” At least one of the new models that will replace the 21.5 and 27-inch models will measure in at 23 to 24 inches, but it’s not clear what size the second ‌iMac‌ will be.

A 23 or 24 inch ‌iMac‌ would probably be the same size as the current 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ physically, with the larger display enabled through smaller bezels. A new ‌iMac‌ with a fresh design and an Apple Silicon chip could come in the first half of this year.

The redesigned iMacs will adopt Apple silicon chips, and the revamped look will coincide with Apple’s move to shift away from Intel’s chips, giving the iMacs updated processors and a fresh design all at once.

Apple plans to equip the new iMacs with next-generation versions of the Apple silicon chips that will be faster and with more GPU power. Apple is testing Apple silicon chips with as many as 16 power cores and four efficiency cores, but higher-end desktop models could have as many as 32 high-performance cores. Apple is also working on improved GPU technology and is testing 16 and 32-core graphics components.

The new iMacs are expected be released in spring to fall 2021, and it’s not yet clear if both models will come out at the same time.

VoiceHub provides voice assistants with no programming needed

VoiceHub from Sensory lets anyone add a Natural Language user interface to (almost) anything

By Eileen Brown for Social Business | January 23, 2021 — 11:16 GMT (03:16 PST) | Topic: Artificial Intelligence

It is quite a complex process to create voice user interfaces that are capable of natural language understanding and require no programming experience.

Now a vision and voice technologies platform has released what could be the solution to the problem.

This week Santa Clara, CA-based Sensory announced the official release of VoiceHub. VoiceHub is a free online portal for creating and designing accurate voice user interfaces.

Its technologies are used in consumer electronics applications including mobile phones, automotive, wearables, toys, IoT and home electronics.

With VoiceHub and its companion apps for Android and iOS, the company now has integrated support for its large vocabulary speech recognition solution TrulyNatural that runs on devices with customizable natural language understanding (NLU) capabilities.

Designers can use drag-n-drop to produce natural language-enabled products capable of supporting dozens of languages and dialects.

Brands can create free, custom-branded wake words, small-vocabulary command sets or full-blown domain-specific natural language voice assistants.

Natural language processing: A cheat sheet (free PDF)

Natural language processing (NLP) is a cross-discipline approach to making computers hear, process, understand, and duplicate human language. Fields including linguistics, computer science, and machine learning are all a part of the process of NLP, the…Downloads provided by TechRepublic

Sensory’s technologies have so far shipped in over a billion units of leading consumer products.

Todd Mozer, CEO at Sensory. “Since releasing the VoiceHub beta in October, VUI designers around the world have used it to create hundreds of voice AI models for dozens of automotive, wearable, smart speaker and smart home products.

Our new large vocabulary and NLU capabilities will unlock enhanced VUI functionality with intents and entities. This empowers designers to develop more complex and truly conversational voice interfaces with the capability of handling millions of unique phrases.

By adding VoiceHub to the menu of Sensory technologies accessible to our STM32 Discovery Board customers, developers are able to design working prototypes of natural language-capable products in a manner of minutes, not days.”

On January 27th, Sensory will partner with STMicroelectronics, to jointly host a VoiceHub webinar focused on creating large vocabulary, NLU models for the STM32 Discovery kit.

The webinar will cover creating custom wake words, domain-specific language models, and integrate with the ST development platforms. Webinar registration is open at Sensory’s web site.

Providing free access to tools like VoiceHub will help developers to create the next generation of branded voice experiences and customized voice assistants for public and enterprise systems.

Voice assistant technologies are a hot commodity and brands want them badly, but they often do not want to dilute their brand by using a product that needs an “Alexa” wake word.

Even though this week Amazon announced that it is offering custom-branded voice assistants based on its Alexa platform, brands might not need their products to rely on an internet connection, or share their customer data with Amazon.

Cutting months of development and model training time out of the product development timeline could be a significant strategic advantage for brands. And lack of programming experience should no longer hold you back.

Lack of sleep, stress can lead to symptoms resembling concussion

Study suggests baseline symptoms may help interpret recovery scores

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Research NewsSHARE PRINT E-MAIL

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study suggests that a lot of people might be going through life with symptoms that resemble concussion – a finding supporting researchers’ argument that athletes recovering from a brain injury should be assessed and treated on a highly individualized basis.

In the national study, between 11% and 27% of healthy college athletes with no history of a recent concussion reported combinations of symptoms that met criteria for post-concussion syndrome (PCS) as defined by an international classification system. Among the nearly 31,000 student-athletes surveyed, three factors stood out as the most likely to predict PCS-like symptoms: lack of sleep, pre-existing mental health problems and stress.

The participants were cadets from four U.S. military service academies – who undergo rigorous training and are required to participate in athletics – and students who competed in NCAA sports at 26 U.S. higher education institutions.

Beyond the substantial numbers of students who reported clusters of PCS-like symptoms, between one-half and three-quarters of all of the athletes surveyed reported one or more symptoms commonly experienced by people who’ve had a concussion, the most common being fatigue or low energy and drowsiness.

“The numbers were high, and were consistent with previous research in this area, but it is quite shocking,” said study lead author Jaclyn Caccese, assistant professor in The Ohio State University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “These are elite athletes who are physically fit, and they are experiencing that many symptoms commonly reported following concussion. So looking across the general population, they’d probably have even more.”

It’s important to understand that there are multiple sources of these symptoms, researchers say, so that student-athletes’ post-concussion care zeroes in on symptoms caused by the injury. In addition, knowing athletes’ medical history and baseline symptom status may help clinicians predict which pre-existing factors could contribute to a slower recovery from a concussion.

“When a patient comes into a clinic and they are a month or more out from their most recent concussion, we need to know what symptoms they were experiencing before their concussion to know if their symptoms are attributable to their concussion or something else. Then we can start treating the concussion-related symptoms to hopefully help people recover more quickly,” Caccese said.

This study, published last week in the journal Sports Medicine, was conducted by the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium established by the NCAA and U.S. Department of Defense. Caccese completed the research while she was a PhD student and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware, a consortium member institution.

The initiative is designed to fill gaps in knowledge about concussion effects and recovery among student-athletes at colleges, universities and military service academies by collecting and analyzing data on men and women who compete in a range of sports and undergo military training.

Participants in this study included 12,039 military service academy cadets and 18,548 NCAA student-athletes who completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool symptom evaluation as part of the consortium’s baseline testing. The consortium also collected demographic data and personal and family medical histories from participants.

Statistical analyses showed which factors in athletes’ medical histories were most closely associated with reports of symptoms that aligned with PCS criteria. Among cadets, 17.8% of men and 27.6% of women reported a cluster of symptoms that met PCS criteria. Among NCAA athletes, 11.4% of men and 20% of women reported combined symptoms that mimicked the PCS criteria. (Caccese said the varied timing of data collection at military service academies compared to NCAA preseason testing likely contributed to the symptoms reported by a higher percentage of cadets.)

For both groups, sleep problems – and particularly insufficient sleep the night before the test – and pre-existing psychiatric disorders were the most predictive conditions, and a history of migraines also contributed to symptoms that met PCS criteria. In cadets, academic problems and being a first-year student increased odds of having symptoms that met PCS criteria, and in NCAA athletes, a history of ADHD or depression contributed to meeting PCS criteria.

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision uses the term post-concussion syndrome for persistent symptoms following concussion, although the cause or causes of these symptoms can be difficult to determine. Symptoms range from persistent headaches, dizziness and fatigue to anxiety, insomnia and loss of concentration and memory.

A complicating factor with high symptom reporting is that recognizing concussion and determining return to play is based on reported symptoms. And while some symptoms may be more closely connected to concussion than others – such as dizziness, pressure in the head, or sensitivity to light or noise – others, like fatigue, drowsiness and even headaches, can be linked to a variety of causes.

“Perhaps we can create a battery of symptoms more specific to concussion,” Caccese said. “That is another project in this series – trying to see if there are groups of symptoms or specific symptoms that may be more able to identify individuals with concussion.”

The CARE Consortium also aims to identify factors that will help predict outcomes in student-athletes and cadets who suffer concussions.

“This hopefully not only shows clinicians that we need to consider how people would have presented before injury, but also provides some normative data so they can interpret other patients’ data,” Caccese said. “We really don’t know a lot about why people have persistent symptoms, and it seems to be very variable. So we’re trying to understand this better to help predict who will have a prolonged recovery, and who will not.”

###

Co-authors of the study were investigators from multiple CARE Consortium member institutions.

Contact:
Jaclyn Caccese,
Caccese.1@osu.edu

Written by Emily Caldwell,
Caldwell.151@osu.edu

This publication was made possible, in part, with support from the Grand Alliance Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium, funded, in part, by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014, is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the Combat Casualty Care Research Program, endorsed by the Department of Defense, through the Joint Program Committee 6/ Combat Casualty Care Research Program – Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Program under Award No. W81XWH1420151. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.