US Sewage, Water Systems Under Attack By Iranian Cyberhackers
Authorities are aware of a campaign of hacks targeting multiple drinking water and sewage systems across the country, Bloomberg reports, with efforts underway to limit the impact. Also in the news: the global climate summit and a fight against tropical disease; polio; e-cigarettes; and more.
Bloomberg:
US Tries To Contain CyberAv3ngers Hacks On Water, Sewage Systems
US authorities are working to contain a campaign by Iranian hackers against multiple drinking water and sewage systems around the country. “We are aware of active targeting by these actors and exploitation,” Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters in a call on Monday. A “small number” of water utilities have been compromised, he said, and he urged operators to bolster security. (Manson, 12/4)
In other global developments —
Reuters:
COP28 Focus On Health Draws $777 Million To Fight Tropical Disease
The United Arab Emirates and several charities at the U.N. climate summit on Sunday offered $777 million in financing for eradicating neglected tropical diseases that are expected to worsen as temperatures climb. Climate-related factors "have become one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century", COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber said in a statement. (Dickie, Piper and Cornwell, 12/5)
The Washington Post:
After Long Banning Polio Campaigns, Taliban Declares War On The Disease
During its 20-year armed campaign, the Taliban repeatedly banned door-to-door immunization campaigns, helping to make Afghanistan one of only two countries where naturally acquired poliovirus is still endemic. Two years after the Taliban took power, however, it has done an about-face, and its unexpected efforts may now represent the best shot in two decades at eradicating the highly transmissible, crippling children’s disease in Afghanistan. (Noack, 12/5)
Reuters:
Stigma, Regulatory Barriers Delay Mpox Response In Country That Needs It Most
Vaccines and treatments that could help tackle an mpox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo are lying unused outside the country despite a death rate far higher than from the global outbreak that began last year. Stigma, regulatory hurdles and competing disease outbreaks are all factors holding back the response, according to almost a dozen scientists, public health officials and drugmakers involved. (Rigby, 12/5)
AP:
France's Parliament Considers A Ban On Single-Use E-Cigarettes
The French parliament is considering a ban on single-use, disposable electronic cigarettes that are popular with teenagers for their sweet flavors and are under scrutiny as a new source of trash. The ban, supported Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, aims to protect the health of youths and mitigate the environmental impacts of the increasingly popular disposable products known as “puffs.” (12/4)
