This Week's [in]Security - Issue 179 | insecurity | Control Gap

Welcome to This Week’s [in]Security. Magecart. Warner Music. American Payroll. New breaches: US Voter db? Norway. Experian SA. Telmate. New Ransomware. Contact tracing. Facial Recognition. Geofence warrants. CEO Liability. NSA Ruling. Algorithmic Policing. Firmware. Cyber Space? Deepfakes. Cisco 0-day. WhatsApp. Magento. Encyrption vs. Hashing. RSA keys. IoT. Supply Chain Pwnage. Tricky Phishing. DDoS. Nortel Lessons. Frosh. Election Security & Disinformation. Typo-squatting. Link rot. AI grading. Covid-19: Spread, Curves, Spikes, Waves, & reinfections. Lockdown, Reopening, & The New Normal. More of the Good, Bad, and Ugly. And more.

Note: The COVID section appears later in the article.

PCI Compliance and Payments

News and announcements relating to Payment Security, PCI, Card Brands, Payments, Payment Malware and Fraud.

• P2PE expired listings for solutions, applications, and components that have not been renewed https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pdfs/P2PE_Expiry_Bulletin_Final.pdf
• P2PE v3.x Technical (mandatory) FAQs https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/PCI-SSC_P2PEv3_Technical_FAQs.pdf
• Updated FAQs for Card Production Security Requirements https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/Card_Prod_Security_Rqrmts_FAQs_v2_Aug_2020.pdf

• Magecart:

  • Magecart Credit-Card Skimmer Adds Telegram as C2 Channel https://threatpost.com/magecart-credit-card-skimmer-telegram-c2-channel/158851/
  • Warner Music Discloses Months-Long Web Skimming Incident https://www.zdnet.com/article/warner-music-discloses-months-long-web-skimming-incident
  • American Payroll Association notifies people of cyberattack on site https://www.databreaches.net/american-payroll-association-notifies-people-of-cyberattack-on-site/
  • Inter: The Magecart Skimming Tool Now on More than 1,500 Sites https://www.riskiq.com/blog/external-threat-management/inter-skimmer/
• North Korea ATM Hack https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/09/north_korea_atm.html
• How Payment Card Fraud Detection Must Change https://www.databreachtoday.com/how-payment-card-fraud-detection-must-change-a-14939

Breaches / Ransomware / Leaks

Covering breaches, leaks, data exposures, ransomware (as potential breach), and their fallout.

• New breaches:

  • U.S. Voter Databases on Dark Web Stolen or not? https://threatpost.com/u-s-voter-databases-offered-free-dark-web/158840/ and https://www.databreachtoday.com/fbi-cisa-reject-russian-claim-us-voter-data-was-stolen-a-14935
  • Hackers Attack Norway's Parliament https://www.securityweek.com/hackers-attack-norways-parliament
  • Experian (South Africa) - 1,284,637 breached accounts https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites#Experian2020
  • Prison phone service Telmate exposes messages, personal info of millions of inmates and their contacts https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/prison-phone-service-exposes-millions-inmate-records/
  • Cyber attack on Lugar Laboratory in Georgia – important information stolen https://www.databreaches.net/cyber-attack-on-lugar-laboratory-in-georgia-important-information-stolen/

• New Ransomware:

  • FBI issues second alert about ProLock ransomware stealing data https://www.databreaches.net/fbi-issues-second-alert-about-prolock-ransomware-stealing-data/
  • Amphastar Pharmaceuticals discovers that threat actors had exfiltrated employee data in May ransomware attack https://www.databreaches.net/amphastar-pharmaceuticals-discovers-that-threat-actors-had-exfiltrated-employee-data-in-may-ransomware-attack/
  • Rocky Mount hit by ransomware, investigating and trying to recover https://www.databreaches.net/rocky-mount-hit-by-ransomware-investigating-and-trying-to-recover/

• Follow-ups:

  • Class Action Lawsuit Questions Blackbaud's Hacker Payoff https://www.databreachtoday.com/class-action-lawsuit-questions-blackbauds-hacker-payoff-a-14922
  • Did a 16-Year-Old Have A Hand in Twitter Hack? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/technology/twitter-hack.html
  • AusCERT says alleged DoE hack came from a third-party https://www.zdnet.com/article/auscert-says-alleged-doe-hack-came-from-a-third-party
  • Equifax Breach: CISO Describes Lessons Learned https://www.databreachtoday.com/interviews/equifax-breach-ciso-describes-lessons-learned-i-4758

Privacy

Articles about privacy related news, risks, and trends.

• COVID-19 Contact tracing:

  • Lessons From a Virus Tracing Dud https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/technology/coronavirus-tracing-technology.html
  • COVID-19 Tracking Technology Will Not Save Us https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/covid-19-tracking-technology-will-not-save-us
  • Canadian military asked to use government’s COVID Alert app https://globalnews.ca/news/7314173/canada-military-covid-alert-app/
• GAO Report: CBP Needs to Address Privacy Issues with Facial Recognition Deployment https://epic.org/2020/09/gao-report-cbp-needs-to-addres.html
• Ford Teams Up With Pay-Per-Mile Insurer https://www.pymnts.com/news/partnerships-acquisitions/2020/ford-teams-with-pay-per-mile-insurer/

Laws & Regulations / Standards

News about laws, regulations, and standards affecting security, privacy, technology, and public interest.

• Feds can’t ask Google for every phone in a 100-meter radius https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/feds-cant-ask-google-for-every-phone-in-a-100-meter-radius-court-says/
• Gartner Warns CEOs Will Be Personally Liable for Breaches by 2024 https://www.databreaches.net/gartner-warns-ceos-will-be-personally-liable-for-breaches-by-2024/
• Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week Noveber 9-14 https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nice/events/national-cybersecurity-career-awareness-week
• 2020 NICE K12 VIRTUAL Cybersecurity Education Conference takes place December 7-8 https://www.k12cybersecurityconference.org/register
• Online Voting Startup Wants to Limit Some Security Research https://www.databreachtoday.com/online-voting-startup-wants-to-limit-some-security-research-a-14953 and https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/04/voatz_supreme_court/
• Auto Industry TV Ads Claim Right to Repair Benefits 'Sexual Predators' https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj4ayw/auto-industry-tv-ads-claim-right-to-repair-benefits-sexual-predators
• Appeals Court: NSA Metadata Program Was Illegal, Likely Unconstitutional https://epic.org/2020/09/appeals-court-nsa-metadata-pro.html
• EPIC to Supreme Court: Government Insiders Who Improperly Access Personal Data Violate Computer Crime Statute https://epic.org/2020/09/epic-to-supreme-court-governme.html
• Pass the Payment Choice Act https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/pass-payment-choice-act
• Algorithmic Policing in Canada Explained https://citizenlab.ca/2020/09/algorithmic-policing-in-canada-explained/

Defense / Techniques / Solutions

Covering developments and opportunities that may help improve security.

• Firefox Will Add A New Drive-By Download Protection https://www.zdnet.com/article/firefox-will-add-a-new-drive-by-download-protection/
• Force firmware code to be measured and attested by Secure Launch on Windows 10 https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/09/01/force-firmware-code-to-be-measured-and-attested-by-secure-launch-on-windows-10/
• White House publishes a cyber-security rulebook for space systems https://www.zdnet.com/article/white-house-publishes-a-cyber-security-rulebook-for-space-systems
• Deepfake detection tool unveiled by Microsoft https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53984114
• Why Kubernetes Clusters Are Intrinsically Insecure (& What to Do About Them) https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/why-kubernetes-clusters-are-intrinsically-insecure-(and-what-to-do-about-them)/a/d-id/1338747
• How to turn off autoplay videos on Facebook, Twitter, Firefox, and more https://www.theverge.com/21422932/autoplay-videos-how-to-facebook-twitter-reddit-chrome-safari-edge-firefox
• You can now download your Twitter data again and see what hackers could’ve nabbed https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/3/21421528/twitter-data-archive-download-after-hack
• Removing Open Source Visibility Challenges for Security Operations Teams https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/20/h/removing-open-source-visibility-challenges-for-security-operatio.html
• How to wipe Android and iPhone completely clean before selling https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/wipe-android-phone-before-selling/ and https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/wipe-iphone/
• The Value of CSSLP Certification Is Surging https://blog.isc2.org/isc2_blog/2020/09/the-value-of-csslp-certification-is-surging.html

Bugs / Design Flaws / Vulnerabilities / Research

Articles about newly discovered vulnerabilities and research.

• We Need Better Classification of Threat Intelligence https://www.securityweek.com/we-need-better-classification-threat-intelligence
• Most cyber-security reports only focus on the cool threats https://www.zdnet.com/article/most-cyber-security-reports-only-focus-on-the-cool-threats
• Cisco warns of actively exploited IOS XR zero-day https://www.zdnet.com/article/cisco-warns-of-actively-exploited-ios-xr-zero-day/
• A single text is all it took to unleash code-execution worm in Cisco Jabber https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/a-single-text-is-all-it-took-to-unleash-code-execution-worm-in-cisco-jabber/
• Windows 10 2004: This new build brings a monster list of fixes https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-2004-new-build-brings-a-monster-list-of-fixes/
• WhatsApp Discloses 6 Bugs via Dedicated Security Site https://threatpost.com/whatsapp-discloses-6-bugs-dedicated-security-site/158962/
• Magento Sites Vulnerable to RCE Stemming From Magmi Plugin Flaws https://threatpost.com/magento-sites-vulnerable-to-rce-stemming-from-magmi-plugin-flaws/158864/
• Millions of WordPress sites are being probed & attacked with recent plugin bug https://www.zdnet.com/article/millions-of-wordpress-sites-are-being-probed-attacked-with-recent-plugin-bug/
• Facebook explains how it will notify third-parties about bugs in their products https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-explains-how-it-will-notify-third-parties-about-bugs-in-their-products
• TWe Didn't Encrypt Your Password, We Hashed It. Here's What That Means https://www.troyhunt.com/we-didnt-encrypt-your-password-we-hashed-it-heres-what-that-means/
• (Happier cracking) Nvidia announces new RTX 3080 GPU, priced at $699 and launching September 17th https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/1/21409953/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-specs-price-release-date-features
• Python and Risky Windows API Calls https://isc.sans.edu/diary/rss/26530
• Incorrectly Generated RSA Keys: How To Recover Lost Plaintexts https://eprint.iacr.org/2020/1059
• Interesting story of a class break against the entire Tesla fleet in 2017 https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/09/2017_tesla_hack.html
• Most IoT Hardware Dangerously Easy to Crack https://www.darkreading.com/iot/most-iot-hardware-dangerously-easy-to-crack-/d/d-id/1338828
• The Hidden Security Risks of Business Applications https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/the-hidden-security-risks-of-business-applications/a/d-id/1338795

Hacking / Malware / Cybercrime / Exploitation

News covering active trends and events.

• Old and busted: Targeting servers and web bugs. New hotness: Pwning devs with targeted poisoned stacks https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/04/disclosure_developer_targeting/
• Attackers Steal Outlook Credentials Via Overlay Screens on Legitimate Sites https://threatpost.com/attackers-steal-outlook-credentials-overlay-screens/158969/
• Tricky 'Forms' of Phishing https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/20/i/tricky-forms-of-phishing.html
• Iranian Hackers Reportedly Selling Network Access to Others https://www.databreachtoday.com/iranian-hackers-reportedly-selling-network-access-to-others-a-14933
• European ISPs report mysterious wave of DDoS attacks https://www.zdnet.com/article/european-isps-report-mysterious-wave-of-ddos-attacks/
• DDoS Attacks on Education Escalate in 2020 https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/ddos-attacks-on-education-escalate-in-2020/d/d-id/1338854
• Exposed Windows Domain Controllers Used in CLDAP DDoS Attacks https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Exposed+Windows+Domain+Controllers+Used+in+CLDAP+DDoS+Attacks/26526/
• CNN-News18 allegedly hacked to deny PayTM hack claims https://www.databreaches.net/cnn-news18-allegedly-hacked-to-deny-paytm-hack-claims/
• BEC Wire Transfers Average $80K Per Attack https://threatpost.com/bec-wire-transfers-average-80k/158914/
• Jewish Federation of Greater Washington reports $7.5 million hack https://www.databreaches.net/jewish-federation-of-greater-washington-reports-7-5-million-hack/
• India's Railway Protection Force Busts Major Cross-border Gang of Hackers and Touts Involved in E-ticketing, CBI to Take Over Case https://www.databreaches.net/in-rpf-busts-major-cross-border-gang-of-hackers-and-touts-involved-in-e-ticketing-cbi-to-take-over-case/
• Malware gang uses .NET library to generate Excel docs that bypass security checks https://www.zdnet.com/article/malware-gang-uses-net-library-to-generate-excel-docs-that-bypass-security-checks
• China-based APT Debuts Sepulcher Malware in Spear-Phishing Attacks https://threatpost.com/chinese-apt-sepulcher-malware-phishing-attacks/158871/
• No Rest for the Wicked: Evilnum Unleashes PyVil RAT https://www.cybereason.com/blog/no-rest-for-the-wicked-evilnum-unleashes-pyvil-rat
• New KryptoCibule Windows malware is a triple threat for cryptocurrency users https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-kryptocibule-windows-malware-is-a-triple-threat-for-cryptocurrency-users
• Inside the Chinese military attack on Nortel https://globalnews.ca/news/7275588/inside-the-chinese-military-attack-on-nortel/
• Chinese Researcher Arrested for Destroying Evidence of Data Transfer to China https://www.securityweek.com/chinese-researcher-arrested-destroying-evidence-data-transfer-china
• AlphaBay Moderator Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison https://www.databreachtoday.com/alphabay-moderator-sentenced-to-11-years-in-prison-a-14943
• RCMP charge 2 Montreal men in cyberattacks at Canadian Tire, BMO and Simplii https://www.databreaches.net/rcmp-charge-2-montreal-men-in-cyberattacks-at-canadian-tire-bmo-and-simplii/

Other Security / Risk

Articles covering other types of risks.

• COVID-19 Other risks and impact:

  • Generation Work-From-Home May Never Recover https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/10/career-costs-working-from-home/615472/
  • Coronavirus pandemic taking its toll on children’s overall safety and health https://globalnews.ca/news/7309908/coronavirus-pandemic-children-safety-health/
  • Surgical backlog in Ontario from COVID-19 will take 84 weeks to clear https://scienmag.com/surgical-backlog-in-ontario-from-covid-19-will-take-84-weeks-to-clear/
  • Australia enters recession, posts worst economic crash since 1930s https://globalnews.ca/news/7311333/coronavirus-australia-recession/
  • A 'tsunami' of retail bankruptcies is about to sweep the US and drown courts in Chapter 11 filings https://www.businessinsider.com/retail-bankruptcy-lawyer-why-more-chapter-11-filings-to-come-2020-9
• Bulletproof TLS Newsletter #68 - China blocks encrypted SNI, SNI exfiltration, DNS and SSRF, Algorithm Registries Considered Harmful https://www.feistyduck.com/bulletproof-tls-newsletter/issue_68_great_firewall_of_china_blocks_encrypted_sni_extension
• CenturyLink outage led to a 3.5% drop in global web traffic https://www.zdnet.com/article/centurylink-outage-led-to-a-3-5-drop-in-global-web-traffic/
• Frosh Follies - York Regional Police say #partywithcaution when going back to school https://www.680news.com/2020/09/04/york-regional-police-say-partywithcaution-when-going-back-to-school/
• FBI: Ring Smart Doorbells Could Sabotage Cops https://threatpost.com/fbi-ring-smart-doorbells-sabotage-cops/158837/
• Huntsville OPP warn of cottage rental scam https://globalnews.ca/news/7312847/huntsville-cottage-rental-scam/
• Russian Election Misinformation Campaign Re-Emerges https://www.databreachtoday.com/russian-election-misinformation-campaign-re-emerges-a-14931 and https://www.securityweek.com/facebook-nabs-russia-linked-campaign-fuel-us-chaos
• Facebook Moves to Stop Election Misinformation https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/technology/facebook-election-chaos-november.html
• ‘Troll factory’: Facebook, Twitter suspend Russian network ahead of U.S. election https://globalnews.ca/news/7310597/facebook-twitter-suspend-russian-network-us-election/
• A Freelance Writer Learns He Was Working for the Russians https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/technology/peacedata-writer-russian-misinformation.html
• Tracking the Targets of 'Cybersquatting' Attacks https://www.databreachtoday.com/tracking-targets-cybersquatting-attacks-a-14951
• US election: Two-thirds of typosquatted domains are non-malicious or parked sites https://www.zdnet.com/article/us-election-two-thirds-of-typosquatted-domains-are-non-malicious-or-parked-sites
• A measurement of link rot: 57% https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2020/09/03/a-measurement-of-link-rot-57/
• Hacking AI-Graded Tests https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/09/hacking_ai-grad.html
• Amazon takes down a five-star fraud in the UK https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/4/21423429/amazon-top-reviewers-uk-fraud
• Airline pilots report ‘guy in a jetpack’ flying past them near LAX https://globalnews.ca/news/7309664/jetpack-lax-pilots/
• A Ukrainian airline banned a passenger for life after she opened a jet's emergency exit door and walked around on the wing https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-international-airlines-passenger-opens-exit-walks-on-wing-2020-9
• Iran's enriched uranium stockpile '10 times limit' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-54033441
• It will cost $1.8 billion to pull Huawei and ZTE out of US networks https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/4/21422939/huawei-zte-us-phone-networks-fcc-congress-reimbursement-cost
• Chinese students face increased scrutiny at US airports https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54016278
• Palantir Filed To Go Public. The Firm's Unethical Technology Should Horrify Us https://packetstormsecurity.com/news/view/31544/Palantir-Filed-To-Go-Public.-The-Firms-Unethical-Technology-Should-Horrify-Us.html
• The Joys of Owning an ‘OG’ Email Account https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/09/the-joys-of-owning-an-og-email-account/
• How Cybercriminals Take the Fun Out of Gaming https://www.darkreading.com/edge/theedge/how-cybercriminals-take-the-fun-out-of-gaming/b/d-id/1338856
• Amazon Drivers Are Hanging Smartphones in Trees to Get More Work https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-01/amazon-drivers-are-hanging-smartphones-in-trees-to-get-more-work
• Alberta man charged with 3D printing firearm parts https://globalnews.ca/news/7313873/alberta-man-charged-alert-3d-printing-firearm-parts/
• Sleep Experts Call For The Abolition of Daylight Saving Time in The US https://www.sciencealert.com/sleep-experts-have-called-for-the-abolition-of-daylight-saving-time-in-the-us
• 'Ultra-Processed' Junk Food Linked to Advanced Ageing at Cellular Level https://www.sciencealert.com/study-links-ultra-processed-junk-food-to-age-marker-in-chromosomes
• How to Stop a Police Pullback https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/how-stop-police-pullback/615730/
• Common class of drugs linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease https://scienmag.com/common-class-of-drugs-linked-to-increased-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/
• Common cold combats influenza https://scienmag.com/common-cold-combats-influenza/
• Honeybee venom 'kills some breast cancer cells' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-53994058
• Study provides insight on how to build a better flu vaccine https://scienmag.com/study-provides-insight-on-how-to-build-a-better-flu-vaccine/
• Unexploded ordnance from Second World War discovered in North Okanagan park https://globalnews.ca/news/7311048/unexploded-ordnance-discovered-north-okanagan/
• Recently Declassified Soviet Video Shows the Biggest Nuclear Explosion in History https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/629591/watch-russian-video-of-largest-hydrogen-bomb-ever-detonated
• Glacial Lake Volume Has Surged by 50 Percent in Just 30 Years https://www.sciencealert.com/climate-change-fuels-sharp-increase-in-glacier-lakes
• Giant Gaping Void Emerges in Siberia, The Latest in a Dramatic Ongoing Phenomenon https://www.sciencealert.com/another-giant-gaping-crater-was-suddenly-found-in-siberia-the-largest-in-recent-years

COVID-19 updates.

COVID related articles. We have been following coronavirus risks since https://controlgap.com/blog/this-weeks-insecurity-issue-147.

• The spread, curves, spikes, and waves - now reinfection:

  • India crosses 4 million coronavirus cases, closes in on Brazil as 2nd in world https://globalnews.ca/news/7318102/india-coronavirus-4-million-cases/
  • Canada adds 400 coronavirus cases, 2 deaths on Sunday https://globalnews.ca/news/7319426/coronavirus-cases-sunday-sept-06/
  • Libya at ‘turning point,’ coronavirus ‘spiralling out of control’ https://globalnews.ca/news/7312730/un-libya-turning-point/
  • Coronavirus Deaths in Middle East pass 50,000 https://globalnews.ca/news/7315465/coronavirus-middle-east-deaths/
  • COVID-19 Ontario: Province records 148 new infections, nearly half in Peel Region https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mobile/ontario-records-148-new-covid-19-cases-nearly-half-are-in-peel-region-1.5092504
  • List of recent potential COVID-19 exposures on flights through British Columbia https://globalnews.ca/news/7317294/coronavirus-b-c-vancouver-flight-exposures/
  • (How the heck! ...)The coronavirus may have spread through bathroom drains 12 stories apart in a high-rise, raising concerns about fecal transmission https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-feces-airborne-transmission-bathroom-drains-china-apartment-building-2020-9
  • (Not Contcat tracing)Cell phone location used to estimate COVID-19 growth rates https://scienmag.com/cell-phone-location-used-to-estimate-covid-19-growth-rates/

• Lockdown, reopening, and The New Normal:

  • Coronavirus: 'Critical moment' as students return to university https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54040421
  • Indiana University warns of ‘alarming’ rates of COVID-19 at its frats, sororities https://globalnews.ca/news/7315758/coronavirus-indiana-university-frats/
  • 11 people who attended series of GTA wedding events test positive for coronavirus https://globalnews.ca/news/7319098/gta-wedding-events-coronavirus-cases/
  • City of Kingston issues emergency order to enforce physical distancing at parks https://globalnews.ca/news/7317264/kingston-emergency-order-enforce-physical-distancing-parks/
  • A second coronavirus lockdown in Canada? Experts discuss the likelihood https://globalnews.ca/news/7311511/coronavirus-canada-second-lockdown/
  • Travelling to Canada? Here’s how to prepare for quarantine https://globalnews.ca/news/7309565/travelling-to-canada-heres-how-to-prepare-for-quarantine/
  • New Zealand coronavirus restrictions to stay in place until mid-September https://globalnews.ca/news/7315761/new-zealand-coronavirus-restrictions-sept/

• Guidance, Response and Recovery:

  • We Can't Fight COVID-19 on a Country-by-Country Basis https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-cant-fight-covid-19-on-a-country-by-country-basis/
  • Fauci tells colleges: Don't send students home during campus outbreaks https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-dont-send-college-students-home-during-coronavirus-outbreaks-2020-9
  • Why B.C.’s top doctor says one metre of distance is sometimes good enough https://globalnews.ca/news/7317978/covid-19-bc-top-doctor-physical-distancing/
  • Arrests at Australia anti-lockdown protests https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-54040278

• Treatments, Testing, Triage, and Trials, and things we learned:

  • Herd Immunity Is Not a Strategy https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/herd-immunity-is-not-a-strategy/615967/
  • Cheap steroids save lives from severe Covid https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53612397
  • COVID-19 patients suffer long-term lung and heart damage but it can improve with time https://scienmag.com/covid-19-patients-suffer-long-term-lung-and-heart-damage-but-it-can-improve-with-time/
  • (Wait, what?)Severe Covid-19 despite or even due to the strong immunity https://scienmag.com/severe-covid-19-despite-or-even-due-to-the-strong-immunity/
  • Post-COVID syndrome severely damages children’s hearts https://scienmag.com/post-covid-syndrome-severely-damages-childrens-hearts/
  • Passengers can now be tested for COVID 19 on arrival at Toronto’s Pearson airport https://globalnews.ca/news/7314325/coronavirus-toronto-pearson-airport-study/
  • Drive-thru coronavirus testing being rolled out in Saskatchewan https://globalnews.ca/news/7317721/drive-thru-coronavirus-testing-saskatchewan/
  • Putin's vaccine meets opposition from frontline workers in Russia https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/06/europe/russia-vaccine-putin-opposition-intl/index.html
  • Russia's Covid-19 vaccine generated an immune response, study says (Basically they are in phase II) https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/04/health/russia-vaccine-immune-response-intl/index.html
  • U.S. should prepare for coronavirus vaccine distribution by Nov. 1, CDC says https://globalnews.ca/news/7312966/cdc-us-coronavirus-vaccine-nov-1/
  • Researchers identify nanobody that may prevent COVID-19 infection https://scienmag.com/researchers-identify-nanobody-that-may-prevent-covid-19-infection/
  • COVID-19 vaccine task force members have declared 18 conflicts of interests so far https://globalnews.ca/news/7314231/coronavirus-vaccine-task-force-canada/

• Behaviour - the good, the bad, and the ugly:

  • American Facing $569,000 Fine In Canada For Sightseeing In His Car https://www.carscoops.com/2020/09/american-facing-569000-fine-in-canada-for-sightseeing-in-his-car/
  • Vacationing American family escorted out of B.C. for exploiting 'Alaska loophole' https://bc.ctvnews.ca/mobile/vacationing-american-family-escorted-out-of-b-c-for-exploiting-alaska-loophole-police-say-1.5094100

• Masks, anti-maskers, and distancing:

  • A man police have dubbed the 'moronic macer' reportedly pepper sprayed a Costco manager after refusing to wear a mask in the store https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-store-manager-pepper-sprayed-over-mask-policy-police-say-2020-9
  • Experiment Shows Face Shields And Masks With Valves Don't Effectively Block Droplets https://www.sciencealert.com/visualisation-shows-face-shields-alone-may-not-protect-against-covid-19-spread
  • Researchers redesign the face mask to improve comfort and protection https://scienmag.com/researchers-redesign-the-face-mask-to-improve-comfort-and-protection/

Off-Topic / Science & Tech / Lighter Side

A variety of scientific, technical, historical, and more light-hearted news.

• Scientists Have Found a Way to Make Foldable Keyboards Out of Any Paper https://www.sciencealert.com/this-crazy-print-process-turns-paper-into-a-working-self-powered-keyboard
• Researchers find unexpected electrical current that could stabilize fusion reactions https://scienmag.com/researchers-find-unexpected-electrical-current-that-could-stabilize-fusion-reactions/
• The Strange Things Each State Is Googling Right Now https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/629676/strange-things-each-state-is-googling
• Man takes on the ‘lie’ of boneless chicken ‘wings’ in viral public rant https://globalnews.ca/news/7313752/boneless-chicken-wings-video-lincoln-nebraska/
• Earth's Deepest Known Freshwater Cave Goes a Lot Deeper Than Anyone Ever Realised https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-s-deepest-known-freshwater-cave-is-actually-a-lot-deeper-than-we-thought
• Ocean carbon uptake widely underestimated https://scienmag.com/ocean-carbon-uptake-widely-underestimated/
• The real size of the Meg https://www.sciencealert.com/palaeontologists-predict-megalodon-wasn-t-just-long-its-fins-were-as-tall-as-a-human
• This Interactive Map Shows Where Your Home Was on Earth 750 Million Years Ago https://www.sciencealert.com/this-interactive-map-can-show-you-where-your-hometown-was-750-million-years-ago
• China just launched a ‘reusable test spacecraft’ https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/4/21422741/china-reusable-spacecraft-spaceplane-long-march-2f-rocket-launch
• NASA Discovered a Faster, Cheaper Way of Getting to The Moon... And Patented It https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-has-a-cheaper-faster-way-to-get-to-the-moon-but-it-s-not-for-astronauts
• Nasa spacecraft falls to Earth after being mistaken for an asteroid https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/nasa-spacecraft-ogo-1-earth-asteroid-a9699701.html
• Astronomers Thought They’d Found a Red Dwarf That Wasn’t Hostile to its Habitable Zone Planets. They Were Wrong https://www.universetoday.com/147598/astronomers-thought-theyd-found-a-red-dwarf-that-wasnt-hostile-to-its-habitable-zone-planets-they-were-wrong/