October 22, 2021
Security: Ransomware attack disrupts production at Ferrara Candy, maker of Brach’s Candy Corn
Chicago Tribune
Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Co. was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted production earlier this month, but the hack shouldn’t affect supplies of its Halloween treats.

Ferrara, which makes Brach’s Candy Corn, as well as brands like Nerds, Laffy Taffy, Keebler and Famous Amos, said it discovered the hack, which encrypted some of its systems, on Oct. 9.

The company is working with law enforcement and outside specialists to restore those systems and get back to operating at full capacity. Read more
Healthcare IT: CrossFit to launch 'fully digital' primary care service
Healthcare IT News
The fitness company CrossFit announced earlier this month that it was launching a new primary care service aimed at providing an individualized approach to health.  

The company says it will also offer personalized, precision health and preventive medicine in addition to virtual primary care. "You deserve healthcare as effective as your CrossFit training," said CrossFit CEO Eric Roza said in a statement. "CrossFit Precision Care delivers measurable repeatable results and is the perfect complement to your CrossFit training. Read More
Homeland Security: White House, Intelligence Agencies, Pentagon Issue Reports Warning that Climate Change Threatens Global Security
Washington Post
As the United States and nations around the world struggle to blunt the effects of rising temperatures and extreme weather, sweeping assessments released Thursday by the White House, the U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon conclude that climate change will exacerbate long-standing threats to global security.

Together, the reports show a deepening concern within the U.S. security establishment that the shifts unleashed by climate change can reshape U.S. strategic interests, offer new opportunities to rivals such as China, and increase instability in nuclear states such as North Korea and Pakistan. Read More
Transportation: ISO Standard for Mobile Driving Licenses Published
Biometrics News
In a move that should speed the adoption of and investment in mobile driving licenses (mDL), the International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission have released 18013-5, which defines interface specifications for the digital credentials on mobile devices.

According to a post by HID Global, which has a sizable stake in the future of digital credentials, the spec codifies the verification of mDL data integrity, authentication of mDL data’s origin, how an mDL ties into an mDL holder and how to use a machine to read mDL data. Guidance for using biometrics in mDL authentication is included in the standard, along with requirements for the storage of mDL data and private keys. Read More
Human Resources: 1 in 3 C-Suite Execs Automate Processes to Tackle Hiring Crunch
HR Dive
The 7 in 10 C-suite members planning to increase hiring in the coming quarter will face a constrained tech talent market, a reality that makes automation an attractive asset to boost efficiency. 

Job postings for tech occupations in September reached 295,000, according to CompTIA analysis of official data. Unemployment for IT roles was just 2.2%, signs of high-demand for available skilled IT labor. 

But automation can't, on its own, empower existing staff to take on new or augmented roles. Read More
Business & Technology: AI, Cloud, Hybrid Work Headline Gartner’s Top Tech Trends for 2022
CIO
CIOs are tooling up an assembly line of technologies to get back to business in 2022, including a mix of solutions leaned on heavily to weather the pandemic and new offerings aimed at making the most of emerging opportunities as the pandemic subsides.

At its virtual IT Symposium/Xpo this week, Gartner identified the top tech strategies it sees CIOs embracing next year, including the “distributed enterprise,” advanced AI, hyperautomation, cloud-native platforms, decision intelligence, and advanced security, among others. Read More