EDM Monday Briefing: Arctic Sea Ice, Hacking Price List, Zika Funding

Emergency and disaster management briefing for April 11, 2016: A new report points to a connection between decreasing Arctic sea ice and the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, Dell SecureWorks releases its latest underground hacking report, and the White House reallocates funds to fight Zika virus.

1. The American Meteorological Society recently published a report linking [link url=”https://amuedge.com/decreasing-arctic-ice-contributing-to-greenland-ice-sheet-melting/” title=”decreasing Arctic sea ice“] to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and, ultimately, to a rise in global sea level. According to the report, as sea ice in the Arctic continues to decline in summer months, the end result is an [link url=”https://amuedge.com/decreasing-arctic-ice-contributing-to-greenland-ice-sheet-melting/” title=”overall warming trend involving Greenland.“]

[relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/adaptation/sunday-media-reviews-ice/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/arctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-low/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/sea-ice-near-all-time-record-lows-in-february/”]

2. Dell SecureWorks released a report that covers [link url=”https://amuedge.com/hackers-charge-just-129-to-access-personal-email-500-for-corporate-accounts-report-finds/” title=”underground hacking“] in the English- and Russian-speaking underground marketplaces. The report revealed new hacking trends and listed common items available for hacking, [link url=”https://amuedge.com/hackers-charge-just-129-to-access-personal-email-500-for-corporate-accounts-report-finds/” title=”along with a price list“] for services provided by hackers.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/u-s-extends-national-emergency-on-cyber-threats/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/dod-plan-outlines-cybersecurity-guidance/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/education/cyber-security-the-true-greatest-threat-to-our-future/”]

3. President Barack Obama requested $1.9 billion to combat Zika virus back in February, but that request stalled within Congress, so the White House announced that [link url=”https://amuedge.com/the-battle-for-zika-funds-to-be-continued/” title=”$589 million will be reallocated to fight Zika.“] The source of the $589 million is unused Ebola funds — money that was set aside to fight Ebola but never put into use. The funds will be used for [link url=”https://amuedge.com/the-battle-for-zika-funds-to-be-continued/” title=”various Zika-related initiatives,“] including the development of vaccines and tests.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/study-estimates-zika-virus-risk-in-50-u-s-cities/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/who-mounting-evidence-of-zika-virus-microcephaly-connection/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/saturday-guest-blog-zika-preparation-in-south-florida/”]

4. Brazilian scientists discovered [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-brain-idUSKCN0X70VP” title=”a new brain disorder associated with Zika“] to add to the list of serious health problems linked to the virus. These latest findings linked Zika to an autoimmune syndrome called [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-brain-idUSKCN0X70VP” title=”acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM),“] which attacks the brain and spinal cord.
5. FEMA reported that [link url=”http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/04/08/wildfire-recovery-assistance-washington-reaches-35-million-fema” title=”wildfire recovery assistance for Washington states has now reached $3.5 million.“] Washington had its worst wildfire season ever last year, and the federal grants offer “significant financial relief for hard-hit communities,” FEMA said.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/nifc-releases-seasonal-wildfire-outlook/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/a-forthcoming-wildfire-storm/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/wildfires-how-to-prepare-and-protect-homes-and-families/”]

6. The FBI has started warning utility companies about the [link url=”http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/275723-fbi-warning-power-companies-of-cyber-threats-to-electric-grid-report” title=”threat of cyber attacks on the U.S. power grid.“] The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are reportedly conducting a nationwide campaign that includes [link url=”http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/275723-fbi-warning-power-companies-of-cyber-threats-to-electric-grid-report” title=”briefings and online webinars“] for power companies and security firms.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/micro-grid-with-macro-impact/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/media-reviews/sunday-book-reviews-disaster-fiction/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/a-look-at-cyber-security/”]

7. Amid increasing reports of both individuals and companies getting hit with [link url=”https://amuedge.com/ransomware-becoming-a-growing-threat/” title=”ransomware“] attacks, Adobe issued [link url=”http://www.pcmag.com/news/343592/ransomware-attacks-prompt-emergency-flash-fix” title=”an emergency update to its Flash software“] late last week. Hackers had reportedly been [link url=”http://www.pcmag.com/news/343592/ransomware-attacks-prompt-emergency-flash-fix” title=”exploiting a flaw“] in the Flash software that allowed the takeover of remote computers.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/ransomware-becoming-a-growing-threat/”]

8. Connecticut’s Department of Public Health will be conducting [link url=”http://wtnh.com/2016/04/10/connecticut-to-conduct-statewide-health-emergency-exercise/” title=”Emergency Preparedness Medical Countermeasures“] this week, April 11 through April 15. The statewide exercise will test the effectiveness of emergency response systems of federal, state and local entities and organizations in the event of an infectious disease outbreak.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/fema-to-stage-pacific-northwest-megaquake-in-june/”]

9. U.S. officials issued an emergency message through the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul this weekend [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/09/usa-warns-citizens-credible-threats-turkey-terror-alert/82829990/” title=”warning U.S. citizens of ‘credible threats’“] in tourist areas of Turkey. The warning focused specifically on the [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/09/usa-warns-citizens-credible-threats-turkey-terror-alert/82829990/” title=”southwest coastal resort of Antalya,“] but provided no further details.