Probe Found Security Lapses Led to US Contractor's Data Breach
A software company that handles sensitive data for nearly every US federal agency was the victim of a cyber breach earlier this year due to a "major lapse" in security measures, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg News.
Opexus, which is owned by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo and provides software services for processing US government records, was compromised in February by two employees who'd previously been convicted of hacking into the US State Department. The findings were detailed in separate reports by Opexus and an independent cybersecurity firm, which characterized the incident as an 'insider threat attack.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
19 minutes ago
- CNET
Your Apple Watch Might Not Be as Accurate as You Think, New Study Finds
The first thing that always crosses my mind when testing fitness wearables is how accurate the data is. Smartwatches and fitness trackers aren't cheap, and if you're using them to monitor something as crucial as your health, then accuracy matters. Everyone and their brother wear some sort of fitness tracker, whether it be an Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch, Oura Ring or Whoop. It's estimated that one in three Americans uses a wearable device for health and fitness tracking features. That brings me back to whether these things can be trusted. If they're not accurate… What's the point? Should we all go back to analog? Researchers from the University of Mississippi conducted a meta-analysis of 56 studies that compared the Apple Watch with reference tools when measuring factors like heart rate, step count and energy burned. While there's always some expected error, we have a more definitive answer for how much stock you should put in the numbers you see on your watch. Apple Watches are good at measuring steps and heart rate The meta-analysis findings show that the Apple Watch accurately measures your heart rate and step count. We know this based on the mean absolute percentage error measurement (the standard way to measure accuracy) reported for each health metric. Heart rate had a percentage error of 4.43%, while step count had an error of 8.17%. Anything below 10% is considered excellent, so you should feel pretty confident in what your Apple Watch says your heart rate and step count are for the day. However, you shouldn't rely on the energy expenditure metric The same can't be said for energy expenditure or calories burned. The percentage error for this metric was 27.96%. That's a significant jump in inaccuracy. Researchers found energy expenditure inaccurate across all activities tested, including walking, running, mixed-intensity workouts and cycling. This isn't a new problem. Several studies have found that smartwatches and trackers don't do a great job of calculating calorie burn. They can be off by 40% to 80%. A different study revealed that the Apple Watch Series 9 can vary in energy expenditure and heart rate measures across skin pigmentation. While this study was specific to Apple Watches, I expect similar trends across other devices because they often measure similarly. One study found that the Fitbit Surge had a mean error of 27% when measuring calories burned. Smartwatches calculate how many calories you burn throughout the day, using factors such as your movements, heart rate and data from the sensors inside the watch. Other factors, such as your age, weight and gender, are also included in this calculation. None of them will be 100% accurate. Where does this leave you and your data? This news doesn't scare me as a smartwatch wearer who uses my daily data to track my workouts and sleep. I still think the data smartwatches give us is a great way to stay motivated. I've used the Google Pixel 3 watch to monitor my heart health thanks to the cardio load metric. When it comes to sleep, I've noticed some inaccuracy when it comes to when I fall asleep and wake up, though it's not a huge difference. Most trackers use your heart rate and movement to track your sleep, so it's unsurprising to see some degree of error. There's always some error, and for my use, that's OK. I use my data for trends of my progress, rather than extremely granular data. Though if you're a serious athlete who tracks down to the calorie, it's essential not to rely on your smartwatch for this number. Your smartwatch is a tool to guide you through your wellness journey. Use it to build habits and make meaningful changes, not diagnose medical conditions. That said, I wouldn't count out smartwatch features like Apple's Vital app, fall detection or the loss-of-pulse detection feature that Google Pixel watches are getting. Apple and other brands continuously release updates to improve their tech over time. And if you're wondering which smartwatch you should get for the best accuracy, it's hard to say. They all have their own tracking methods, even if they often overlap. None of them are perfect, so it's best to choose which one fits your budget and vibe best.
CBS News
20 minutes ago
- CBS News
Johns Hopkins University pauses pay increases, reduces spending due to funding uncertainty
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is implementing a hiring freeze and pausing annual pay increases due to the uncertainty of funding sources, the school confirmed. The university added that it will reduce the number of research projects and cut back on spending on expenses, including travel, food, supplies, and professional services. "Although the precise timing and impact of funding reductions will vary across our divisions — depending on funding sources, student composition, and other factors — many parts of the university are already experiencing the effects of these developments and facing uncertainties about the future," Johns Hopkins President Ron Daniels, Provost Ray Jayawardhana and Executive VP for Finance and Administration Laurent Heller said in a joint letter. In the meantime, Johns Hopkins said it is taking steps to develop strategies that will improve its financial challenges. While the university awaits the final federal budget plans, leaders said that expense reductions will continue through at least the 2026 academic year, and possibly longer. Funding cuts impact Johns Hopkins' research projects Johns Hopkins confirmed that the university lost more than $800 million from USAID grant terminations. Since January, Hopkins said, 90 grants have ended with the loss of $50 million in federal research funding. JHU has been one of the top recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to assist in groundbreaking research. In April, the Trump administration said it planned on cutting the NIH budget by more than 40%. According to CBS News, more than 1,500 NIH employees have been laid off in 2025, and more than $2 billion in research grants have been cancelled. "We fear that this downward trend may be laying the groundwork for deep cuts to the extramural research programs at the NIH, NSF, DOD and DOE—further fraying the extraordinary and longstanding research partnership between universities and the federal government and significantly curtailing Hopkins' capacity to undertake our core academic and research mission and to sustain the people who allow us to realize it," Johns Hopkins leaders said. In May, Hopkins said it was laying off 2,200 workers because of the loss of funding from USAID. "Moreover, we are seeing a marked decline in the pipeline of new federal research awards at Hopkins, down by nearly two-thirds since January, compared to the same period last year, despite continued high scores and an increase in submissions by our researchers," Hopkins officials said in the letter. Visas revoked for international students The Trump administration has revoked visas for international students across the country, including at Johns Hopkins University. The administration also paused student visa appointments for international student applicants. The effort is part of a push to scrutinize social media accounts as part of the student visa applications, according to CBS News. JHU confirmed to WJZ in April that at least 37 international students have had their visas revoked. The Trump administration started revoking visas from students who were said to have participated in pro-Palestine protests that took over some college campuses in 2024. In 2024, protests at Johns Hopkins lasted for about two weeks, with students setting up tents and occupying a part of the campus with an encampment. "The recent moves by the federal government to revoke or withhold visas from eligible international students and scholars run counter to more than a century of collaboration at Hopkins with students and scholars who hail from around the world," Hopkins said. "Our international community has always been critical to our research mission, and we are deeply concerned about the toll of this uncertainty on our students and on our university as a whole."
CBS News
20 minutes ago
- CBS News
Hackers take over Chicago woman's Facebook page, post item after item for sale
Imagine getting messages from people saying they're contacting you to buy something you posted for sale, on your Facebook page — except that you never posted any items for sale, and your page was hacked. That was the reality Melissa Whiteman Kingsbury of Chicago. Kingsbury said she received more than 25 calls and 30 text messages in the first hour after her page was hacked, asking if she was really selling items like low-priced cars in great condition. She was not selling any such things, or anything at all. "For me personally, I'm not a big poster of personal information," said Kingsbury. But what was passed off as personal information was appearing all over Kingsbury's Facebook page for her Chicago realty business. One post said Kingsbury was "absolutely thrilled to announce" she had become a "Certified Cryptocurrency Expert," even showing her certificate. Another post said Kingsbury was selling a four-door 2011 Honda Accord SE for $2,300. And another tragically announced her sister-in-law was seriously ill and needed to sell off a number of vehicles and even a piece of farm equipment. The problem was that Kingsbury never wrote any of those posts. Her account was hacked back in May — essentially turning her page, into a Facebook marketplace. "It almost looked like I was an auctioneer at one point, selling all kinds of personal property," Kingsbury said. Then the phone calls and text messages — more than 50 — started coming in. "The one that really scared me is: 'I'm getting ready to Zelle you $5,000. I want to make sure it's you before I send it,'" said Kingsbury. The Chicago realtor, who has more than 2,000 followers on her Facebook page, said the hacker even created a post saying her clients were now finding financial freedom through her investment strategies. Kingsbury said the family whose photo appeared in the post were not even her clients, and yet, the photo was manipulated to show the man of the family holding a sign reading, "We said yes to the address! Thank you Melissa Kingsbury for this success." "They actually edited the home ownership sign with my name on it to make it more believable, for sure," said Kingsbury. Fraud expert Professor Bill Kresse of Governors State University had a warning. "You simply cannot even trust photographs on social media anymore," he said. Kresse said it is common for scammers to target people who have garnered trust within their community and who have lots of Facebook friends. "They can then lock you out of that account, and then approach all of your friends in selling things — even giving a sob story as to why they need money," said Kresse. Kingsbury said she was able to get her personal page back. "I went through Meta. I went through Facebook," she said. "Every little place I could report a problem or give feedback to the company, I did — probably a few times a day." But regaining page access has not been the norm with CBS News Chicago's past reporting, which goes back years. Kingsbury said she is still fighting to get her business page back up and running. When she regained access to her personal page, she posted a message to her friends saying she was locked out of her account — and indeed she is not selling cars, trailers, crypto or investment advice. She warned people to be careful. Some friends responded saying the same thing happened to them. Professor Fraud said the best way to prevent a hacker from gaining access to your Facebook page, is two-factor authentication, where a code can be sent to your phone or email. Kingsbury said she had that in place. CBS News Chicago reached out to Facebook to comment on this story. Facebook said it is looking into Kingsbury's accounts, and will get back to us with a comment. We'll keep you posted.
