Latest news with #Huda
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘This is a wake up call' Cyber security expert weighs in on City of Abilene cyber attack
ABILENE, Texas ()- On Friday, April 18th, 2025, The City of Abilene became aware of a cyber attack on city computer systems. Now, more than a month later, the investigation into that attack is ongoing, and an alleged deadline has come and gone the city stating no intention to pay any would-be ransom for the stolen data. KTAB/KRBC sat down with Cybersecurity expert and CEO of CyberCatch, Sai Huda, for insight into how attacks like this one have played out in the past and what might lie in the city's future. 'This is a wakeup call for the City of Abilene,' Huda said. Despite today's deadline, City of Abilene says they still won't pay ransom in cyberattack The City has been relatively quiet on the matter as investigation has been conducted but that's not without reason. Because this attack involves data theft and security measures, city staff is exercising an abundance of caution to mitigate the extent of the attack within city systems and prevent the investigation from becoming compromised. With that in mind, lets discuss what we know so far. What is a Ransomware attack? How has the City responded? What is at risk? What can we do now? This kind of malicious software is something that Huda is quite familiar with, telling KTAB/KRBC that it is not uncommon for an entity such as the City of Abilene to be targeted by such an attack. 'Very typical these days where the attackers, the bad actors, install the ransomware into the system, shut down file systems. But while they do that, they also are able to make a copy of valuable data and exfiltrate that. In other words, transmit that out, and then they'll use that to threaten the victim. In this case, the city of Abilene and say, hey, pay this ransom by this deadline. Otherwise, we will not only leave you encrypted and so you won't be able to access any file systems, but also will start to sell that data on the dark web or release it publicly in increments to embarrass you. And it's all about really money at this point,' said Huda. Cyber Security watchdog group, Comparitech published a research article into the Abilene Cyber attack in which they were able to identify the Russian-based ransomware group Qilin as having claimed responsibility for the attack. City of Abilene doesn't dispute report of cyber attack ransom from Russian ransomware gang In that same article, Comparitech states that Qilin mainly targets victims through phishing emails to gain access to computer systems and introduce the malicious software. The group claiming responsibility for 25 confirmed ransomware attacks in 2025 to date. Seven of which were against government entities all across the U.S. An initial news release put out by the City of Abilene states that, 'upon receiving reports of unresponsive servers City staff began immediately executing the incident response plan in place. Affected servers and critical assets were disconnected from the network to mitigate further spread of the attack. And an investigation with 'industry-leading cybersecurity experts' was launched. Cyber incident disrupts City of Abilene's network systems, including phones Since that day the City IT department has been working to restore affected city services and minimize downtime. Some systems were taken offline intentionally out of an abundance of caution, again to mitigate spread. While the city has neither confirmed nor disproven the claims of an alleged ransom placed on the data and deadline of May 27th, 2025 to pay that ransom. A statement was put out by the City of Abilene saying, 'the City of Abilene administration reiterates that it has decided no ransom will be paid related to the cyber incident that began on April 18, 2025. The city administration has collaborated closely with cybersecurity experts and legal counsel to reach this determination.' Huda says that he feels this was the right decision for the city to make as he has seen similar situations play out to undesirable outcomes when the ransom is paid. 'I think the city is doing the right thing which is not to pay the ransom because then that's sort of paying for bad behavior. you're rewarding for bad behavior,' Huda going on to say, 'some of the victims, which include cities, have paid the ransom simply because they've done a cost benefit analysis and said, you know what? It's gonna cost us this much money and time to recover when the impact is so severe. So let's just pay the ransom, get the decryption keys, unlock the files, and, you know, we're going to have to have a good faith that these guys will not sell that data. They'll destroy it. So some of them, unfortunately have paid. But, we're seeing a trend now which is positive that they're not paying the ransom.' Huda stating that even if the city decided to pay the ransom there is no guarantee that the stolen data would have been released. 'And a lot of times the ransomware gangs actually will go away. All of a sudden they're gone they've taken the ransom payment. They haven't provided the decryption keys and they certainly haven't destroyed the data. So, you know, they're really not trustworthy to begin with. And so why reward them?' Huda said. With an entity like the City of Abilene that has connections to businesses, non-profits, and direct interaction with individuals, the data that was targeted could span a wide range of fields as Huda explained. 'In this case City of Abilene's customers. They could be businesses they could be individuals and as much information about them as possible,' said Huda. In his professional opinion, Abilene may have become a more high priority target for cyber attacks due to recent increased notoriety through the announcement of the A.I Project Stargate. 'The City of Abilene has now appeared, if you will, big time on the map. The project Stargate, which is the largest investment in A.I in US history, which entails building this massive data center at City of Abilene, is really of importance to these bad actors. But imagine all the people that are already involved in that project. So the construction people, the different suppliers, there are high value targets for these bad actors because maybe they can be ransomed or maybe their data could be used to infiltrate other valuable information about the data center. And when it comes online, that becomes even more valuable,' Huda said. While there is currently no evidence to believe that Stargate and the Lancium clean compute facility played a factor in the ransomware gang's decision to target Abilene, Huda says the sheer amount of data and information that are involved in the venture are no doubt of high value to bad actors. 'So plans, designs, how those chips are being made, where they're being shipped to. What volume of chips are being made, what types? That's a really strategic importance. And so, you know, these these that actors in this case might be a criminal gang, but, you know, they may be supported by adversary nation states such as Russia,' suggested Huda. As the City continues to investigate and address the attack that has already happened, Huda says businesses and individuals should be taking a cybersecurity inventory to defend against potential future attacks, data loss, and identity theft. 'So first of all, businesses should be proactive right now and think that they possibly could be attack, target and therefore put some measures in place. So like an incident response plan, which is basically a plan that says, hey, can we recognize a potential incident happening? And if we do, can we quickly come together and prevent that ransomware, for example, from infecting all of our computers?…Backup files should be regularly backed up. They should be offsite, offline, inaccessible to the ransomware, because frequently the ransomware will actually be programed to hunt for those backup files,' Huda said. Huda advised individuals who may have been impacted by the attack to check their passwords and consider changing any passwords that are linked to City of Abilene accounts. Stating also that passwords should be varied between different accounts and not be made simple or easy to guess. As far as any potential fallout from this attack for Abilene citizens, Huda says to be on guard for identity theft and keep a close monitor on all financial or banking accounts you utilize. 'Individuals should, number one be paying attention to their credit reports. Put a credit monitoring alert on. Maybe put some credit freezes but be especially on guard for potential identity theft. That could happen not necessarily from this gang, but, you know, other gangs, other criminals that they may sell that data to who may perpetrate that type of fraud, which is identity theft. Open up credit cards, open up bank loans, different types of other expenses, you know, using the identity of the consumer. So that's the risk to the consumer,' said Huda. Prior to this report, KTAB/KRBC reached out to the City of Abilene with a list of questions. City staff stated that they are actively working to gather the relevant information, but were unable to respond in time for this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Innocent Drinks founders invest in hydration brand Humantra
JamJar Investments, the venture capital firm established by the founders of Innocent Drinks has made a significant investment in hydration brand Humantra. Although the investment amount is undisclosed, Humantra confirmed to Just Drinks that it has raised 'investment at a significant eight figure valuation'. It also confirmed that JamJar was a majority shareholder of Humantra alongside Dubai-based private investor HB Investments. The investment will support Humantra's 'UK retail expansion and global growth ambitions,' the hydration brand said in a statement. The start-up was incubated with HB Investments, the family office of Huda and Mona Kattan, founders of Huda Beauty and Kayali. Launched in UAE in 2022 by British entrepreneur Charlie Wright, Humantra expanded into the UK in 2023 with a range of drink sachets made with electrolytes and antioxidants. In its statement, Humantra said the funding round shortly precedes its nationwide launch in more than 1,200 Boots health and beauty stores across the UK this June. Humantra added that this year, it intends to 'deepen its UK footprint and expand globally, targeting retail, hotels, gyms, and lifestyle-led hospitality spaces'. According to Wright, hydration is 'a universal foundation for how we feel, think, and perform' and 'with this investment, we are doubling down on our mission to make great-tasting, effective electrolytes accessible to all'. Adam Balon, co-founder of JamJar Investments said: 'The product is built for all humans—whether you are working out, working late, or just living life. 'Their success in Dubai shows the strength of their products and community. We cannot wait to help them scale further in the UK and beyond.' Humantra's products are produced by a third-party manufacturer in the US and it operates mainly in the UAE and UK. It also has distribution agreements in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, and has just launched via ecommerce in Singapore and Australia. In 2024, JamJar entered the soft drinks sector for the first time by backing the gut health-focused soda company Xoxo, a prebiotic soda start-up from the UK. "Innocent Drinks founders invest in hydration brand Humantra " was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Love Island USA' season 7: Meet the 10 new Islanders entering the villa
Welcome back to Love Island USA — it's time to break hearts and find forever. The 10 new Islanders of the seventh season of the popular Peacock series have been revealed, and they run the gamut from coffee shop heiress and pool boy to short king and astrology obsessive. The American version of the popular British reality series returns to Fiji, with Vanderpump Rules alum/Scandoval survivor Ariana Madix and comedian Iain Stirling reprising their roles as host and narrator. "Temptations will rise and drama will ensue as Islanders face brand new couples' challenges, jaw-dropping twists and turns, and even a few surprise guests in the vibrant Fiji villa," reads the official logline for the new season. Viewers will once again be empowered to play casting director by voting for their favorite couples on the Love Island App. So it's time to see who's breaking out ahead of the pack with a good first impression, and who's starting this race off with a limp. The official teaser for Love Island USA season 7, and portraits of the new cast of Islanders, are below. Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Fun Fact: Ace identifies as a "short king." Still, he has "no problems talking to tall ladies," consistent with his conviction that the heart cannot be measured in feet and inches. Hometown: Northville, MI Fun Fact: Fun-loving Michigan boy Austin has a jovial spirit and the perfect job to keep him Love Island ready — pool boy. "I know I look damn good while cleaning a pool," he jokes, adding that he also has a "pretty decent bulge — but that's because I stuff it." See, fun! Hometown: Honolulu, HI Fun Fact: No stranger to the endless waves and sunshine of Fiji coming from Hawaii, Belle-A says she's most comfortable in the kitchen of her family's coffee shop, with "flour all over my face." Belle-A isn't looking for grand pronouncements of love; she's content to "make everybody's day better by handing them coffee all day," a gratitude exercise she describes as "amazing." Hometown: Orlando, FL Fun Fact: To the Capricorns and Virgos out there studiously preparing to meet the new Islanders, Chelley is your girl. "I'm big on zodiac signs," she explains. Though the proudly Haitian Floridian won't "fully judge you" based on your sign, she might indulge in a few preconceptions. Hometown: Raleigh, NC Fun Fact: Huda is done with the single life. She's tired of "going on stupid dates," and even more through with guys "at the club texting a million different girls." Huda is heading to Fiji with a simple goal in mind — to find her "lifelong partner." Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Fun Fact: Whoever said boys don't cry. Jeremiah does, proudly proclaiming, "I really don't care if I cry in front of you." On the "f--- boy to great guy scale" that he just invented, he swears he's mostly a great guy, "most of the time." Hometown: Jacksonville, FL Fun Fact: Adrenaline junkies apply here. Nicolas is "down for anything," whether that be "skydiving, motorcycling," or going shirtless on television before the world and Ariana Madix. "I'm ready for the summer of my life," he says. Hometown: Decatur, AL Fun Fact: Olandria is such a sports lover, her favorite dance is a "touchdown dance." The Alabama native is a proud first generation college student who proclaims, "college football is my life." Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK Fun Fact: Yeehaw, y'all. Oklahoma's own Taylor is a self-identified cowboy who "was on a horse before I could walk." Grab your spurs, or don't, because he's down for a "city girl," so long as she has a "big booty." Hometown: Miami, FL Fun Fact: Yulissa is looking for a fresh start in Fiji, having just come out of a nine-year relationship. But she's "glad he broke my heart, because look at me here." Though she's grown stronger from the experience, she wants her fellow Islanders to know she is "a baby - I'm 4'10." Love Island USA season 7 streams exclusively on Peacock beginning Tuesday, June 3, with new episodes dropping every day at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET during premiere week. New episodes will stream Thursdays through Tuesdays thereafter. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Love Island USA' season 7: Meet the 10 new Islanders entering the villa
Welcome back to Love Island USA — it's time to break hearts and find forever. The 10 new Islanders of the seventh season of the popular Peacock series have been revealed, and they run the gamut from coffee shop heiress and pool boy to short king and astrology obsessive. The American version of the popular British reality series returns to Fiji, with Vanderpump Rules alum/Scandoval survivor Ariana Madix and comedian Iain Stirling reprising their roles as host and narrator. "Temptations will rise and drama will ensue as Islanders face brand new couples' challenges, jaw-dropping twists and turns, and even a few surprise guests in the vibrant Fiji villa," reads the official logline for the new season. Viewers will once again be empowered to play casting director by voting for their favorite couples on the Love Island App. So it's time to see who's breaking out ahead of the pack with a good first impression, and who's starting this race off with a limp. The official teaser for Love Island USA season 7, and portraits of the new cast of Islanders, are below. Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Fun Fact: Ace identifies as a "short king." Still, he has "no problems talking to tall ladies," consistent with his conviction that the heart cannot be measured in feet and inches. Hometown: Northville, MI Fun Fact: Fun-loving Michigan boy Austin has a jovial spirit and the perfect job to keep him Love Island ready — pool boy. "I know I look damn good while cleaning a pool," he jokes, adding that he also has a "pretty decent bulge — but that's because I stuff it." See, fun! Hometown: Honolulu, HI Fun Fact: No stranger to the endless waves and sunshine of Fiji coming from Hawaii, Belle-A says she's most comfortable in the kitchen of her family's coffee shop, with "flour all over my face." Belle-A isn't looking for grand pronouncements of love; she's content to "make everybody's day better by handing them coffee all day," a gratitude exercise she describes as "amazing." Hometown: Orlando, FL Fun Fact: To the Capricorns and Virgos out there studiously preparing to meet the new Islanders, Chelley is your girl. "I'm big on zodiac signs," she explains. Though the proudly Haitian Floridian won't "fully judge you" based on your sign, she might indulge in a few preconceptions. Hometown: Raleigh, NC Fun Fact: Huda is done with the single life. She's tired of "going on stupid dates," and even more through with guys "at the club texting a million different girls." Huda is heading to Fiji with a simple goal in mind — to find her "lifelong partner." Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Fun Fact: Whoever said boys don't cry. Jeremiah does, proudly proclaiming, "I really don't care if I cry in front of you." On the "f--- boy to great guy scale" that he just invented, he swears he's mostly a great guy, "most of the time." Hometown: Jacksonville, FL Fun Fact: Adrenaline junkies apply here. Nicolas is "down for anything," whether that be "skydiving, motorcycling," or going shirtless on television before the world and Ariana Madix. "I'm ready for the summer of my life," he says. Hometown: Decatur, AL Fun Fact: Olandria is such a sports lover, her favorite dance is a "touchdown dance." The Alabama native is a proud first generation college student who proclaims, "college football is my life." Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK Fun Fact: Yeehaw, y'all. Oklahoma's own Taylor is a self-identified cowboy who "was on a horse before I could walk." Grab your spurs, or don't, because he's down for a "city girl," so long as she has a "big booty." Hometown: Miami, FL Fun Fact: Yulissa is looking for a fresh start in Fiji, having just come out of a nine-year relationship. But she's "glad he broke my heart, because look at me here." Though she's grown stronger from the experience, she wants her fellow Islanders to know she is "a baby - I'm 4'10." Love Island USA season 7 streams exclusively on Peacock beginning Tuesday, June 3, with new episodes dropping every day at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET during premiere week. New episodes will stream Thursdays through Tuesdays thereafter. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'A shortage of everything except death': How Israel has escalated Gaza bombing campaign
A wave of deadly strikes in northern Gaza has marked a significant escalation in Israel's offensive. The Israeli military (IDF) says it has struck "over 150 terror targets" across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours - an average of one airstrike every ten minutes. At least 109 people have been killed in the strikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, bringing the total number killed this week to 284. That number may rise further. On Friday morning, the director of Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital told Al Jazeera that more than 250 people had been killed in the previous 36 hours alone. Nurse and his family killed in strike The impact of this new bombardment is cataclysmic, as this video of an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, verified by Sky News, shows. Other videos show huge smoke clouds rising from airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods surrounding the city's Indonesian Hospital. The hospital's director, Dr Marwan al Sultan, told Sky News: "There is a shortage of everything except death." Among those killed in Jabalia on Friday was 42-year old Yahya Shehab, a nurse for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PRCF). He was killed alongside his wife Tamara, 37, and their five children: Sarah, 18, Anas, 16, Maryam, 14, Aya, 12 and Abdul, 11. He is survived by his niece Huda, 27, a civil engineer, who lives nearby with her husband Ahmad Ngat, 31, and their two young sons, Mohammed, seven, and Yusuf, four. Ahmad remembers Yahya as kind and generous, and that he would use his skills as a nurse to treat Mohammed and Yusuf whenever they were sick. "His kids were great too," Ahmad says. "May God have mercy on them." Operation Gideon Chariot An Israeli official said Friday's strikes were preparatory actions in the lead-up to a larger operation. Earlier this month, Israel's security cabinet approved "Operation Gideon Chariot" - a plan to "capture" all of Gaza and force its entire population to move to a small enclave in the southern Gaza Strip. At the time, a defence official said the operation would go ahead if no hostage deal was reached by the end of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East. That visit ended on Friday, 16 had proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war. Last month, Hamas turned down Israel's offer of a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the militant group laying down its weapons and releasing half the living hostages. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who sits in the security cabinet, said of Operation Gideon Chariot that Gaza would be "entirely destroyed", and that its population will "leave in great numbers to third countries". Ahmad says he is ready to leave Gaza with his family at the earliest opportunity. "We want to live our lives," he says. His wife Huda grieving the loss of her uncle Yahya, is seven months pregnant. The family are constantly struggling to find enough food for her and the children, he says. "Unfortunately, she suffers greatly," Ahmad says. "She developed gestational diabetes during this pregnancy." Israel has prevented the entry of all food, fuel and water since 2 March. On Monday, a UN-backed report warned that one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation. Satellite imagery may show new aid hubs Under new proposals backed by the US, Israel now intends to control the distribution of aid via private military contractors. The proposals, set to start operating by the end of May, would see aid distributed from militarised compounds in four locations around the Gaza Strip. Satellite imagery from recent weeks shows Israel has constructed four compounds which could be used for aid distribution. Construction began in April and was completed by early May. Three of these are clustered together in the southwest corner of the Gaza Strip, with one in the central Netzarim corridor. None are located in northern Gaza, where Ahmad and Huda's family live. The UN has called this a "deliberate attempt to weaponise" aid distribution and has refused to participate. The planned aid distribution system is being coordinated by a new non-profit, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which was set up in February in Switzerland. Its board includes a former head of World Central Kitchen, as well as people with close ties to the US military and private military contractors. Proposals drawn up by the GHF say the four planned aid distribution sites could feed around 1.2 million people, approximately 60% of Gaza's population. The GHF later requested that Israel establish additional distribution points. Speaking to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, UN Relief chief Tom Fletcher said the plan "makes starvation a bargaining chip". "It is cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement," he said. Large areas of Gaza have already been razed in recent weeks, including vast tracts of the southern city of Rafah, where many had fled during the war's early stages. Sky News analysis of satellite imagery shows approximately two-thirds of Rafah's built-up area (66%) has been reduced entirely to rubble, with buildings across much of the rest of the city showing signs of severe damage. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch executive director Federico Borello said the UK and US have a duty, under the Genocide Convention, to "stop Israeli authorities from starving civilians in Gaza". He said: "Hearing Israeli officials flaunt plans to squeeze Gaza's two million people into an even tinier area while making the rest of the land uninhabitable should be treated like a five-alarm fire in London, Brussels, Paris, and Washington." Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Friday that Israel's new offensive is intended to secure the release of its hostages. "Our objective is to get them home and get Hamas to relinquish power," he said. The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
