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Top Diplomat From the Philippines Visits Laos

Top Diplomat From the Philippines to Visit Laos
Secretary for foreign affairs of the republic of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo (left) and deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Laos, Saleumxay Kommasith (right).

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo, accompanied by his spouse and delegation, arrived in Vientiane on 3 August, for an official visit to Laos.

Lao Households Struggle to Make Ends Meet Amid Economic Woes

Lao Households Struggle to Make Ends Meet Amid Economic Woes
Locals picking vegetables at a local market.

Lao families are struggling to cope with increasing financial pressures as living costs continue to rise due to the depreciation of the local currency, along with soaring inflation.

Lao Cattle Relatively Free of Lumpy Skin Disease This Year

Lao Cattle Relatively Free of Lumpy Skin Disease This Year
A Lao woman happily feeds cows (photo: FAO)

Agricultural experts say Lumpy Skin Disease, a viral infection that affects cows and buffaloes, is not a concern this year as Laos has observed very few cases of it in 2023.

Provincial Authorities Provide Aid to Flood Victims in Savannakhet

Savannakhet Provincial Governor, Mr. Bounchom Oubonpaserth, with relevant authorities visit the affected districts on 2 August 2023 (Photo: Pasaxon)

More than 130 villages have been affected by heavy rains and over 10,000 households were displaced due to flooding in the province since last week.

Five Thai Nationals Killed in Bokeo Road Accident 

Six passengers, including a Lao driver were killed in an accident on Friday in Bokeo Province.

Five Thai nationals and one Lao citizen were reported dead in a road accident in Boten District, Bokeo Province on Friday. 

Hmong American Olympian Sunisa Lee Honored With Sculpture in Minnesota

Sunisa Lee and her family were surprised on 31 July 2023 with a bust of Lee at Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo: Star Tribune)

The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, unveiled a sculpture of Hmong American Sunisa Lee on Sunday after the gymnast won gold in women’s all-around gymnastics at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Severe Flooding Engulfs Savannakhet, Rescue Operations Underway  

Flooding in Savanakhet.

Savannakhet is currently facing a catastrophic flooding situation as heavy monsoon rains wreak havoc across the province leaving communities stranded and in desperate need of rescue and relief efforts.

Microsoft Cyber Signals: Sporting Events and Venues Draw Cyberthreats at Increasing Rates

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 4 August 2023 – Today Microsoft released the fifth edition of Cyber Signals, spotlighting threats to large venues, sporting and entertainment events, based on learnings and telemetry from delivering cybersecurity support to critical infrastructure facilities during the State of Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022™.

Cybersecurity threats to large events and venues are diverse and complex. They require constant vigilance and collaboration among stakeholders to prevent and mitigate escalation. With the global sports market valued at more than 600 billion USD, sports teams as well as major league and global sporting associations, and attendees house a trove of valuable information desirable to cybercriminals.

Unfortunately, this information is made increasingly vulnerable by the growing number of connected venues and the number of devices and interconnected networks in these environments, sports teams as well as major league and global sporting associations and attendees, house a trove of valuable information desirable to cybercriminals.

Venue IT systems and arenas contain hundreds of known and unknown vulnerabilities that allow threats actors to target critical business services such as point of sale, IT infrastructures, and visitor devices. Teams, coaches, and athletes themselves are also vulnerable to data loss on athletic performance, competitive advantage, and personal information. Attendee personal identifiable information can also be targeted through vulnerable event digital amenities, like companion mobile apps, Wi-Fi hotspots, and QR codes with malicious URLs.

Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting (DEX) developed comprehensive cybersecurity defenses for Qatari facilities and organizations supporting the soccer tournament. DEX conducted an initial risk assessment, factoring in threat actor profiles, adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and other global intelligence from Microsoft’s telemetry. It ultimately analyzed over 634.4 million events while providing cybersecurity defenses for Qatari facilities and organizations throughout November and December of 2022.

With sporting and entertainment events at large, there is a level of cyber risk and vulnerability that does not exist in other environments. Because some of these events come together quickly, often with new partners and vendors acquiring access to enterprise networks that are perceived as temporary, they are often not designed for evaluation and ongoing refinement of the security posture.

In addition to the pre-planning required to support this unique security apparatus, venues consider the privacy risk associated with temporary, ad-hoc, and permanent cyber infrastructure. That means understanding and acknowledging if configurations needed to support the event potentially add additional risk or vulnerability.

To safeguard against cybersecurity threats, sports, associations, teams, and venues must adopt robust protective measures. First and foremost, they should prioritize the implementation of a comprehensive and multi-layered security framework. This includes deploying firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and strong encryption protocols to fortify the network against unauthorized access and data breaches. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and address any weaknesses within the network infrastructure.

Furthermore, user awareness and training programs are crucial to educate employees and stakeholders about cybersecurity best practices, such as recognizing phishing emails, using multifactor authentication or passwordless protection, and avoiding suspicious links or downloads. Additionally, it is essential to partner with reputable cybersecurity firms to continuously monitor network traffic, detect potential threats in real-time, and respond swiftly to any security incidents. By adopting these proactive measures, sports associations, teams, and venues can significantly enhance their resilience against cyberattacks and protect both their own infrastructure and the sensitive information of their patrons.

Learn more in this fifth edition of Cyber Signals.

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit the website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with Microsoft’s expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow Microsoft on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.