Short Takes – 7-15-24

Crooks Steal Phone, SMS Records for Nearly All AT&T Customers. KrebsOnSecurity.com article. Pull quote: “That may be because, apart from the class-action lawsuits that invariably ensue after these breaches, there is little holding companies accountable for sloppy security practices. AT&T told the SEC it does not believe this incident is likely to materially impact AT&T’s financial condition or results of operations. AT&T reported revenues of more than $30 billion in its most recent quarter.”

House GOP’s tanked vote signals tough path ahead on funding. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““We bring in four bills when we come back in two weeks, and we’re gonna have some more opportunities to pass additional bills,” Scalise told The Hill on Thursday, as lawmakers prepared to leave town ahead of the Republican National Convention next week.”

Dangerous Heat Wave Hits While Power Is Out in Texas. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “CenterPoint posted on its Facebook page videos and photos of knocked-over electric poles and repair crews at work. Hundreds of people replied with angry and sarcastic comments such as, “Something is very wrong with centerpoint infrastructure! This was a cat 1 hurricane.””

Bird flu has been invading the brains of mammals. Here’s why. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “For instance, foxes and raccoons seem to have severe brain lesions as well as lesions in the heart and lungs. Striped skunks, meanwhile, tend to have few brain lesions, some of which are mild compared with red foxes. Instead, at least in Elsmo’s experience, H5N1 seems to target the skunk livers and organs in the lymphoid system, which protects against infection and removes waste from the body.”