Home Blog Page 26

Florida Business Leaders Sound Alarm on Math Education, Warning of Workforce Skills Gap

Ruben Reyes
-
0
Florida Business Leaders Sound Alarm on Math Education, Warning of Workforce Skills Gap

Florida’s business leaders are raising concerns over the state’s K–12 math education, emphasizing that students are not acquiring the essential skills needed for today’s workforce. A recent report by the Florida Chamber Foundation, titled Aligning Math Education to Workforce Needs: Insights From Florida’s Employers, highlights a significant gap between the math instruction students receive and the competencies employers require.

The report draws from statewide surveys and focus groups involving business leaders, educators, and parents. It reveals that employers across various industries struggle to find candidates proficient in critical areas such as problem-solving, data analysis, and financial literacy. These skills are increasingly vital, not only in traditional STEM fields but across a broad spectrum of professions.

Dr. Keith Richard, Vice President of Research at the Florida Chamber Foundation, stated, “Our findings suggest a significant, yet solvable, misalignment between the skills taught in Florida’s K–12 classrooms and the skills required by Florida’s employers.” He advocates for an evolution in the education system to bridge this gap.

Despite some improvements in standardized test scores, concerns persist. In the 2023–24 school year, 65% of Florida’s eighth graders passed their math exams, up from 62% the previous year. However, this still leaves a significant portion of students below grade level.

The report outlines several recommendations to address these challenges:

Integrate Real-World Applications: Incorporate practical math problems into the curriculum to demonstrate relevance to everyday life and various careers.

Early Exposure to Math-Intensive Careers: Introduce students to professions that heavily rely on math skills to spark interest and motivation.

Strengthen Industry-Education Partnerships: Foster collaborations between schools and businesses to ensure curricula align with current workforce needs.

Business leaders are also advocating for enhanced professional development for math teachers and the establishment of a state mathematics office to oversee and support math education initiatives.

The Florida Chamber Foundation warns that without significant improvements in math education, the state’s goal of becoming a top 10 global economy by 2030 could be jeopardized. Investing in math proficiency is not just an educational imperative but a strategic economic necessity.

Chinese Hackers Breached U.S. Data Centers and Home Internet Networks, Officials Warn

Juan Oliveros
-
0
Chinese Hackers Breached U.S. Data Centers and Home Internet Networks, Officials Warn

U.S. cybersecurity officials now say that China’s notorious hacking group known as Salt Typhoon didn’t only infiltrate major telecom carriers. Investigators believe it also compromised U.S. data centers and residential internet providers, signaling a deeper and more alarming level of intrusion into America’s digital backbone.

Last week, sources familiar with the investigation told Nextgov that CISA flagged data center giant Digital Realty and the mass-media and internet provider Comcast as likely victims. The National Security Agency similarly flagged Comcast, expanding the known scope of the cyber campaign well beyond just telecommunications networks.

This news is a major escalation from initial findings, which confirmed infiltration in at least nine telecom firms—Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile, Lumen and others—and access to law-enforcement wiretap systems and call metadata.

Salt Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored group tied to the Ministry of State Security, has reportedly embedded sophisticated tools—rootkits, malware, and exploit kits—into core network components. These intrusions granted the group persistent access to communication metadata, wiretap platforms and now, more worryingly, the cloud-connected infrastructure of third-party data centers and residential gateways.

The compromise of Digital Realty, for instance, could expose sensitive enterprise and government client data. Comcast’s intrusion, meanwhile, threatens visibility into millions of home and business communications.

Why this matters? Data centers host critical services for cloud platforms, corporate networks, and government systems. A breach here allows attackers to jump between systems, escalate privileges, or harvest credentials across multiple sectors.

As one intelligence source put it, Salt Typhoon’s new targets mean “a far deeper foothold into the infrastructure supporting global information services.”

In response, CISA and NSA are working behind the scenes with affected providers, though Nextgov reports that their efforts have been slowed by jurisdictional hurdles and budget constraints within CISA. Congress is also stepping in with a letter from the House Homeland Security Committee with detailed documents on the breaches and urged reinstatement of the Cyber Safety Review Board which was disbanded in early 2025.

Senators such as Ron Wyden and Ben Ray Luján have characterized the campaign as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history,” pushing for immediate policy reforms including annual cybersecurity audits by the FCC, stronger network segmentation, and zero-trust architecture mandates. The FCC is reportedly reviewing a proposal to require communications providers to annually certify their defenses against cyber intrusions.

Meanwhile, public awareness is growing. A senior U.S. official revealed in December that a “large number” of Americans’ call metadata—including timestamps, locations, and call records—had been stolen by Salt Typhoon, though not the call contents themselves. The White House, FBI, NSA, NSC, and CISA have held classified briefings for senators and are actively seeking tips from the public to identify and disrupt the hacking crews.

This latest news—highlighting possible compromises in data centers and residential ISPs—marks a pivotal turn. No longer limited to telecom, Salt Typhoon’s reach now threatens the broader digital ecosystem that underpins modern life. Public and private sectors are facing mounting pressure to transform cybersecurity from optional investment to essential national defense.

Amid this intensifying landscape, one fact is undeniable: the intrusion is far from over, and solutions will depend on federal coordination, legislative will, and aggressive defense by the companies that maintain critical infrastructure.

Meta and Yandex Tracked Android Users Even in Incognito Mode, Researchers Find

Brant.One News Desk
-
0
Meta and Yandex Tracked Android Users Even in Incognito Mode, Researchers Find

You thought incognito mode kept your browsing private. You trusted your VPN to shield your online activity. But if you had Facebook or Instagram installed on your Android phone, Meta was watching anyway.

Security researchers revealed in a June 3 expose that Meta and Russian search giant Yandex had been exploiting a little-known Android loophole to track users’ web browsing without consent, tying searches, purchases, and other online behavior directly to their real identities. The tracking worked even when users took standard privacy precautions, and most people never knew it was happening.

Meta shut down the feature on June 3, just as the research was about to go public. The timing wasn’t coincidental. Within hours of the disclosure, researchers watched Meta’s tracking code disappear from websites worldwide.

“Upon becoming aware of the concerns, we decided to pause the feature while we work with Google to resolve the issue,” a Meta spokesperson told The Register, describing the situation as a “potential miscommunication” about Google Play policies.

The company called Meta’s methods a “blatant violation” of its privacy principles and moved quickly to implement technical safeguards. Chrome 137, which began rolling out on May 26, includes countermeasures designed to block the specific technique Meta was using, though the protections are still being tested with a limited group of users.

The discovery came from an international team of computer scientists at IMDEA Networks in Spain, Radboud University in the Netherlands, and KU Leuven in Belgium. They documented how Meta and Yandex turned Android’s own architecture against its users.

Here’s how it worked

When you installed Facebook, Instagram, or certain Yandex apps, they quietly opened a local port on your phone. Think of it as a private back channel that runs entirely within your device. Android doesn’t require apps to ask for this permission, and most users have no idea it’s even possible.

Meanwhile, millions of websites had Meta Pixel or Yandex Metrica tracking scripts embedded in their code. These are tools that website owners use to measure traffic and conversions. But Meta and Yandex found a way to make them do something else entirely.

When you visit one of these websites in your Android browser, the tracking script sends a hidden message over your phone’s internal network to the Meta or Yandex app running in the background. The app would receive detailed information about what you were looking at, what you clicked, and what you bought, and then link it all to your account using your login credentials or Android advertising ID.

It didn’t matter if you were browsing in incognito mode. It didn’t matter if you’d cleared your cookies or were routing your traffic through a VPN. As long as the app was installed and running in the background, the tracking continued.

Meta started doing this in September 2024. Yandex had been at it since 2017.

The scale is staggering. Meta Pixel appears on roughly 5.8 million websites. Yandex Metrica is embedded in about 3 million more. That’s billions of potential tracking points across the internet, all feeding data back to apps on users’ phones without their knowledge.

“This web-to-app ID sharing method bypasses typical privacy protections such as clearing cookies, Incognito Mode, and Android’s permission controls,” wrote Günes Acar in a TechRepublic article, an assistant professor at Radboud University who helped lead the research. “Worse, it opens the door for potentially malicious apps eavesdropping on users’ web activity.”

The technique only worked on Android. Apple’s iOS has stricter controls on localhost communications, making a similar exploit more difficult to pull off. But the researchers cautioned that it’s not impossible, and other companies could be doing something similar without detection.

Yandex issued a statement saying it was discontinuing the practice and that the feature “does not collect any sensitive information and is solely intended to improve personalization within our apps.” The company maintained it never de-anonymized user data, though the research suggests otherwise.

Browser makers are scrambling to add protections. DuckDuckGo updated its blocklists to stop Yandex’s scripts. Brave already required user consent for localhost access, so it wasn’t affected. Firefox is still developing a fix.

But the researchers warn that these are just patches. A few tweaks to the tracking code could circumvent them. The real solution requires Android to fundamentally change how it handles localhost communications and require explicit user permission for apps that want to use them.

“The correct way of blocking this persistently is by constraining this kind of access at the mobile platform and browser level,” said Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez, as reported by TechTimes, an associate professor at IMDEA Networks.

For now, privacy advocates say the best protection is simple: be careful about which apps you install. Every app on your phone is a potential window into your online life, even when you think that window is closed.

The discovery highlights an uncomfortable truth about digital privacy. As users become more sophisticated about protecting themselves, tech companies are finding increasingly creative ways to track them anyway. And often, the only way we find out is when researchers stumble upon the methods years after they’ve been deployed.

Timeline of Events

2017 – Yandex begins using localhost tracking method via Yandex Metrica, affecting apps including Yandex Search, Browser, Navigator, and Maps

September 2024 – Meta implements a similar tracking technique through Meta Pixel, working in conjunction with Facebook and Instagram apps

May 26, 2025 – Google releases Chrome 137 with initial countermeasures against the tracking technique, though only to a limited test group

June 3, 2025 – An international research team from IMDEA Networks, Radboud University, and KU Leuven publicly discloses the “Local Mess” tracking method

June 3, 2025 – Meta halts the tracking feature within hours of disclosure; researchers observe Meta Pixel scripts stop sending localhost requests

June 3, 2025 – Google confirms the technique violates Play Store policies and Android privacy principles

June 5, 2025 – Yandex announces it’s discontinuing the practice, claiming it was only intended for app personalization

June 2025-ongoing – Browser vendors, including Firefox, DuckDuckGo, and Brave, implement or strengthen protections; Google continues Chrome rollout of countermeasures

Microsoft Integrates OpenAI’s Sora into Bing App, Offering Free AI Video Generation

Brant.One News Desk
-
0
Microsoft Integrates OpenAI’s Sora into Bing App, Offering Free AI Video Generation

Microsoft is rolling out a new feature in its Bing mobile app that lets users turn text prompts into short videos—no subscription needed. It’s the first public release of OpenAI’s Sora video model, bringing powerful AI video generation to anyone with a Microsoft account.

What You Can Do With It?

Create 5-Second Videos: Videos are in a 9:16 vertical format, ideal for TikTok or Instagram. A 16:9 horizontal option is coming soon.

Two Speeds: Standard is free. Fast mode gives quicker results—you get 10 free Fast generations, with more available for 100 Microsoft Rewards points each.

Save and Share: Videos are stored in the app for 90 days. Download or share anytime.

Prompt-Based Creation: Just type a description and let the AI do the rest.

Where It’s Available?

Right now, Bing Video Creator is live in the Bing mobile app for iOS and Android—worldwide except in China and Russia. Microsoft says desktop and Copilot support are coming soon.

What to Know Before You Try It?

You’ll need a Microsoft account to use the tool. While the interface is simple, video generation—even with Fast mode—can take hours. Users have also noted occasional odd animations and bias in generated content, reflecting some of Sora’s current technical limits.

WhatsApp Is Adding Usernames to Boost Privacy and Control

Brant.One News Desk
-
0
WhatsApp Is Adding Usernames to Boost Privacy and Control

Soon, you might not need to share your phone number to connect on WhatsApp.

The messaging app is working on a new feature that lets users create unique usernames—similar to what you see on Telegram or Signal. The goal? Give people more privacy and control over how they connect.

What to Expect:

Custom Handles: You’ll be able to pick a unique name with letters, numbers, dots, or underscores—between 3 and 30 characters. But don’t try using web-like addresses (e.g., ending in “.com”) or “www.” at the start. Those won’t be allowed.

Privacy First: Your username will show up instead of your phone number in new chats and groups. That means fewer strangers seeing your digits.

Extra Security with PINs: You can set a PIN to prevent random users from messaging you via your username—only people with the PIN can start a chat.

Change Alerts: If you update your username, your contacts will get a heads-up, just like when you change your photo or phone number.

Still in the Works

The feature is in development and has appeared in beta versions for iOS and Android. It’s not available yet, but the code hints that it’s coming soon.

By letting users connect through usernames, WhatsApp is taking a big step toward safer, more flexible messaging. No more giving out your phone number to start a simple chat.

Why MSPs Should Double Down on Cybersecurity in 2025

Juan Oliveros
-
0
Why MSPs Should Double Down on Cybersecurity in 2025

Economic uncertainty. Global tensions. Evolving cyber threats. In 2025, it’s a perfect storm—and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are being urged to step up their cybersecurity game.

Cybersecurity Is No Longer Optional

“Cybercriminals are not waiting on the sidelines,” says Jessica C. Davis, principal analyst at Canalys. With threats constantly evolving, Davis believes MSPs are in a prime position to respond. Tools like phishing simulations, email threat training, and disaster recovery solutions are readily available—and she argues it’s never been easier for MSPs to build out their cybersecurity offerings.

AI Is Making Attacks Faster—and Smarter

Shelly Kramer, founder of Kramer & Co., warns that attackers are now using generative AI to breach networks faster and more efficiently. “Budgets for cybersecurity and AI initiatives are getting prioritized over just about everything else,” she says. MSPs who invest in smart, scalable security tools now will be better equipped to handle what’s coming.

SMBs Are at Higher Risk—but Often Underprepared

Zeus Kerravala of ZK Research points out that economic volatility creates new openings for threat actors. “Uncertainty is a threat actor’s dream,” he says, and that’s especially bad news for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), which often lack the resources for strong defenses.

Jack E. Gold, president of J. Gold Associates, agrees. “SMBs are now a major target,” he says. But convincing smaller clients to increase security budgets during tough economic times won’t be easy. That’s where MSPs need to educate and guide their clients toward affordable, effective solutions.

A $69 Billion Opportunity

The numbers are clear: the managed security services market is set to grow from $38.85 billion in 2025 to $69.20 billion by 2030. That’s a massive opening for MSPs to expand their role and revenue—if they act now.

Bottom Line

MSPs that prioritize cybersecurity in 2025 aren’t just protecting their clients—they’re securing their own futures. In a risk-heavy year, offering advanced, reliable security services can be the difference between surviving and thriving.

SOURCE: ChannelE2E

Trump Administration Proposes Deep Cuts to U.S. Cybersecurity Agency

Juan Oliveros
-
0
Trump Administration Proposes Deep Cuts to U.S. Cybersecurity Agency

The Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal calls for steep cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), reducing its funding by nearly $495 million and slashing more than 1,000 jobs—about 30% of the agency’s workforce.

If approved, the cuts would shrink CISA’s budget from $2.87 billion to $2.38 billion. The plan signals a narrower focus on protecting federal networks and critical infrastructure, while stripping back broader cyber defense initiatives.

Major Cuts Across Core Divisions

The proposed reductions hit nearly every major division:

  • Cybersecurity Division: Down $216 million, undermining efforts to protect critical infrastructure and government systems.
  • Integrated Operations Division: Down $46.2 million, reducing support to businesses and local governments.
  • Stakeholder Engagement Division: Slashed by 62%, cutting $62.2 million and weakening collaboration with private-sector partners.
  • National Risk Management Center: Down 73%, or $97.4 million—severely limiting the agency’s ability to analyze and predict cyber threats.

Procurement spending would also drop by nearly $69 million, curbing CISA’s ability to upgrade its cyber tools and systems.

Election Security Program on the Chopping Block

The administration is proposing to eliminate CISA’s Election Security Program entirely, cutting $39.6 million and 14 positions. This would dismantle the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which supports state and local officials in guarding against election-related cyber threats.

Workforce and Program Losses

Overall, the plan would cut CISA’s workforce from 3,294 to 2,324 employees. Key losses include:

  • 218 jobs from Mission Support
  • 204 from the Cybersecurity Division
  • 327 from Integrated Operations
  • 127 from Stakeholder Engagement

Programs like the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, Cyber Defense Education and Training, and the Joint Collaborative Environment would all take substantial funding hits, with cuts ranging from $14 million to $67 million.

Justification and Backlash

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the cuts, saying CISA needs to get “back to basics”—protecting critical infrastructure and federal networks. She argued that election security and disinformation monitoring fall outside the agency’s core responsibilities.

But critics say the timing couldn’t be worse. Cyber threats from foreign governments and criminal groups are on the rise, and many lawmakers are pushing back.

Senators Mark Warner, Richard Blumenthal, Elissa Slotkin, and Ron Wyden have all voiced concerns, warning that these cuts would weaken national cyber defenses and leave vital systems more vulnerable.

What’s Next

The budget still needs congressional approval. Lawmakers have until the end of September to finalize government spending or risk a shutdown.

Senate hearings on CISA’s leadership are scheduled for Thursday, and these proposed cuts are expected to be front and center in the debate.

As the conversation unfolds, the future of U.S. cybersecurity policy—and CISA’s role in it—hangs in the balance.

New Mexico Sees Another Jump in College Enrollment Thanks to Free Tuition Programs

Victoria Padilla
-
0
New Mexico Sees Another Jump in College Enrollment Thanks to Free Tuition Programs

New Mexico colleges and universities are seeing more students walk through their doors—again.

For the second straight year, the state reported a rise in college enrollment. Spring 2025 numbers show a 4.2% increase over the same time last year, adding more than 5,000 students across public campuses.

What’s driving the growth? State officials point to New Mexico’s tuition-free college programs.

  • The Opportunity Scholarship, launched in 2022, now supports over 34,000 residents. It covers tuition and fees for those taking at least six credit hours at public colleges.
  • The Lottery Scholarship, fully restored in 2021, helped nearly 10,000 students this spring.

“These scholarships are doing exactly what they were meant to—helping thousands of New Mexicans get a college education without worrying about tuition,” said Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez.

The numbers are especially striking when compared to national trends. While first-year college enrollment has dropped 5% across the U.S. since fall 2021, New Mexico has seen a 23.1% increase.

To keep the momentum going, the state has set up a nearly $1 billion trust fund to continue funding its free-tuition programs.

It’s a clear signal: New Mexico is betting big on higher education—and it appears to be paying off.

Rio Rancho Public Schools Breaks Ground on New Independence High School Building

Victoria Padilla
-
0
Rio Rancho Public Schools Breaks Ground on New Independence High School Building

On the last day of the school year, Rio Rancho Public Schools (RRPS) marked a significant milestone by breaking ground on a new facility for Independence High School. The upcoming 41,000-square-foot building, located on Northern Boulevard just east of Rockaway, is set to nearly double the school’s current capacity, accommodating up to 350 students upon its anticipated opening in spring 2027.

Established 25 years ago, Independence High School serves as an alternative education institution, providing tailored support for students facing challenges in traditional academic settings. The new facility aims to enhance the learning environment, offering more space and resources to better serve its student population.

“We’ve struggled with the facilities that we’ve had,” said Dr. V. Sue Cleveland, RRPS superintendent. “This new building will create a much better teaching and learning environment.”

The project is part of a broader $80 million bond initiative approved by approximately 71% of district residents. In addition to the new high school, the bond funds will support upgrades to electric, heating, and cooling systems in three elementary and middle schools, as well as Rio Rancho High School.

Once the new Independence High School is operational, the existing facility at 421 Quantum Road NE will be repurposed to house the district’s Special Services Support Center.

The expansion reflects RRPS’s commitment to accommodating the growing student population in Rio Rancho, which has seen significant growth over the past two decades. The district currently serves over 17,200 students, a number that has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

Construction of the new Independence High School is expected to be completed by spring 2027, providing enhanced educational opportunities for students in the Rio Rancho community.

Illinois Considers Lowering Student Proficiency Standards on State Tests

Brant.One News Desk
-
0
Illinois Considers Lowering Student Proficiency Standards on State Tests

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is weighing a controversial proposal to lower the proficiency benchmarks on state standardized tests, aiming to better reflect how prepared students are for college and careers.

State Superintendent Tony Sanders says the current standards may be too harsh. He argues that students are being labeled “not proficient” even when other indicators show they’re on track for success after high school. Adjusting the cut scores—the thresholds used to determine proficiency—could offer a clearer view of actual student performance, according to Sanders.

The numbers show why the board is considering a change:

  • In 2024, just 41% of students in grades 3–8 were considered proficient in reading.
  • Among 11th graders, only 31% met reading benchmarks.
  • Math scores were worse: 28% proficiency in grades 3–8, and just 26% among high school juniors.

Supporters of the proposal say these figures may reflect more on how the benchmarks are set than on students’ true capabilities.

But not everyone agrees with the approach. Critics warn that lowering the bar could hide deeper problems in learning and instruction. They argue it could artificially boost proficiency rates without actually improving what students know or can do. Some call for investments in tutoring, classroom support, and curriculum improvements instead.

The ISBE plans to present the proposal for discussion at its August 16 meeting. If approved, the new cut scores would be used in the spring 2025 assessments, with the first results released in October.

This move is part of a wider debate over how to set educational standards in a way that’s both rigorous and fair—especially as states rethink how success should be measured in the classroom.

1...252627...35Page 26 of 35