Maryland Public Television’s Charles Robinson reports on how Baltimore continues to recover after city computers were infected with ransomware in the May 2019 Baltimore ransomware attack and interviews Dr. Rick Forno, associate director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity and graduate director of UMBC’s Cybersecurity MPS degree program.

From Wikipedia: On May 7th 2019, most of Baltimore’s government computer systems were infected with a new and aggressive ransomware variant named RobbinHood. All servers, with the exception of essential services, were taken offline. In a ransom note, hackers demanded 13 bitcoin (roughly $76,280) in exchange for keys to restore access. The note also stated that if the demands were not met within four days, the price would increase and within ten days the city would permanently lose all of the data.

As of May 13, 2019 all systems remained down for city employees. It is estimated that it will take weeks to recover. According to Mayor Jack Young, US Federal Law enforcement continue to investigate the attack. The attack had a negative impact on the real estate market as property transfers could not be completed until the system was restored on May 20th. However, the restoration of all systems was, as of May 20, 2019, estimated to take weeks more.

Baltimore was susceptible to such an attack due to its IT practices, which included decentralized control of its technology budget and a failure to allocate money its information security manager wanted to fund cyberattack insurance. The attack has been compared to a previous ransomware attack on Atlanta the previous year, and was the second major use of the RobbinHood ransomware on an American city in 2019, as Greenville, North Carolina was also impacted in April.

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Name: Shrijana Khanal

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Brookings Institution

Position Title: Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Economics

Current Class Level: Junior

Work Term: Summer 2019

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

This summer, I interned at The Brookings Institution, a think-tank in Washington, D.C. that conducts research in the social science field focusing on economics, foreign policy, governance, metropolitan policy, and the global economy. I was part of the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. I worked as an intern under Senior Fellow John McArthur to conduct research, collect and analyze data regarding how powerful Canada is, in eight categories (Economic resources, Military capability, Resilience, Future resources, Diplomatic influence, Economic relationships, Defence networks, and Cultural influence) through the published work of the Lowy Institute Asia Power Index. I was able to replicate the Lowy Institute Asia’s methodology to calculate Canada's power score and finished a 10-page report, which detailed my research and the data mining process. At the internship, I also collected data for the Southeast Asia Korea US Aid Project. Lastly, I helped organize and plan the Brookings Blum Roundtable, an annual forum for global leaders such as John Allen and Madeleine Albright to explore various facets of global poverty with a focus on how technology and innovation promotes economic growth. 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about the position through different outlets: the Sondheim Scholars Program, Dr. Mitch (the department chair of the Economics Department at UMBC), and the Career Center. I applied through myUMBC, submitting my resume, transcript, cover letter, and writing sample around March. Afterwards, I completed a phone call interview with Brookings, which went well. Weeks later, I received an email instructing me to complete a background check and submit two letters of recommendation. Then, I finally got the offer letter!

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization? 

This internship has a very special place in my heart because it revealed the power of data and ignited my passion for data science and statistics. I became exposed to the power of big data and how I can combine my interest in economics and math. On a personal note, the other thing I enjoyed the most about my internship was the connections I made with my supervisor and my fellow interns. My supervisor was a great mentor who helped me become a better writer, a better researcher, and a better learner. He gave me a lot of insight into the directions that I could take my career. The friends that I made at the internship will remain in my life forever because we all learned a lot from each other and supported each other’s goals. And finally, living in the heart of our nation’s capital was a life-changing experience. D.C. is so diverse and I hope to work there one day!

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

At the beginning of my internship, I was feeling somewhat discouraged because I could not see the big picture of my project. However, through the amazing mentorship of my supervisor and the connections I fostered with the other interns, I was able to see the impact of my work by talking more about my research with others and seeing other indexes like the Global Hunger Index or the Human Development Index, which portrayed similar work. Through my research about Canada, my supervisor will be able to see the strengths and weaknesses in Canada's power, which will help dissect Canada's role in the US-China Trade war. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

I would tell everyone to network, no matter how uncomfortable it may make you feel. 

And to remember that the 9AM-5PM lifestyle might take you a while to adjust to; therefore, prioritizing self-care is just as important as focusing on your professional growth. 

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

To read more please click on this link.

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Dr. Wenjia Li, CSEE EBIQUITY Alum, is a recipient of the 2019 IEEE Region 1 award.

Dr. Li received the Technological Innovation (Academic) Award for technical innovation in applying machine learning and data analytics techniques to a wide variety of research domains such as cyber security, Internet of Things, Intelligent Transportation System, mobile devices, and automated RNA sequencing.

Congratulations, Dr. Li!

The post Dr.Li, EBIQUITY Alum, 2019-IEEE Award Recipient appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The International Pronoun Day campaign encourages everyone of any gender to share their pronouns on social media as a way to celebrate and support the day.  

Pronouns are terms we use to describe ourselves in the third person in place of our name. These can include:

•          he/him/his

•          she/her/hers

•          they/them/theirs

•          gender-neutral pronouns, such as ze/hir/hirs

Everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity. For many - though not all - people who are trans, a shift in pronouns is an affirming part of the transition process and can have positive health outcomes. It can help a trans person and the people in their lives start to see them as their affirmed gender. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns, otherwise known as misgendering, particularly affects trans & gender nonconforming people and can be devastating. Using the right pronouns is a critical step in acknowledging the humanity of trans and gender nonconforming individuals.

Sadly, anti-trans violence is on the rise and disproportionately affects trans women and femmes of color. It is our shared responsibility to make sure that the most vulnerable members of our communities are respected, supported and feel safe. Sharing your pronouns, regardless of your gender, normalizes the practice so it’s not just on transgender and non-binary people to do it. In solidarity, you can also add your pronouns to your email signature and social media profiles year-round. Sharing pronouns might seem like such a small thing to do if your pronouns align with the gender identity you were assigned at birth, but it can be life-changing to someone who constantly has to deal with being misgendered. 

Respecting people’s pronouns is an important part of making UMBC a safer, more inclusive and supportive community. International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. It’s really just about recognizing the dignity of another human being.

For more information or to pick up your own pronoun buttons come visit us at The Mosaic or join us later today for Bagels and Banter Pop-Up #1.

For more information on Mosaic LGBTQA+ centered events, please email Heidy George, Program Associate for Student Diversity and Inclusion at hmg@umbc.edu, or mosaic@umbc.edu.