Our picksBorder–to–Emergency Room Pipeline | Industry Cyber(in)security | Sinking Singapore, and more

The Border Patrol–to–Emergency Room Pipeline (Arya Sundaram, The Atlantic)
The conditions in facilities at the border are so dire that many migrants are in need of medical care as soon as they are released.

Schiff: CIA Learned of Russian Hackers Targeting Senate Candidates from Conference (Betsy Woodruff, Daily Beast)
The House Intelligence chairman says he realized “something is broken here” after learning CIA officials were among the last to learn of a Kremlin-linked phishing effort.

Trump Officials Are Reportedly Dismantling the Post-9/11 Programs Meant to Prevent Nuclear and Biological Weapons Attacks against the U.S. (Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Business Insider)
The Trump administration is reportedly rolling back post-9/11 security programs aimed at preventing terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. The Los Angeles Times reported the cutbacks have occurred over the past two years at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees efforts to help law-enforcement identify and stop threats from unconventional weapons. One of the signature programs dismantled was an elite Homeland Security “red team” that coordinated with federal, state, and local officials to run dozens of drills each year.

Is Industry Cyber(in)security DoD’s Achilles’ Heel? (Mark Pomerleau, Fifth Domain)
Military leaders like to point out that the nature of warfare is unlikely to change, but the character of war — how they are fought and with what — is rapidly evolving. Physically, the United States benefits from the geographic isolation, separated from adversaries on all sides by large oceans and friendly nations, but the advent of cyber capabilities has created new attack vectors. In turn, agencies are pursuing case studies and exercises to identify best practices in less transparent, highly vulnerable sectors, such as manufacturing.

From Russia with Old Age: What Are the Security Concerns About FaceApp? (Harmon Leon, Observer)
Remember the carefree days of last week? It doesn’t seem too long ago. Everybody was having fun with FaceApp. Remember? It’s the delightful photo filter app that gives everyone the ability to transform their selfies into an old-age version of themselves.
Wrinkles. Bags under the eyes. Droopy jowls. Gray hair.
Plot twist.
Did you read the service agreement? I didn’t think so. As it turns out, the Russia-based photo filter app might be a tool of a Russian spy operation. If that’s the case, it’s incredibly cunning; I almost (in fact I do) want to high-five the man behind this master spy plan, because that is so damn ingenious. These duplicitous Russians have played upon our egocentric need for attention to gather personal information that has raised security concerns.
Using the FaceApp could give hackers access to vulnerable users’ smartphones, especially crucial if the FaceApp user is a prominent member of the DNC inner-circle. (Fortunately for Bernie Sanders, he has no need to use the app.)
With smartphone access, hackers could potentially log the web activity of the user and access the phone’s camera—and “secretly” record someone—then, cross-references the user’s face with the websites you’re using such as Facebook.

U.S. Faces Long-standing Challenges Related to Defending against Biological Threats (GAO)
This statement discusses GAO reports issued from December 2009 through March 2019 on various biological threats and biodefense efforts, and selected updates to BioWatch recommendations made in 2015.

Singapore to Spend Over $300 Million to Fight Sea Level Rise Effects (Lise Alves, Miami Beach Times)
According to Environment Minister Masagos Zulkifli, the ‘perfect storm’ could lead the small country to be engulfed by sea water if action is not taken.

Health Security Threats are Real: What is Congress Doing? (Jennifer B. Alton, BiotechNow)
In a rare show of bipartisan agreement, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act. However, Congress must now ensure adequate funding to support the law, so the country has the resources to respond quickly, and the Administration must to act with urgency to implement these new authorities.