Debora L. High May 9, 1957 – February 24, 2008 Danville resident Debora passed away peacefully on February 24 at her home surrounded by her family. She is survived by her husband Grady. children Christina (Matt) Capittelli of Napa, Michael (Andrea) Larson of Newark and the late Amanda Lynn Larson. Daughter of Beverly Baldwin of Richmond and the late Howard Baldwin, sister of Bob (Nancy) Baldwin of El Sobrante and Denise (Jim) Grigg of Alameda. Debora loves spending time with her grandson Cory Cantu, traveling, cooking, gardening, crocheting, and reading. She is a former paralegal and co-owner of Grady's Chimney Sweep and Service. Family and friends are invited to a memorial service followed by a reception on Friday, February 29, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. at the Wilson & scratch Chapel of San Ramon Valley, 825 Hartz Way, Danville, CA. Burial will be private at St. Joseph's Cemetery in San Pablo. Donations can be made to UCSF, Melanoma Center, PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145 or to the charity of your choice. Wilson & Scratch – Danville 925-820-2999

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Hundreds of San Francisco Department of Health and Human Services employees have been ordered to work from home due to high crime rates in the office's area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The department recommended employees work remotely “for the foreseeable future,” the report said, citing an Aug. 4 memo sent to employees, a copy of which the Chronicle said it obtained.

The advice was given to workers “in light of conditions at the (Federal Building),” said Cheryl R. Campbell, the department's assistant secretary for administration, according to the report.

The Federal Building is located at 90 7th Street in San Francisco, a known drug hotspot where drug dealers often hawk near or across the street from the building, the Chronicle reported.

Two men were indicted in May on suspicion of conducting drug deals in front of federal building surveillance cameras, according to a June news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

San Francisco has struggled with a drug epidemic and a homelessness crisis in recent years.

The California governor's office said in June that the California Highway Patrol had seized more than four kilos of fentanyl in the Tenderloin and the “immediate area” of San Francisco in just six weeks.

It was claimed that this was “enough to kill the entire population of the city almost three times over.”

Elon Musk has also spoken out about crime in the city where his company X, formerly known as Twitter, is headquartered.

“Violent crime in SF is terrible,” Musk said in a tweet in April.

After the fatal knife attack on Cash App inventor Bob Lee, many described San Francisco as a “lawless” place to live.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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San Francisco is one of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. The City by the Bay got the dubious honor based on a cost of living survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a research group. The analysis considers hundreds of factors, including the price of goods and services, and the cost of utilities, car payments and housing.

The average cost of living in San Francisco, by the numbers

To comprehend just how expensive San Francisco is, consider these facts:

• In 2022, housing costs were 113% higher and utilities costs were 67.5% higher in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area than the national average, according to federal data.

• The overall price of goods in San Francisco, including apparel and food, education, medical expenses, recreation and transportation services, was 19.8% higher than the national average, according to the same report.

• The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is $3,020, according to October 2022 data from Zumper. Although this is less expensive than it was pre-pandemic, San Francisco is still the third most expensive city for renters in the US

The cost of living in San Francisco versus New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and the rest of the world

In 2022, San Francisco was the eighth most expensive city in the world, slightly more expensive than Paris, Copenhagen and Sydney, but less expensive than Los Angeles, which is tied with Hong Kong at number four. New York and Singapore are tied for the most expensive cities in the world. Tel Aviv comes in third, and Zurich and Geneva are numbers six and seven, respectively.

Seattle does not make the list of the 10 most expensive cities; the cost of living there is 22% lower than San Francisco’s, according to Forbes.

San Francisco’s financial district looms over a residential street in San Francisco, Calif.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

History repeats: San Francisco has always been an expensive city

San Francisco’s origins as a boom town mean its history of steep competition and price gouging goes back almost 200 years. In fact, during the Gold Rush, relative to incomes, San Francisco was even more expensive than it is today or during its dot-com boom.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, a dozen eggs bought from a San Francisco store in 1849 cost the equivalent of $90 today. That year, individual hotel rooms were rented to professional gamblers for the equivalent of $300,000 per month.

San Francisco has a long history of what many would call opportunist housing practices. Following the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated the city, landlords of the homes that were not destroyed, raised rents on tenants and forced even those making good wages into refugee camps, according to SFist and a July 1906 newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Call.

As the booms in precious metals contributed to high prices back in the day, the tech industry may be a contemporary contributor to the high cost of living.

Alexander Fromm Lurie, a San Francisco real estate advisor with Compass, points to the region’s tech jobs, which Bloomberg says make up over 30% of San Francisco’s private wages, as being largely responsible. “The Bay Area has among the strongest economies in the world, which attracts talent and infuses an abundance of money in the region,” Lurie writes in an email. With that, comes high salaries — according to Bloomberg, the average tech worker makes $165,000 a year — which results in “high housing costs,” Lurie explains.

But not even every tech worker can buy here. According to data from the California Association of Realtors, a San Franciscan needs to make nearly $400,000 to buy a median-income house.

The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square in San Francisco, Calif.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

It’s a buyer’s market — for now

Despite home prices remaining well above the national average, San Francisco is no longer the most unaffordable housing market in the country, according to a March 2022 report. Lurie explains that the market is cooling after a decade of massive housing appreciation that followed the 2008 recession. “There are some spectacular prices for buyers at the moment,” he writes. A national housing report by RE/MAX estimates that home prices are down 5.1% compared to the previous year.

A recent survey of real estate agents shows San Francisco is no longer the seller’s market it recently was. According to real estate company HomeLight, only 30% of agents said their market was a seller’s market in the fourth quarter of 2022. Just six months earlier, 95% of respondents said they were in a seller’s market.

But Lurie doesn’t expect the relatively low home prices to last long. “I believe that within a few short years we will see the San Francisco housing market rebound significantly from their current levels.”

This story was edited by Hearst National Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at kristina.moy@hearst.com.

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BATON ROUGE – A problem with Scotlandville High’s plumbing flooded a building on campus over the weekend, forcing administrators to cancel in-person classes for most of the week.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System announced the last-minute closure around 7 pm Sunday night. After three days of virtual learning, all students will be on campus Thursday.

A spokesperson for the school system said a toilet malfunctioned and was stuck continually flushing, causing the water to overflow.

Although students are back on campus, the school’s E Building is still closed for air quality and mold testing.

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BATON ROUGE – A problem with Scotlandville High’s plumbing flooded a building on campus over the weekend, forcing administrators to cancel in-person classes for most of the week.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System announced the last-minute closure around 7 pm Sunday night. After three days of virtual learning, all students will be on campus Thursday.

A spokesperson for the school system said a toilet malfunctioned and was stuck continually flushing, causing the water to overflow.

Although students are back on campus, the school’s E Building is still closed for air quality and mold testing.

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San Francisco has 27.1 million square feet of office space available across the city, a record high, according to new data recently released by commercial real estate firm CBRE. If you need a visualization of that staggering number, that’s just over 20 Salesforce Tower’s worth of office space available — and SF’s tallest building has 1.35 million square feet of office space across its 59 floors.

If leasing activity keeps pace with its current trajectory, upcoming quarters could continue to get worse, given that 50% of current sublease space is set to expire in 2025. “The vacancy rate is going to continue to creep up over the next couple of quarters because demand remains subdued right now and that all relates to the uncertainty around the economy and the amount of space companies need,” said Colin Yasukochi, CBRE’s Executive Director of Tech Insights.

Mayor London Breed spoke about her concerns with the city’s high office vacancy rate last week in an interview with Bloomberg News. The remote work policies of tech companies are part of the problem, Breed said. She pointed to Salesforce as an example. “[Marc is] very supportive of the city, continues to contribute that support to schools and to other great causes, but the building is empty, and that’s a real problem,” Breed said.

Empty buildings depress property values, which affects the amount the city makes in property tax revenue. Workers are also using public transportation at lower rates, and are spending less on goods at local businesses since they spend more time inside their homes.

Breed plans to coax businesses in growing industries, such as biotechnology and green technology, to fill empty office space.

Meanwhile, asking rents on directly leased space haven’t budgeted much. Rental prices are down just 2.6% compared to the first quarter of the year, though it’s down 13% from an all-time high in 2019. Yasukochi said he thinks that’s the most interesting takeaway from the new data. “It’s somewhat of an anomaly because normally high supply and low demand usually means prices are coming down, and we haven’t really seen that much of that,” he said.

When broken down by neighborhood, the highest vacancy rate according to CBRE is the Yerba Buena district at 46.1%. (CBRE defines Yerba Buena as bounded by Market to the north, Bryant to the south, Third Street to the east and Sixth Street to the west). The neighborhood with the lowest vacancy rate was Mission Bay/China Basin at 18.1%.

Interestingly, Yerba Buena has the highest average asking rent of all the commercial districts, but at $82.45 per square foot, it’s only cents above Mission Bay/China Basin’s average asking rent of $82.28.

The rental market is often bolstered by big office deals from tech companies, but San Francisco saw no new deals over 100,000 square feet in the third quarter of the year. Furthermore, the big tenants that do occupy space that large have decreased to five, down from nine in the second quarter of the year. Planet Labs, an Earth imaging company, completed the largest lease renewal of last quarter, while software company Asana signed the biggest sublease.

“From what our economists are seeing, the [market] turnaround will probably be during the middle of next year, but keeping in mind that real estate tends to lag the overall economy a bit,” Yasukochi said. “So it’s probably not until the latter half of 2023 and into 2024 that we’ll really start to see sustained improvement in the market.”

SFGATE reporter Alec Regimbal contributed to this report.

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Though a “letter of intent” ceremony is typically held when a high school athlete announces where they’ll go to college, one Kentucky high schooler had his own to sign with a plumbing company.

According to WDKY, Montgomery County High School senior Jacob Bradley signed a letter of intent to join Fast Flow Plumbing after his graduation this month. He’ll join the company as an apprentice and work under a master plumber for two years before earning his journeyman’s license.

It’s just more of my style,” Bradley told WKYT after signing with the Fast Flow Plumbing. “I was never really wanting to be an accountant or sit down.”

“I enjoy working with my hands a lot and just the environment and those types of people,” he added.

Bradley’s ceremony, which took place May 18, was the first non-athletic signing event for the high school, counselor Lacy Gross told WKYT.

RELATED: Plumber Drives to Texas from New Jersey to Help After Storm: ‘Proud to Lend a Helping Hand’

“This is something that we have done several times for our athletes who are attending college upon graduation,” Gross explained. “But this is something new here at Montgomery County High School, but I hope that this will continue.”

Bradley’s mother said she couldn’t be more proud of her ambitious son.

Local high school senior commits to plumbing career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvPbx0jcdEE

FOX 56 News

“His dad and I are just over the moon,” Bradley’s mother, Angie, told WKYT. “Actually, he’s a great kid and we are very lucky.”

But plumbing isn’t entirely new for the graduating senior. Bradley spent half of every school day learning the trade since meeting Fast Flow Plumbing Vice President Ben Crum at a career fair.

RELATED: Plumber Who Discovered Thousands of Dollars in Walls of Joel Osteen’s Church Gets Reward

“We are willing to invest in anyone that comes to us,” Crum told WKYT of recruiting students into the field. “We want to make sure they have the opportunity in two years to get their journeyman’s license.”

According to US News & World Report, plumbers, on average, made about a salary of $56,000 in 2020, with some earning over $75,000. The median salary for plumbers has increased steadily over the last decade, the outlet reported.

RELATED VIDEO: Teen with Familial Dysautonomia Scores Touchdown for High School Football Team

Bradley told WKYT that he one day hopes to become a franchise owner with Fast Flow Plumbing, “if [Crum] sees I work hard enough for him,” he said.

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With new housing development in San Francisco slowed to a crawl, Mayor London Breed is looking into whether reducing affordable requirements or deferring fees might get residential building job sites up and running again.

On Friday, Breed’s office called for the reconvening of the “technical advisory committee” that is supposed to periodically revisit the city’s inclusionary affordable housing program — which requires market-rate developers to either include affordable units, pay a fee or dedicate land. The eight-person committee, which includes four mayoral and four Board of Supervisors appointees, has not met since February 2018.

Breed spokesman Jeff Cretan said that rising construction costs, high inflation and interest rates, along with a sluggish pandemic recovery “make it an absolutely appropriate time to look at our policies so we can ensure that we are building the most housing, including affordable housing, that is possible.”

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who co-sponsored the most recent version of the city’s affordable housing mandates, said “it’s definitely time to reconvene” the committee.

The push comes as the city is seeing declines at all points in the housing production cycle. Few new buildings are opening. Active construction sites are way down. And applications for new projects are few and far between.

During the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, city economist Ted Egan and Land Use Program Manager Joshua Switzky delivered a mostly grim outlook for future housing development as well as office occupancy in downtown San Francisco.

Housing proposed for Schlage Lock land at Bayshore Boulevard and Leland Avenue in SF remains stalled.

Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle 2021

So far this year San Francisco has had 1,161 units completed, putting the city on pace to see fewer than 3,000 new homes. Compare that to 2021 when 4,649 units came online. Meanwhile, there are 4,100 units under construction, compared to the high of 10,000 units that were being built in 2016 or 2017.

The future doesn’t look much better. So far in 2022, about 800 units have been approved, with a projected 2,000 by the year’s end — or just about half of the 10-year average.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of approved units are languishing as the cost of building has outpaced revenues that can be generated through rents or sales. Rents in San Francisco are still 14% below what they were pre-pandemic, while construction costs have gone up, Egan said.

And developers still have to pay a wide range of fees, depending on the size of the project, where it is and whether the builder is taking advantage of any of the “density bonus” programs. For example, fees on a 24-unit project developer Marc Babsin has won approvals for in Diamond Heights would exact $261,000 in fees per unit, while the builder of a stalled project at 11th and Folsom would pay about $75,000 a unit.

“We have been hearing more and more that the inclusionary numbers don’t work today,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safai. “We need to reset it. It’s an impediment.”

Much of the city’s housing pipeline remains clogged. There are 14 projects comprising 2,257 units that were entitled in 2018 or 2019 and have not started construction. While progress is being made on two phased mega-projects — Treasure Island and Mission Rock — several major projects remain stalled, including a 6,000-unit expansion of Parkmerced, 12,000 units at the Shipyard and Candlestick Point, and 1,679 units at Schlage Lock. In addition, the 8,550 units expected to be generated in large projects alongside the future Central Subway are stalled.

Developer Eric Tao, on the committee looking at fees and requirements, said he is hoping for a repeat of what happened in 2010, during the Great Recession, when late Mayor Ed Lee brought together a group of developers, building trades leaders, lawmakers and advocates to figure out how to get construction started again.

In the end, the city lowered affordable housing requirements and deferred 80% of fees so developers paid when residents moved into a building, rather than when construction permits were obtained. This change jump-started several noteworthy projects, including the 655-unit Lumina project at 201 Folsom St., a condo development that also included 198 affordable units at 1400 Mission.

“What happened is we all came together and came up with some tools,” Tao said. “I think we need to do that again. It seems like it’s harder now – everything is more politicized.”

The key is to find a “sweet spot” that Tao called “maximum feasible affordability.”

“We are not saying get rid of (fees), we are just saying defer them until we can get the thing built and stabilized,” said Tao.

Mira condo tower (middle) at 160 Folsom St. in San Francisco couldn’t be built today because of prohibitive costs and fees, says the building’s developer.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle 2019

Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting featured a number of builders and real estate attorneys who outlined the challenges the industry faces.

Sarah Dennis-Phillips, a senior director for Tishman Speyer, said the group’s most recent building, the 392-unit Mira, which opened in 2020, wouldn’t work financially today. Tishman Speyer has an approved project at the former Creamery cafe site South of Market, but that project is not feasible.

“The costs are simply too high to generate an acceptable return,” said Dennis-Phillips, who is also on the committee looking into fees.

JK Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen

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Dateline

Ukraine at D+104: Cybercrime as a force multiplier. (The CyberWire) Russia and Ukraine treat the Donbas as a decisive theater. Cyber gangs serve as a Russian “force multiplier.” And US officials warn that the cyber threat from Russia remains as high as ever (and Russia says tu quoque).

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 105 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 105th day, we take a look at the main developments.

Ukrainian forces could pull back from embattled eastern city (AP NEWS) Ukrainian forces battling Russian troops in a key eastern city appeared on the cusp of retreat Wednesday, though the regional governor insisted they are still fighting “for every centimeter” of the city.

In Russia’s Battle for East Ukraine, Both Sides Have Higher Stakes at Play (Wall Street Journal) Moscow aims to prove it can gain and retain territory, while Ukraine wants to show some wary Western allies that it has a chance of prevailing against bigger Russian forces.

What to know about Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian city Russia wants to capture (Washington Post) The eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk has emerged as a focal point of Russia’s war in Ukraine in recent weeks. Fierce fighting continues to rage there as Ukrainian troops seek to prevent Russia from seizing the entire city.

Russian MPs vote to quit European Court of Human Rights (Al Jazeera) The move formalised the broken ties between Russia and the Council of Europe, of which the ECHR is a part.

No Peace at Any Price in Ukraine (Foreign Affairs) It’s too soon for a lasting diplomatic settlement.

Kyiv asks for more rocket systems as Kremlin warns of potential strikes in Russia (Washington Post) Ukraine says it needs 60 multiple-launch rocket systems to have a chance at defeating Russia, suggesting the number pledged by the West so far may be inadequate, along with access to sophisticated air defenses to help protect vulnerable citizens from relentless shelling.

Norway donates 22 howitzers to Ukraine (Reuters) Norway donated 22 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, including spare parts, ammunition and other gear, the Norwegian defence ministry said on Wednesday.

Norway donates 22 M109 howitzers to Ukraine (Ukrinform) The Norwegian government has donated 22 M109 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine to help the country repel Russian attacks. — Ukrinform.

Russian troops try fake marriage as an escape route from Ukraine (The Telegraph) Kyiv’s intelligence agency releases wiretapped conversation between invading soldiers discussing unsuccessful efforts to avoid front line

U.S. Lacks a Clear Picture of Ukraine’s War Strategy, Officials Say (New York Times) Intelligence agencies know far more about Russia’s military, even as the United States ships billions of dollars in weapons to the Ukrainians.

Russian Cyber Threat Remains High, U.S. Officials Say (Wall Street Journal) Senior U.S. cyber officials urged companies to remain on high alert for cyberattacks as a consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying the warnings are based on intelligence assessments of potential strikes.

Russian Government, Cybercriminal Cooperation a ‘Force Multiplier’ (Decipher) The Russian government’s tolerance and sometime cooperation with the cybercriime groups in the country makes the threat from both factions even more serious, US officials say.

Opinion The U.S.-Russia conflict is heating up — in cyberspace (Washington Post) As the war in Ukraine rages, a long-standing battle between Russia and the United States over cyberspace is also heating up, with a top Russian diplomat warning of “catastrophic” consequences if the United States or its allies “provoke” Russia with a cyberattack.

‘Assume you can be jammed’ — What US troops are learning about electronic warfare in Ukraine (Task & Purpose) “We are really not prepared for that level of electronic warfare”

Russian Cyberattack Hits Wales-Ukraine Football Broadcast (Gov Info Security) The broadcast of the Football World Cup 2022 qualifier game between Wales and Ukraine on Sunday was interrupted in Ukraine by a cyberattack that targeted OLL.TV, a

Smartphones Blur the Line Between Civilian and Combatant (Wired) In Ukraine, civilians are valiantly assisting the army via apps—and challenging a tenet of international law in the process.

Denver area tech companies play key roles in Ukraine battle against Russia (Axios) Palantir Technologies’ CEO Alex Karp met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine last week, the company said.

Sanctions Take Toll on Laundering Tools Used by Ransomware Gangs (Wall Street Journal) U.S. sanctions in recent months have hammered a handful of cryptocurrency services used by ransomware groups, suggesting Washington can effectively target some tools hackers use to convert digital ransom payments into cash.

We are giving Ukraine more military aid than Britain, suggests Germany (The Telegraph) Olaf Scholz claims that Berlin has provided more support than Westminster, adding that only the US has done more

Merkel defends Ukraine policy, does not regret engaging Russia (Washington Post) The former German chancellor’s past efforts to broker peace, as well her opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, have come under scrutiny since the war.

Vladimir Putin has won round the French elite, not just Macron (The Telegraph) The President’s appeasement of Russia is alarmingly representative of establishment opinion

Sweden’s NATO Bid Gets Tangled Up in a Domestic Political Dispute (New York Times) A move by right-wing lawmakers to remove Sweden’s justice minister has been dragged into a battle over the country’s efforts to join the military alliance.

Sweden’s NATO Bid Is in Trouble (Defense One) Domestic politics have elevated a Kurdish parliamentarian, and that worsens Stockholm’s Turkey woes.

NATO Is Out of Shape and Out of Date (Foreign Policy) With the bloc’s unity over Ukraine showing cracks, NATO needs an overhaul.

The U.K.’s Bold Bosnia Policy Slaps Down Russian-Backed Separatists (Foreign Policy) Sarajevo’s hopes of NATO accession are growing as London steps in.

What happens in Ukraine doesn’t stay in Ukraine: Austin adds clarity on Taiwan (The Hill) In recent weeks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made some important policy statements — on the continuing war in Ukraine, on the threatening conflict over Taiwan, and on the possible linkage be…

Vladimir Putin paints rosy picture of Russia’s crumbling economy (Newsweek) The Russian president told ministers that unemployment was low and inflation had stabilized.

Russia-Ukraine latest news: Russia ‘steals 600,000 tonnes of grain’ from occupied Ukraine (The Telegraph) Russia has stolen around 600,000 tonnes of grain from occupied Ukrainian territory and exported some of it, the deputy head of Ukraine’s agricultural producers’ union said on Wednesday.

Belgian security experts alerts against use of Russian software Kaspersky (Publicist 24) Security experts have alerted against Belgium’s continuous use of Russia-developed antivirus software Kaspersky, over fears that the software may contain vulnerabilities that may be exploited by the Russian Government.

IBM begins laying off its entire Russian workforce (Engadget) The company suspended operations back in March but kept employees on the payroll..

Russia’s War Is the End of Climate Policy as We Know It (Foreign Policy) Ironically, geopolitical strife and energy scarcity will do more for the climate than decades of ardent policies.

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Exploit Network Providers and Devices (CISA) Best Practices • Apply patches as soon as possible • Disable unnecessary ports and protocols • Replace end-of-life infrastructure • Implement a centralized patch management system

US agencies detail the digital ‘plumbing’ used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers (The Record by Recorded Future) U.S. agencies on Tuesday offered new details about how Chinese state-sponsored hackers have used publicly known vulnerabilities to target internet service providers and major telecommunications firms around the globe over the last two years.

Australian Chinese News Site Hit by Cyber Attack, Media Reports (Bloomberg) One of Australia’s largest Chinese-language media platforms came under cyber attack early in the hours of June 4, potentially putting users’ information at risk, The Australian newspaper reported Wednesday.

Jersey computers used in international cyber-attacks (Jersey Evening Post) HIJACKED computers in Jersey were recently used to launch cyber-attacks against organisations in other countries – amid a daily rise in digital crime that could ‘happen to anybody’.Matt Palmer, of the government’s Cyber Emergency Response Tea…

Multilevel Extortion: DeadBolt Ransomware Targets Internet-Facing NAS Devices (Dark Reading) The innovative ransomware targets NAS devices, has a multitiered payment and extortion scheme as well as a flexible configuration, and takes a heavily automated approach.

Evil Corp Cybercrime Group Shifts to LockBit Ransomware to Evade Sanctions (The Hacker News) Cybercrime group Evil Corp shifts to LockBit Ransomware in an attempt to get around sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury in December 2019.

LockBit claims Mandiant hack in apparent bid to distance itself from Evil Corp (Tech Monitor) LockBit is apparently keen to play down associations with the notorious cybercriminals Evil Corp after a Mandiant report linked the groups.

Multilevel Extortion: DeadBolt Ransomware Targets Internet-Facing NAS Devices (Dark Reading) The innovative ransomware targets NAS devices, has a multitiered payment and extortion scheme as well as a flexible configuration, and takes a heavily automated approach.

Linux version of Black Basta ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers (BleepingComputer) Black Basta is the latest ransomware gang to add support for encrypting VMware ESXi virtual machines running on enterprise Linux servers.

It Takes 2 Seconds of Silence to Skim a Credit Card (Sucuri Blog) This seemingly benign audio snippet conceals malicious JavaScript which creates a fake payment form, harvests sensitive credit card information, and encrypts it to circumnavigate network monitoring.

Notice of Data Security Incident – Shields Health Care Group (Shields Health Care Group) Shields Health Care Group, Inc. (“Shields”) recently became aware of suspicious activity on its network.  Shields provides management and imaging services on behalf of the health care facilities (“Facility Partners”) listed below.  With the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, we took immediate steps to contain the incident and to investigate the nature and scope of … Continued

Personal data of 2 million leaked in cyberattack on Massachusetts healthcare group (The Record by Recorded Future) The sensitive information of two million people was accessed during a cyberattack on Shields Health Care Group in Massachusetts. 

Prothena Corporation, PLC Confirms Recent Data Breach Following Compromised Employee Email Account (JD Supra) Recently, Prothena Corporation, PLC confirmed that certain sensitive consumer information was exposed after an unauthorized party gained access to an…

Palermo Municipality Cyberattack Still Affecting Citizens (Gov Info Security) A cyberattack on the municipality of Palermo, which began on Thursday, reportedly continues to cripple the southern Italian city on Monday. The attack caused the

Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates

Apple Announces New Security Update Feature in iOS 16, macOS Ventura (SecurityWeek) iOS 16 and macOS Ventura will get security updates faster via a new feature called Rapid Security Response.

Safari update brings new collaboration and security features in iOS 16 (9to5Mac) Safari is receiving a fresh update with iOS 16 this fall, as announced during WWDC 2022‘s opening keynote. The refresh also comes to devices compatible with iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura at the same time. There are lots of new features and updates coming to Apple devices this year. Let’s take a deep dive on […]

Microsoft Suggests Work-Around For ‘Serious’ Follina Zero-Day (Security Boulevard) While malicious email attachments are nothing new, there’s reason to be particularly cautious when it comes to the new zero-day vulnerability, dubbed

Technical Details Released for Recently Patched Zyxel Firewall Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) Security researchers with HN Security have published technical details on two vulnerabilities affecting many Zyxel products.

Owl Labs Releases Security Updates for Meeting Owl Pro and Whiteboard Owl (CISA) Owl Labs has released security updates to address a vulnerability (CVE-2022-31460) in Meeting Owl Pro and Whiteboard Owl. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information.  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the Owl Labs security advisories for Meeting Owl Pro and Whiteboard Owl and update to Version 5.4.1.4. 

Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC and MELIPC Series (Update B) (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 7.5
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
Vendor: Mitsubishi Electric
Equipment: MELSEC and MELIPC Series
Vulnerabilities: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, Improper Handling of Length Parameter Inconsistency, Improper Input Validation

New ‘DogWalk’ Windows zero-day bug gets free unofficial patches (BleepingComputer) Free unofficial patches for a new Windows zero-day vulnerability in the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) have been released today through the 0patch platform. 

Trends

Hacking Scenarios: How Hackers Choose Their Victims (The Hacker News) Enforcing the “double-extortion” technique aka pay-now-or-get-breached emerged as a head-turner last year.

The Godfathers of Cybercrime: The 2022 Verizon Report (Above the Law) Lawyers are still clicking where they shouldn’t.

Cyber-Attack Surface “Spiralling Out of Control” (Infosecurity Magazine) Infosec pros still struggling to define and manage cyber-risk

The challenge of managing cyber risk: A Trend Micro Research Paper
(Trend Micro) Digital transformation during the pandemic pushed many organisations over a technology ‘tipping point’ from which they will never return. In short, the future of business is digital.

Smishing and Vishing Attempts Surged in 2021 (Infosecurity Magazine) Proofpoint records 100,000 phone-based attacks each day

Cyber-attacks ‘could become fully automated’ (Law Society Gazette) More opportunities for criminals, SRA outlook warns

Healthcare has 650% increase in ransomware attacks – report (SecurityBrief New Zealand) Zscaler’s annual ThreatLabz Ransomware Report reveals the healthcare and restaurant and food service industries had the biggest jumps in ransomware attacks.

RSA Conference 2022 – Announcements Summary (Day 1) (SecurityWeek) SecurityWeek is publishing a daily digest summarizing some of the announcements made by vendors at the RSA Conference 2022.

Marketplace

Cyber Innovation Fellows Initiative (CISA) CISA launched the CISA Cyber Innovation Fellows initiative bring private sector experts into the agency on a short term, part-time basis to lend their expertise to specific areas of CISA’s mission space.

Forescout Announces Intent to Acquire Cysiv to Deliver Data-Powered Threat Detection and Response (Forescout) Acquisition will leverage Forescout’s automated cybersecurity with Cysiv’s cloud-native platform to deliver data-powered analytics for 24/7 threat detection and response SAN JOSE, Calif., June 6, 2022 – Forescout Technologies, Inc., the global leader in automated cybersecurity, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cysiv, a cybersecurity innovator that uses its cloud […]

Cyren Announces Divestment to Enable Focus on Strategic Growth Opportunities (Yahoo) Cyren (NASDAQ:CYRN), a provider of inbox security and threat intelligence solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to divest its legacy Secure Email Gateway business to Content Services Group GmbH for €10,000,000 in cash. The purchase price is subject to certain adjustments and the transaction is expected to close prior to August 31, 2022, with customary closing conditions.

Cyren stock surges aftermarket on €10M sale of secure email gateway unit (SeekingAlpha) Cyren (CYRN) said Tuesday it will divest its legacy secure email gateway business to Content Services Group for €10M in cash.CYRN will use the proceeds to expand go-to-market…

IBM bolsters cyber security offerings with Randori acquisition (IT PRO) It plans to use the company’s attack surface management and offensive security offerings to strengthen its cloud and AI capabilities

Airbus boosts cybersecurity protection with new organisation (Corporate Jet Investor) CJI Summary *Airbus is boosting its cybersecurity protection to reflect the rapid rise in cyber threats and the growing digitisation and connectivity of its products and systems. *The OEM is investing in measures to strengthen its cybersecurity capabilities and expertise, to ensure “the best possible protection for the company, its ecosystem, and its customers”. *Airbus … Continue reading “Airbus boosts cybersecurity protection with new organisation”

Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition Adds Four New Members (OT Cyber Coalition) Washington, DC – Today, the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition (OT Cyber Coalition) announced that four new members – ABS Group, Network Perception, Waterfall Security Solutions, and 1898 & Co. – will be joining the Coalition in its first membership expansion since launching in April. “The addition of these companies to the Coalition shows the ever-increasing importance of securing operational technology and the need for organizations to contribute meaningful solutions and capabiliti

Laminar Joins the Cloud Security Alliance (Laminar) Laminar Brings Its Expertise Securing Data Across Multi-Cloud Environments to the Alliance

Synack launches paid mentorship program to boost skills, increase diversity in cybersecurity (PR Newswire) Synack, the premier on-demand security platform for continuous penetration testing and vulnerability management, today is launching an…

American Cybersecurity Company Red Trident Opens A New Office At The HSD Campus In The Hague (Invest in Rotterdam – The Hague area) During the RSA Conference taking place from 6-9 June 2022 in San Francisco, American OT cybersecurity company Red Trident announced the opening of its new

Bridgehead IT Announces Relocation and Expansion of San Antonio-Based Corporate Headquarters (Newswire) Bridgehead IT Inc., a privately held San Antonio-based information technology firm specializing in custom technology solutions for businesses, mo …

Governor Hochul Announces 24th Annual Cybersecurity Conference at Empire State Plaza In Albany (Governor Kathy Hochul) Governor Hochul announced that the 24th annual Cybersecurity Conference, New York’s premier cybersecurity event, begins today, June 7, at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. 

Fortinet establishes a Public Sector Advisory Council on cybersecurity leadership. (Fortinet) As a trusted partner to the public sector and private industry, Fortinet establishes the Public Sector Advisory Council (PSAC).Advisory Council. The council members will contribute strategic counsel and leadership on some of the world’s most critical cybersecurity challenges.

Illumio Appoints Gary Barlet as Federal Field Chief Technology Officer (GlobeNewswire News Room) Former Federal Chief Information Officer and Air Force Cyber Operations Officer to Help Government Agencies Innovate with Zero Trust Segmentation to Stop…

Products, Services, and Solutions

Open Systems Recognized as a Microsoft Security Excellence Awards Winner for Security MSSP of The Year (Business Wire) Open Systems, the only cybersecurity services provider with Mission Control, today announced it has won the Security MSSP of the Year award at the Microsoft Security Excellence Awards 2022.

SecZetta Featured in Aite-Novarica Group Inaugural Risk Insights and Advisory Fintech Spotlight (Business Wire) SecZetta, the leading provider of third-party identity risk solutions, is pleased to share it is featured in a new financial services technology spotlight report by the Aite-Novarica Group, an advisory firm providing mission-critical insights on technology, regulations, markets, and operations to banks, payments providers, insurers, and securities firms.

Grand Globee® Award Winners Announced in 2022 Information Technology World Awards® (StreetInsider.com) The Globee Awards have announced the winners of Grand Globee Awards in the 17th Annual 2022 Information Technology World Awards, recognized as the world’s top honors for achievements in the information…

Talon Cyber Security Named “Most Innovative Startup” at RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox Contest 2022 (Yahoo) RSA Conference, the world’s leading information security conferences and expositions, today announced that Talon Cyber Security has won the annual RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest. Named the “Most Innovative Startup,” Talon was selected by a panel of esteemed judges for creating a secure enterprise browser, which empowers organizations to simplify their security programs while providing a secure and improved hybrid work experience.

Nubeva Announces Decryption Success In Two Ransomware Attacks (El Paso Inc.) Nubeva Technologies(TSX-V: NBVA, OTC: NBVAF) announces success in two live ransomware attacks by Conti and a new version of REvil .

NetWitness Launches Comprehensive XDR Offerings for Next Generation Security (Business Wire) NetWitness, a globally trusted provider of cybersecurity technologies and incident response, today announced NetWitness XDR, a family of products and

Secret Server Enhances Disaster Recovery and More (Delinea) Delinea continues to invest in innovation to empower security for its customers with enhancements to Secret Server privileged access management solution.

Checkmarx Unveils Context-aware Checkmarx Fusion with Industry’s First Holistic View and Cross-component Prioritization of Application Vulnerabilities (PR Newswire) Developers and application security (AppSec) teams today have long needed a single, integrated view into the interaction, functions and…

ConnectWise Shares Business Strategies to Bolster Security at IT Nation Secure (Industry Analysts, Inc.) Company also details new cybersecurity product integrations and updates  ORLANDO, Fla. (June 7, 2022) – ConnectWise, the world’s leading software company dedicated to the success of IT solution providers, shared a slew of information in its

Onapsis Continues Product Innovation, Offering Customers Enhanced and Add-on Capabilities to Strengthen Business Application Security (Business Wire) Onapsis today announced enhanced information security solutions for its Assess and Defend products.

German Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media Approves Incode Technologies as an Age Verification System (AVS) (Business Wire) German Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media Approves Incode Technologies as an Age Verification System (AVS)

New Version of Netwrix Auditor Simplifies Access Reviews and Locks Down Data in Microsoft Teams (Netwrix) Netwrix Auditor 10.5 streamlines regular access attestation, mitigates the risk of data leakage via Microsoft Teams, and secures data in Qumulo and Synology.

Sumo Logic Introduces Threat Labs Unit for Advanced Detection and Expanded Security Community Contribution (GlobeNewswire News Room) Establishes Sumo Logic Threat Labs Unit to deliver accelerated detection for modern threats at cloud scale…

Mandiant Announces New Cyber Alliance Program (Business Wire) Vendor-independent technology partner program delivers a customer-first and mission centric approach to cyber security partnership strategy

SimSpace platform enhancements help security teams validate their incident response operations (Help Net Security) SimSpace unveiled new updates to its cyber range, delivering an open platform for cybersecurity training and optimization.

UL Launches New SafeCyber Solution and Platform Features to Address Mounting Security Threats (PR Newswire) UL, a global safety science leader, today announced the latest enhancements to its product security and compliance life cycle management…

Verteks Consulting Achieves Platinum Partner Status in WatchGuard Technologies’ WatchGuardONE Partner Program (Newswire) Leading MSP recognized by cybersecurity vendor for their continued commitment to the growth of the WatchGuard brand

AI-Driven ImmuniWeb Neuron Brings Intelligent Automation to Web Security Scanning Market (ImmuniWeb) ImmuniWeb® Neuron to be the first AI-automated solution for web and API security scanning with a contractual zero false positives SLA for on-premise or cloud-native apps.

Offensive Security Announces “OffSec Live: PEN-200” – Interactive, Instructor-led, Streaming Preparation for the OSCP (Business Wire) Free Streaming Series Provides Security Professionals Enhanced Learning and Preparedness for the OSCP Certification Exam

OffSec Live (Offensive Security) We’ve spent the last few years optimizing and improving our traditional model. The results of this work have been coming out periodically, giving our students items like exclusive access to multi-system attack chains, the introduction of Topic Exercises, the OffSec Training Library, and so on. And, more refinement is coming over the year.

Hexnode Integrates with Keeper Security to Help Businesses Strengthen Their First Line of Defense (Quality Digest) Partnership bolsters defense against growing cybersecurity risks

New Collaboration Between Kovrr and Microsoft Enables Clients to Transform Their Internal Cyber Security Data Into Financially Quantified Cyber Risk Management Decisions (Business Wre) The offering is a product of Kovrr being selected by “Microsoft for Startups” for its Financial Cyber Risk Quantification Solution

Juniper Networks and Dragos Announce Official Joint Partnership to Secure Critical Infrastructure (Business Wire) IT and OT networks can realize a converged industrial network through the integration of Juniper Security Director Cloud and the Dragos Platform

Akamai Launches New Malware Protection for Uploaded Files (Dark Reading) Edge-based solution detects and blocks malicious files uploaded to Web apps and APIs.

Snowflake Launches New Cybersecurity Workload to Detect and Respond to Threats with the Data Cloud (Snowflake) Snowflake’s new Cybersecurity workload provides a unified, secure, and scalable data platform for helping security teams eliminate blind spots and respond

Advantech and Actility launch an Edge Solution-Ready Package to deploy Enterprise IoT LoRaWAN Networks (Actility) Advantech and Actility launch a solution allowing to deploy and manage private LoRaWAN® networks on customer premises

Exabeam Partners with Google Cloud to Create Hyperscale Cloud-native SIEM and Cybersecurity Analytics Offerings (Exabeam) Cybersecurity innovator invests further in leading cloud data provider to make security operations teams more efficient.

Mandiant Opens Managed Defense Beta Program to CrowdStrike and SentinelOne Customers (Mandiant) As part of this customer-first initiative, participants will have access to advanced managed detection and response capabilities, while informing future service innovation

Technologies, Techniques, and Standards

CISA Provides Criteria and Process for Updates to the KEV Catalog (CISA) CISA has updated the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog webpage as well as the FAQs for Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01, Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, which established the KEV catalog. The updates provide information on the criteria and process used to add known exploited vulnerabilities to the KEV catalog. CISA encourages users and administrators to review the new information.

Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA) CISA issued Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01, Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to evolve our approach to vulnerability management and keep pace with threat activity. The directive establishes a CISA managed catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities and requires federal civilian agencies to identify and remediate these vulnerabilities on their information systems.

New Dragos OT-CERT Provides Free Industrial Cybersecurity Resources (SecurityWeek) Dragos has launched OT-CERT, a new initiative to provide free industrial cybersecurity resources.

Virtru launches open-source project OpenTDF (CSO Online) The company hopes OpenTDF will establish a standard for safe, private data sharing.

Palo Alto Networks calls on cybersecurity industry to adopt ZTNA 2.0: Zero trust with zero exceptions (Manila Standard) Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, today urged the industry to move to Zero Trust Network Access

Microsoft flags common pitfalls for cyber insurance (SearchSecurity) Microsoft executive Cynthia James spoke at RSA Conference 2022 on issues in the cyber insurance market and how best to navigate them.

Why HR plays an important role in preventing cyber attacks (SearchHRSoftware) HR’s employee information is some of the company’s most important data. Learn why HR has an important role to play in preventing cyber attacks.

Phishing Made Easy(ish) (Black Hills Information Security) Hannah Cartier // Social engineering, especially phishing, is becoming increasingly prevalent in red team engagements as well as real-world attacks. As security awareness improves and systems become more locked down, it is unsurprising that the human element of security is becoming a more appealing attack vector. In addition, phishing campaigns can be used to test […]

Design and Innovation

A Long-Awaited Defense Against Data Leaks May Have Just Arrived (Wired) MongoDB claims its new “Queryable Encryption” lets users search their databases while sensitive data stays encrypted. Oh, and its cryptography is open source.

Palo Alto Networks Founder: Machines Should Run SOCs, Not Humans (SDxCentral) Palo Alto Networks founder Nir Zuk expects more vendors will follow the vendor’s lead to offer an autonomous security operation center.

Research and Development

If you thought encryption was complicated now, wait ’til quantum computing | Federal News Network (Federal News Network) The big fear in the data encryption community is the advent of quantum computing, i.e. computers are so powerful they can crack any algorithm.

Academia

Cybersecurity Industry Leaders Launch Campaign to Close the Cybersecurity Talent Gap (PR Newswire) NightDragon, an investment and advisory firm focused on the cybersecurity, safety, security, and privacy industries, and NextGen Cyber Talent,…

Southern University partners with Filtari to help students ‘clean up’ social media before applying for jobs (PR Newswire) The Office of Career Services at Southern University and A&M College recently partnered with social media screening service, Filtari, to assist…

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

USB-C will be mandatory for phones sold in the EU ‘by autumn 2024’ (The Verge) Along with tablets, cameras, and more.

Eye to eye in AI: Developing artificial intelligence for national security and defense (Atlantic Council) As artificial intelligence transforms national security and defense, it is imperative for the Department of Defense, Congress, and the private sector to closely collaborate in order to advance major AI development priorities. However, key barriers remain. As China and Russia develop their own capabilities, the stakes of the military AI competition are high, and time is short.

Senators Propose Industry-Friendly Cryptocurrency Bill (Wall Street Journal) The regulatory framework would spare much of the crypto market from Securities and Exchange Commission oversight and create favorable tax treatment.

Crypto industry scores a big win under long-anticipated Senate bill (Washington Post) The proposal would hand crypto oversight to the CFTC, which the sector views as friendlier than the SEC

Senate Crypto Bill Eyes Bigger Role For CFTC (Law360) U.S. Senate legislation introduced Tuesday would assign most oversight of cryptocurrencies to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a smaller regulator that can be seen as friendly toward digital assets, although lawyers said the proposal would not end jurisdictional disputes among federal agencies.

Witnesses Stress Need for Harmonization, Standardization in Cyber Incident Reporting Requirements (MeriTalk) As the Federal government works through the rulemaking process for the recently signed Incident Reporting legislation that originated in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, witnesses for that same committee today stressed the need for unity among both reporting avenues and standardization of data to help operationalize the data.

Google Issues Warning About Security Risks Of Big Tech Bill (Law360) Google on Tuesday continued to criticize proposed legislation aimed at reining in the power of large technology platforms by preventing them from giving their own services an unfair advantage, contending that the bill would undermine the company’s ability to keep people safe.

CISA chief: Cyber defense program building trust between government, industry (The Record by Recorded Future) A months-old initiative by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to revamp how the federal government works with the private sector to address digital threats has begun to foster a new level of faith between the two sides, the agency’s chief said Tuesday.

Private Sector Stakeholders release Joint Statement Calling for Increased Public Private Collaboration (StreetInsider.com) A group of leading private sector organizations and cyber advocacy groups; Business Executives for National Security; the Coalition for…

Work Remains in Fight Against Ransomware (Wall Street Journal) The authors of an influential report on ransomware said the government response one year on in implementing its recommendations has been admirable, but more should be done in key areas.

U.S. National Guard’s Cyber Training Emphasizes Social Media, Supply Chain Protection (Nextgov.com) Ahead of the annual Cyber Shield exercise, military leaders will train National Guard and other military members to fight disinformation and protect critical infrastructure.

Pennsylvania lawmakers consider requiring government data breach notifications (ABC27) Pennsylvania Senator Kristin Phillips, who chairs the technology committee, held a hearing on June 7 about a proposal to require prompt disclosure whenever there is a data breach wit…

New N.Y. Law Aimed at Getting Social Media Platforms to Restrict “Hateful” Speech (Reason.com) Its operative provisions just require social media platforms to create a mechanism for taking complaints about such “hateful” speech; but the title is “hateful conduct prohibited,” and it’s clear the legislature is trying to get social media platforms to restrict such speech more.

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

DOJ, FBI shut down marketplace for stolen Social Security numbers (The Record by Recorded Future) US law enforcement agencies seized and shut down a popular marketplace where cybercriminals buy stolen social security numbers and other personal information.

SSNDOB Marketplace, A Series Of Websites That Listed More Than 20 Million Social Security Numbers For Sale, Seized And Dismantled In International Operation (US Department of Justice) United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, along with Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon for the IRS – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge David Walker for the FBI – Tampa Division, today announced the seizure of the SSNDOB Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States. The SSNDOB Marketplace has listed the personal information for approximately 24 million individuals in the United States, generating more than $19 million USD in sales revenue.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Government Ordered Travel Companies To Spy On Russian Hacker For Years And Report His Whereabouts Every Week (Forbes) Critics say the government isn’t doing enough to inform the public about such secretive surveillance.

Digital fingerprints of a million child abuse images made (BBC News) A new system for classifying images will help stop them being shared online, a UK charity says.

Spanish Judge to Seek Testimony From NSO on Pegasus Spyware (SecurityWeek) Spanish judge José Luis Calama will travel to Israel to take testimony from Shalev Hulio, CEO of the Tel Aviv-based NSO Group, maker of the controversial Pegasus spyware

‘Culture of corruption’: Former DWP cybersecurity chief gets 4 years in prison (Los Angeles Times) David Alexander, a former executive overseeing cybersecurity at the DWP, was sentenced for his role in a sprawling corruption scheme.

DC Judge Blesses $63M Deal Over 2015 OPM Hack (Law360) A D.C. federal judge gave an early blessing on Tuesday to a $63 million settlement that would allow government workers affected by the 2015 cyberattack on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to recoup up to $10,000 apiece.

Fed. Circ. Wary Of Atty’s ‘Buzzwords’ In Location IP Suit (Law360) A Federal Circuit judge did not seem compelled by inventor Sholem Weisner’s bid to revive his location-tracking patent infringement suit against Google, saying the four patents-at-issue are invalid under Alice and that Wesiner’s counsel is using “buzzwords” from judicial precedent without providing any specificity.

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For a lot of property owners, the homes we own are our most valuable assets. They’re also a major pain and constant cash drain.

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From big-ticket items like faltering foundations and burst sewer pipes to simpler fixes like scratched floors and chipped paint, our homes are regularly in need of repair. Few of us have the tools and DIY skills to do it all. And lately, it’s been challenging even to find pros to do the work.

Enter startups. Against a backdrop of rising property values, an aging housing stock, and labor shortages among home services providers, investors have been pouring money into upstart companies aiming to help with upgrading and maintaining properties.

A Crunchbase analysis of funding to US home services-focused startups in the past year found at least $1.4 billion across 23 rounds (see funding round list). We put together a sample list of companies funded in the past year, shown below:

Where the money is going

By far the largest funding recipient is ServiceTitan, a provider of software for home service contractors in plumbing, HVAC, electrical and other specialties to generate leads and close sales. The Glendale, California-based company, founded by two sons of immigrants who built contracting businesses, raised $500 million in a March Series F round, bringing total funding to over $1 billion.

Next up is Thumbtack, an app for finding and hiring local professionals that is most popular for home services. The San Francisco-based company closed a $275 million late-stage round last month, bringing total known funding to nearly $700 million.

Neither ServiceTitan nor Thumbtack are new startups, having been founded in 2012 and 2008, respectively. However, there are also some newer players raising sizable rounds.

Super, provider of subscription plans to cover appliance and home systems breakdowns, raised a $50 million Series C in May. And Chicago-based HomeX, a 4-year-old startup that provides virtual support for home repair troubleshooting, raised its first reported institutional round of $90 million in April.

In announcing the round, HomeX founder and CEO Michael Werner pointed to home services as a $500 billion market that “remains highly fragmented and needs meaningful innovation.” He pitches his startup as a player that could bring to home services some of the kinds of transformations that telemedicine has brought to health care, by cutting down on costly in-person service calls.

HomeX isn’t the only company looking to make home services a more virtual business. HOVER raised a $60 million Series D in November to build up its service, which allows smartphone users to make an interactive 3D model of any property to measure, design and estimate home improvement projects.

Faster, cheaper, better… or at least available

As with startups in other sectors, home services upstarts are mostly marketing their offerings as a faster, cheaper or better solution than incumbents. But in the current market — with many contractors seeing more demand than they can meet — sometimes the killer app is simply having someone available to do the work.

With many areas of the economy facing labor shortages, home services are no exception. Operators of contracting businesses in HVAC, plumbing, roofing and other areas are reporting difficulty hiring and retaining employees in major markets across the country.

Home repair and remodeling costs have also been spiking, impacted by greater consumer demand and supply chain disruptions beginning amid the pandemic, alongside labor shortages.

Public markets like the space, too

Public markets also seem pretty convinced we’ll be shelling out more for home repairs and renovations.

Shares of both The Home Depot and Lowe’s — two companies seen as a barometer for consumer enthusiasm around home upgrades — are trading at around all-time highs. That’s likely another factor boosting venture interest in home services, indicative that public investors would be receptive to companies with innovative approaches to an already growing space.

Plus, our homes aren’t maintaining themselves. (Though it would be really nice if a truly innovative startup came up with a way to do just that.)

Illustration: Dom Guzman

Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.

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