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Richard Forno

Senior Lecturer, Cybersecurity & Internet Researcher, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Dr. Richard Forno is a Senior Lecturer in the UMBC Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, where he directs the UMBC Graduate Cybersecurity Program, serves as the Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity, and is a Junior Affiliate Scholar at the Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society (CIS). His twenty-year career spans the government, military, and private sector, including helping build a formal cybersecurity program for the US House of Representatives, serving as the first Chief Security Officer for Network Solutions, and advising several technology startup companies. Richard also was one of the early researchers on the subject of cyberwarfare and he remains a longtime commentator on the influence of Internet technology upon society.

Massive IT outage spotlights major vulnerabilities in the global information ecosystem

Jul 21, 2024 16:21 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The global information technology outage on July 19, 2024, that paralyzed organizations ranging from airlines to hospitals and even the delivery of uniforms for the Olympic Games represents a growing concern for...

Social media and political violence – how to break the cycle

Jul 17, 2024 08:22 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, added more fuel to an already fiery election season. In this case, political violence was carried out against the party that is most often found espousing it....

What is Volt Typhoon? A cybersecurity expert explains the Chinese hackers targeting US critical infrastructure

Apr 01, 2024 11:05 am UTC| Technology

Volt Typhoon is a Chinese state-sponsored hacker group. The United States government and its primary global intelligence partners, known as the Five Eyes, issued a warning on March 19, 2024, about the groups activity...

Ukraine conflict brings cybersecurity risks to US homes, businesses

Feb 26, 2022 10:06 am UTC| Technology

All cybersecurity is local, regardless of the world situation. That means its personal, too in Americans homes, computers and online accounts. As violence spreads thousands of miles away from the U.S., my strong...

Ransomware can interfere with elections and fuel disinformation – basic cybersecurity precautions are key to minimizing the damage

Nov 02, 2020 10:39 am UTC| Technology

Government computer systems in Hall County, Georgia, including a voter signature database, were hit by a ransomware attack earlier this fall in the first known ransomware attack on election infrastructure during the 2020...

Hackers seek ransoms from Baltimore and communities across the US

Jun 07, 2019 16:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The people of Baltimore are beginning their fifth week under an electronic siege that has prevented residents from obtaining building permits and business licenses and even buying or selling homes. A year after hackers...

Threats remain to US voting system – and voters' perceptions of reality

Nov 08, 2018 17:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

As the 2018 midterms proceed, there are still significant risks to the integrity of the voting system and information warfare continues to try to influence the American publics choices when they cast their ballots. On...

Economy

Vietnam’s November Trade Sees Monthly Decline but Strong Year-on-Year Growth

Vietnam recorded a notable month-on-month decline in trade activity in November, according to new data from the National Statistics Office (NSO). Exports fell 7.1% from October, reaching $39.07 billion, while imports...

Austria’s AA Credit Rating Affirmed as Fitch Highlights Stable Outlook

Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed Austrias Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating at AA with a Stable Outlook, underscoring the countrys strong economic fundamentals despite rising fiscal pressures. According to the...

Fed Meeting Sparks Division as Markets Brace for Possible Rate Cut

The upcoming Federal Reserve meeting is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched and contentious in years, with investors focused on how divided policymakers are over a potential interest-rate cut and the signals...

U.S. Stocks Rise as Cooler Inflation Boosts Hopes for Fed Rate Cut

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday as a softer inflation reading strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve could move forward with an interest-rate cut next week. The SP 500 climbed 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial...

U.S. Stocks End Week Higher as Markets Anticipate Fed Rate Cut

U.S. stocks closed the week with modest gains on Friday, as investors weighed a wave of delayed economic data and maintained strong expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut at next weeks policy meeting. Despite...

Politics

CFPB to Review Anti-Discrimination Policies and Fair Lending Rules Amid Policy Shift

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is preparing to convene its Consumer Advisory Board next week to review major policy changes, including a controversial proposal to scale back long-standing...

Supreme Court to Review Legality of Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to examine the legality of President Donald Trumps directive aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, a move that could redefine a long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment....

Australia Imposes Sanctions on Taliban Officials Over Human Rights Abuses

Australia has announced new financial sanctions and travel bans against four senior officials of Afghanistans Taliban government, citing the worsening human rights situation in the country, particularly the escalating...

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Trump Can Remove Members of Key Federal Labor Boards

A U.S. appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump had the authority to dismiss Democratic members of two major federal labor boards, marking a significant win for efforts to expand presidential control over...

Trump Backs Review of U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule After Hepatitis B Policy Change

President Donald Trump on Friday expressed support for a major shift in U.S. vaccine policy after government advisers voted to eliminate the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns

Taiwans political landscape heated up after the government announced a plan to suspend access to the Chinese social media platform Rednoteknown as Xiaohongshufor one year. The interior ministry said the proposed ban stems...

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...

Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature

Firelight reaches 25M XRP deposit cap within hours of launch; ushers in a new era for decentralized XRP staking. A new XRP staking platform, Firelight, has officially launched on the Flare blockchain, marking the first...