Weekly News Update: Top 5 News Headlines From The Week

Want to catch up on the latest news from the week? We’ve got you covered! Here are the top 5 biggest news updates from the week.

US Might Ban China-Made TP-Link Routers over Security Concerns

US authorities are planning to ban TP-Link routers over security concerns. TP-Link is a Chinese company, best known for its WiFi networking devices. Its routers dominate the market in the US, in both commercial and domestic spaces. 

However, the authorities now feel that these routers may pose a threat to the country’s national security. The decision follows the incident where TP-link routers were reportedly used in a network of hacked small office/home office (SOHO) routers that were used in a malware attack. The matter is currently under investigation by the Departments of Justice, Commerce, and Defense.

Another reason why TP-Link is under investigation is its rapid growth. In 2019, its market share was 20% but apparently, in 2024, its share grew to 65%. The company has disputed these numbers but suspicion from authorities continues to linger.

If TP-Link is truly a threat, banning its products is the best way out of this mess, especially given how bitter the relationship between the US and China is right now. But it won’t be so easy. 

Banning a major router company would mean the US market will have fewer options which in turn will increase prices and hamper competition. In simple terms, people might be forced to pay more for less sophisticated routers. 

Biden Administration Announces New Rules to Protect the Healthcare Industry from Data Leaks

2024 was a dark year for the healthcare industry, marred by numerous cyber incidents that brought day-to-day operations to a standstill. Many hospitals were forced to operate manually, adding to the suffering of the patients.

For instance, a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare exposed the private data of more than 100 million individuals in February 2024. In 2023 too, more than 167 million people had their medical information exposed. 

Hence on Friday, a government official announced that Joe Biden’s administration has proposed changes to some existing cybersecurity rules to protect healthcare data from leaks. 

Most of the changes were suggested for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) – a law that guarantees data privacy and safeguarding to patients. 

The new update will keep all the existing provisions adding a few more requirements such as strengthening cybersecurity provisions to prevent attacks and encrypting patient data so that even if there’s an attack, the confidential details of a patient are still safe.  

The proposal will now go through a 60-day comment period before the next step is finalized. If in the end it is approved, it’ll take at least 5 years to implement the new requirements completely. The first year of execution is expected to cost $9 billion while the subsequent years will cost around $6 billion. 

Amazon, Google, Meta, and Many Other Tech Giants Have Turned Their Attention to Nuclear Power

Many major tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, and Google are investing in nuclear power projects as the energy demand surges amidst technological advancement, as per a CNBC report.

For example, this October Google said that it will buy energy from Kairos Power, a company that creates small modular reactors. 

Similarly, Microsoft also made a deal with Constellation Energy to relaunch a reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the same place that was infamous for the most number of nuclear meltdowns in the late 70s. 

In the last couple of years, both AI and cloud computing have gone through tremendous advancement. Such powerful technology requires equally powerful data centers to run which in turn require a lot of energy. 

A single data center might have the same energy requirements as an entire city like Chicago. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, global energy usage will increase by 75% by 2050.

But where will all this energy come from? Nuclear power is the answer. 

This is an interesting turn because, for years, nuclear power has been labeled as dangerous and hard to control. The focus has mainly been on renewable energy. But now, nuclear energy is making a comeback. 

The report also said that there had been a lot of energy surrounding nuclear power which led to the dramatization of its impact. But in reality, it’s a reliable, carbon-free source of energy that always runs on time. Not to mention, it’s also economical. 

25+ Chrome Extensions Hacked: Over 2.5 Million Users Exposed

More than 25 Chrome extensions have been hacked, leaving data from over 2.5 million users exposed. 

Hackers often use browser extensions to target users. But usually, they create fake extensions to get the job done. But this time the perpetrators have infected legit Chrome extensions with malicious codes. The end goal remains the same – stealing user data. In some cases, the hackers also use session cookies to bypass 2FA sessions.

The incident was first discovered by Cyberhaven, a California-based data protection company. At first, only 16 extensions were found to be affected. By December 30, the number rose to 25 and in the coming weeks the number is expected to rise further.

The attacks started with the perpetrators sending phishing emails to developers of browser extension companies. 

The hackers impersonated Google Chrome Web Store Developer Support and tricked the developers into believing that their extension was at risk of removal for violating the Developer Program Policies.

The attackers behind this campaign are yet to be identified. Researchers are also trying to understand exactly how the malicious code works which is proving to be a little challenging at the moment because of how well it has been obfuscated.

Elon Musk’s MAGA Rivals Accused Him of Taking Away Their X Verification Badges

A few prominent critics of Elon Musk have accused him of taking away their X verification badges after they publicly challenged his views on the latest H-1B visas. 

The H-1B visas allow US-based companies to hire top talent from foreign countries and bring them to America. However, many supporters of MAGA (Make America Great Again) feel that this is unfair to US citizens who are missing out on opportunities in their own country. We all know Trump’s stance on immigration, so naturally, when he comes back to the White House, he might take aim at the H-1B visas. 

However, Musk feels that you cannot compete in an industry if you cannot hire the best talent from around the world, regardless of their native country. This difference in opinion led to a huge online clash between opponents of the visa and Musk himself which ended in the latter taking away X verification badges from prominent activists including Laura Loomer. 

Loomer has more than 1.4 million subscribers on X but since her badge has been taken away, she will no longer get paying subscribers. “Is a free speech fraud.” she posted on X in retaliation.

Loomer isn’t the only one. Preston Parra, the chairman of Conservative PAC said that at least 53 accounts associated with them have also lost their badges. Musk is yet to address these allegations. 

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