UnitedHealth has admitted that the health data of more than 100 million Americans was exposed in a hack. This is the first time the multinational health insurance and services company, has attributed a specific number to the cyberattack that took place earlier this year.
UnitedHealth admits health data of 100 million US citizens was compromised
UnitedHealth Group (UHG) acquired Change Healthcare in 2022. The two companies are now part of the same healthcare organization under the UnitedHealth brand.
In February this year, Change Healthcare suffered a massive data breach. However, the company did not mention the number of individuals whose data was exposed.
In May, UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty indicated that “maybe a third” of all American’s health data was exposed in the attack. A month later, Change Healthcare published a data breach notification, wherein the company merely stated that the ransomware attack exposed a “substantial quantity of data” for a “substantial proportion of people in America.”
Largest American healthcare data breach in recent years
The FAQ section on the OCR website now mentions “On October 22, 2024, Change Healthcare notified OCR that approximately 100 million individual notices have been sent regarding this breach.”
Needless to say, with 100 million American citizens impacted, the ransomware attack could be one of the largest in recent years. What’s even more concerning apart from the number of civilians, is how the data breach was handled.
According to Bleeping Computer, threat actors stole 6TB of data from Change Healthcare. The attackers then encrypted computers on the network. As a remedial measure, the UnitedHealth subsidiary shut down its IT systems. This led to widespread outages in the U.S. healthcare system.
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The BlackCat ransomware group, which conducted the attack, may have received about $22 million from UnitedHealth Group. The company allegedly paid to receive a decryption key and ensure the ransomware group deleted the stolen data.
The affiliate that worked with the ransomware group didn’t delete the data immediately. However, the entry for Change Healthcare has mysteriously disappeared from the affiliate’s website. This suggests UnitedHealth may have paid a second ransom demand.
It is not clear how UnitedHealth will be penalized. T-Mobile recently paid a paltry fine of $31.5 million for multiple data breaches. The carrier will get half the money to invest in tech to improve cybersecurity.
Loongson is a major player in China, creating domestic chips for the past 22 years with the goal of providing affordable alternatives to Intel and AMD products. Historically, however, there has always been a noticeable performance gap between its homegrown CPUs and those from outside China.
Now, Fast Technology reports Loongson has been working hard behind the scenes to close that gap and is preparing to launch a trio of fourth-generation CPUs, collectively known as the “Three Musketeers.”
Loongson’s first-generation chips included the 3A1000 and 3B1500, followed by the second-generation 3A2000 and 3A3000, and then the third-generation 3A4000, 3A5000, and 3C5000/S/D. The fourth-generation chips are the Loongson 3A6000, 3B6000M, and 3C6000.
Tock-Tock2-Tick
“Loongson follows a development principle based on independently researching core IP to improve single-core general-purpose performance. It adopts a strategy similar to Intel’s former ‘Tick-Tock’ development approach, where ‘Tick’ refers to process iteration and ‘Tock’ to architecture and design optimization,” Fast Technology’s report added.
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For this new generation, Loongson has adopted a “Tock-Tock2-Tick” approach, meaning “two rounds of design optimizations before a process iteration,” aiming to maximize the performance of existing mature processes, which are roughly comparable to the international 7nm level.
The Loongson 3A6000 is already available, but very little is currently known about the 3B6000M besides the fact it will integrate GPGPU graphics and computing cores. The 3C6000 server processor has reportedly returned for sample testing and is expected to ship in Q4 2024. What’s particularly interesting is that Loongson has developed upgraded versions of the Three Musketeers – the 3A6600, 3B6600, and 3C6600 – as part of the second “Tock.”
The 3B6600, which is scheduled for tape-out in the first half of next year, will reportedly also integrate GPGPU graphics and computing cores, like the 3B6000M.
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Loongson’s fourth-generation CPUs will integrate high-speed PCIe interfaces, “allowing connections to dedicated graphics cards, network cards, RAID array cards, and more, with a weak southbridge connected via PCIe,” Fast Technology added.
India should come out with a road map for nanotechnology usage in order to achieve net zero commitment by 2070. More R&D programmes should be carried out in academic institutions and industries.
Nanotechnology offers novel approaches to capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and industrial processes. Nanomaterials and Nanotubes can selectively absorb carbon dioxide from gas mixtures, making the capture process more efficient. Nanotechnology can also improve the storage and conversion of captured carbon dioxide and can fasten the conversion of Carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and fuels helping in the reduction of greenhouse gas concentration.
These observations were made by Rajeevan Madhavan Nair, former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Vice Chancellor of Atria University. He was speaking about the ‘Use of Nanotechnology for Mitigation of Climate Change’ on the sidelines of the 13th edition of the Bengaluru India NANO Summit.
Nair cited research to say that avoiding a climate disaster will require 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions to be eliminated from the atmosphere each year by 2050 through decarbonisation and capture. “Novel nanomaterials and other nanotechnology-enabled innovations can help accelerate the current timeline and decrease the cost associated with many of the technologies being used and developed. Nanotechnology can act as a catalyst for innovation in key areas and industries that could help accelerate progress towards climate change mitigation and sustainable goals in the short term,” remarked Nair.
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The Bengaluru INDIA NANO Summit is being organised by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTePS), and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka D.K. Shivakumar. This year’s theme has been Nanotechnology for Sustainability: Climate, Energy, and Healthcare.
Bharat Ratna Prof. C.N.R. Rao was felicitated during the inauguration. “I urge our scientists and engineers to innovate solutions in nanotechnology for critical areas such as food and energy security, water purification, healthcare, and waste management. Addressing the challenges posed by urbanization and environmental hazards requires robust international collaboration and a strong link between academia, industry, and research to advance this promising technology for the benefit of humanity,” said Siddaramaiah while inaugurating the summit.
This years conference included a one-day pre-conference tutorial which is being followed by two days of a multi-track conference. The pre-conference tutorials covered topics including Nano Fabrication, Nano Characterisation, and Nano Biology. During the opening plenary session featured Prof. Pulickel Ajayan, Chair of the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University, USA, who explored the transformative impact of nano-engineered materials on technology.
The Global Innovation Alliance Partner Countries of Karnataka including the USA, Netherlands and Germany also conducted sessions in the conference. The Poster Showcase, a highlight of Bengaluru India Nano, featured research from over 200 young researchers across academic and research institutions like various IITs, BITS Pilani, University of Mysore, SASTRA Deemed University, CSIR National Physical Laboratory, IISER, JNCASR, IISc- Bangalore, JAIN University, NIT Rourkela, REVA University, Bangalore University, Institute of Chemical Technology- Mumbai, TamilNadu Agriculture University- Coimbatore, Vellore Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology etc.
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The event also has an exhibition that showcases the latest innovations, products, and technologies in nanotechnology. Around 50 companies, research institutions, and startups are presenting their nanotech products and services in the exhibition.
Following a hugely successful first season that exceeded virtually everyone’s expectations, many fans are eager for the potential return of Squid Game. In its first season, the show followed a group of contestants competing against one another in a series of children’s games with deadly stakes.
Some of those playing the game would die, and the rest would move on to the next round. Ultimately, a single winner emerged, and was rewarded with an insanely large cash prize. As many wonder what season 2 could contain, here’s what we know so far about the hit Netflix show’s future.
Yes! There are several trailers for the show that are now available. During Netflix’s Geeked Week in late September, the streamer dropped another teaser showing more of what everyone can expect from season 2 of the hit show.
There’s also another teaser trailer out that once again hints at the scale of the games. In the show, 456 players compete in a life-or-death struggle for enough money to be set for life. And if the identity of player 456 is any indication, it may mean that last season’s winner, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), is somehow back in the games.
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That might be a lateral move of Gi-hun, if he entered willingly. But since he’s expressed his desire to expose the people behind the games, this could also be a way for the Front Man to silence Gi-hun. Winning once was hard enough. Doing it twice may be impossible for anyone who isn’t named Katniss Everdeen.
Netflix released a teaser titled, “You’re Invited,” which features the return of the Recruiter (Gong Yoo.). In season 1, the Recruiter goaded Gi-hun into entering the game, but failed to disclose any details about its deadly nature. The brief teaser shows the Recruiter getting ready to find new players for season 2.
Squid Game: Season 2 | You’re Invited | Netflix
Netflix previously released the first trailer for the upcoming season.
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Squid Game: Season 2 | Date Announcement | Netflix
Also, there is a very quick preview scene featuring Seong Gi-hun in a very tense conversation with someone whom he has vowed to find in the aftermath of Squid Game season 1.
Along with the teaser, Netflix released a brief synopsis of season 2. “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the States and comes back with a new resolution in his mind. Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 456 billion won.”
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show’s creator, has said that he has an outline for the second season. “I do have a basic storyline for season two; it’s all in my head, and I am currently in the brainstorming stage. It will happen, someday, but as for when I cannot tell you the details,” he told AP News.
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In January 2022, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said that the show would be returning for a second season, but most of the details about that second season are still up in the air.
When we last left Gi-hun, the first season winner, he had discovered the identity of the game’s creator and finally started using the funds he had won. In the show’s final scene, Gi-hun is planning to get on a flight to Los Angeles to be reunited with his daughter but sees a man being recruited to play the Squid Game on his way to his plane. He ultimately tries to discover who is behind the game by calling the number on the recruiter’s card, only to be told to get on his plane. Gi-hun then refuses and returns to the airport.
“Season 2 explores how Gi-hun follows through on his words after leaving the airport,” Hwang told Tudum. “Gi-hun’s endeavor to find out who these people are and why they do what they do is the core story of Season 2.”
Squid Game fans still have a few more months to wait before the new season arrives, but we now know that the wait is almost over. Netflix is giving the show’s viewers a special post-Christmas gift with the announcement that Squid Game season 2 is coming on December 26. And unlike some of Netflix’s other signature series, Squid Game‘s second season is not being split into multiple parts.
Yes. Along with the confirmation that Squid Game season 2 will arrive in 2024, Netflix shared the following images on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. We need more context to decipher what’s happening in each picture. But it looks like the games are increasing in scope.
Unknown. The first season was nine episodes long, with each episode approximately one hour each, so we have to think season 2 will mimic that format and length.
Lee Jung-jae reprises his Emmy-winning role of Seong Gi-hun in season 2. Other cast members returning for the second season are Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man, the masked leader of the game; Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho, the detective who sneaks into the game to find his brother; and the Recruiter, the mysterious man who persuaded Gi-hun to sign up for the game.
New cast members joining Squid Game season 2 include Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Jo Yu-ri, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, and Won Ji-an.
“[Season 2] will definitely be more enjoyable than season 1,” said Wi Ha-joon to The Korea Times. “For starters, more unique and interesting characters have been added. And all the cast members are such excellent actors carrying out their part so well. Also, my character Hwang Jun-ho, has his own story in here, so I think season 2 will be even more interesting, allowing his character to develop a little deeper.”
In addition to Gi-hun’s potential attempt to infiltrate the games to shut them down, there are a few other unresolved plotlines from the show’s first season that fans would like to see addressed.
One that has caused the most intrigue is the identities of the masked VIPs who watch the games play out and bet on various contestants. Learning who they are may unravel the entire scheme behind the games, and it could also be an extra satisfying reveal.
It’s also possible that we’ll see more from Hwang Ju-ho, the mysterious Front Man who also turned out to be the missing brother of the detective on the island investigating the games. Jun-ho shot his brother at the end of the first season to protect the games, but how will he feel about that decision? If he has any regrets, that could be fertile ground for the second season to explore.
Yes. As part of the season 2 premiere date announcement, Netflix has confirmed that Squid Game season 3 is happening. And unlike the previous season, there won’t be a three-year gap. The third season of Squid Game is slated to arrive in 2025. The only bad news is that the series will come to a conclusion at that point. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed the end of the series in a message that was posted on Squid Game‘s social media accounts.
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“Seong Gi-hun, who vowed revenge at the end of season 1, returns and joins the game again. Will he succeed in getting his revenge? Front Man doesn’t seem to be an easy opponent this time, either. The fierce clash between their two worlds will continue into the series finale in season three, which will be brought to you next year. I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of the story.”
The most iconic scene of season 1 is arguably the Red Light, Green Light game, where a giant killer doll named Young-hee kills more than half the field. In June 2022, director Hwang teased that he would introduce audiences to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su, in season 2. Will Cheol-su be as deadly as Young-hee? It’s definitely possible, given the iconic status of the first season’s memorable statue.
Since Squid Game is now one of Netflix’s most successful properties, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the streaming giant green-lights production for an American remake, even while the original show is still running.
The InSneider’s Jeff Sneider alleges that has been in the case back in April 2023. In fact, he claims Netflix eyeing Mindhunter David Fincher, of all people, to direct and produce this remake. This rumor led to Netflix President Ted Sarandos publicly shooting it down as “just a rumor.”
The Xiaomi 15 series will be the next big launch in the company’s flagship phone lineup. This week, the brand confirmed the launch date of the devices in China. Ahead of the event, the Xiaomi 15 Pro showed its power with impressive results in gaming tests, while the company confirmed details about its cameras, battery, and more.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro shows power and efficiency in demanding gaming tests
To start with, the Xiaomi 15 Pro tested has 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 1 TB UFS 4.0. In one of the tests, the Antutu team put the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered device through the stress of running Genshin Impact at maximum graphics settings for half an hour. The device managed an average frame rate of 59.62 FPS with a power consumption of about 4W. However, what’s more impressive is that the phone reached a maximum temperature of just 39°C.
This makes the Snapdragon 8 Elite one of the most efficient chips when running heavy workloads, such as demanding gaming. The Dimensity 9400, another powerful chip, reached a similar average frame rate in the same test, but with higher power consumption.
Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship phone also ran Honor of Kings under the same conditions. The device reached an average of 119.8 FPS with a maximum temperature of 37.9 °C and a power consumption of just 3.65W. Plus, the test included running Honkai: Star Rail, again under the same conditions. In this case, the device showed an average frame rate of 59.34 FPS, while the maximum temperature rose to 44.4 °C. Antutu claims that the results are “significantly stronger” than those of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
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Tipster Digital Chat Station also shared results for a couple of additional tests on Weibo. In the Steel Nomad Light graphics benchmark, the Xiaomi 15 achieved a score of 2.5K. Meanwhile, the single-core and multi-core tests of GeekBench v6.6 returned scores of 3K and 9.4K, respectively. In previously leaked benchmarks, the Snapdragon 8 Elite was able to exceed 10K in GeekBench’s multi-core tests.
More confirmed camera, battery and display specs
In addition to the gaming test results, the company confirmed specs for the Xiaomi 15 Pro’s battery, cameras, and more. The company will follow the recent trend of other Chinese brands to include massive batteries in their flagship phones. The Xiaomi 15 Pro will hit the market with an impressive 6,100 mAh cell. The Asian giant also confirmed reduced symmetrical bezels with just 1.38 mm around the screen.
Regarding the screen, it will boast 2K resolution, a maximum brightness of 3,200 nits, and support for hardware-level DC dimming. Likewise, it will be 10% more energy efficient compared to the previous generation. The company says it used custom M9 materials for the OLED panel. Finally, the Xiaomi 15 Pro will have a periscopic sensor for 5x optical zoom in its rear camera system.
One thing I did not foresee happening this year was us getting a new entry in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach series. But the author announced exactly that back in April, and I’ve pretty much been counting down the days until the book’s release ever since. Absolution, the fourth novel in what previously stood as a trilogy, hit the shelves this week and it takes us back to the beginning of Area X and the ill-fated first expeditions to explore it.
For the uninitiated, the series deals with a strange coastal region in the US that’s inexplicably been shut off behind an invisible border and has returned to a wild state. A shady government agency has been tasked with studying it, but the people who set out on those exploration missions either never come back out, or come back different. The series includes Annihilation (which inspired the 2018 movie starring Natalie Portman), Authority and Acceptance.
Ten years after the series was originally released, a prequel feels like the perfect way to dive back into the mysteries of Area X and the Southern Reach. The trilogy concluded in a way that answered some questions but also left so much else up in the air. And while you probably shouldn’t expect Absolution to neatly wrap it all up, it does give us more insight on the early days of the anomaly and the perspective of key characters in that timeline, like Lowry. Absolution is hefty — it’s structured so there are three novella-like parts, and is nearly 500 pages long in all. Which is great, because I can’t get enough of Area X.
Viewer numbers and hours watched are both on the rise for Twitch, according to the latest report from StreamElements. This might be due to the rise of September subathons, which many streamers hold to capitalize on the platforms discount on subscription prices. Several members of FaZe Clan held such subathons, with many of them hitting StreamElements’ list of Top 10 Streamers for the month.
According to data from StreamElements’ analytics partner Rainmaker.gg, gamers watched 1.653 billion, slightly below August’s 1.660 billion. However, the daily hours watched was higher than it was in August — 55 million and 54 million, respectively. World of Warcraft and Dota 2 saw large boosts in hours watched, and EA Sports FC 25 debuted in the Top 10 games category
Four out of the top ten streamers for September were members of FaZe Clan, many of whom hosted subathons during the month and each reportedly streamed over 695 hours. StableRonaldo took the crown with 9.7 million hours watched.
Or Perry, CEO of StreamElements, said in a statement, “Twitch experienced two significant highlights in September that fueled each other: a rise in daily hours watched and a reshuffling of its top streamer rankings. Members of FaZe Clan held simultaneous subathons, each lasting over 695 hours, propelling four creators into the top 10 for the first time, with Stableronaldo claiming the crown… FaZeClan members benefited by joining each other on stream, which could bolster the use of features like Stream Together that streamline the collaborative process.”
GB Daily
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