PUBLISHER'S NOTE 1: Photos that are photo shopped; Videos that are oh, so real - but happen to be deepfakes; Bogus court documents that have been created using AI; Crucial courtroom decisions like bail, parole, and sentencing) made by a logarithm, instead of a judge. Just when I thought I had seen just about every scary thing that technology could throw at us in the courtroom, I ran into this story about a U.S. court system in Pennsylvania which became the victim of a cyber attack. Pretty scary stuff when one considers the implications.
—————————————————————————————
PUBLISHER'S NOTE 2: One day in October I drove to a local Toronto library branch to pick up a book I had reserved, only to discover that the library doors were locked. A sign on the door that the library had been shut down because of an 'HVAC' problem. That was not true. We have learned since that the library had suffered a major cyberattack which had disrupted library systems and technology. Today I received a notice that makes clear the extent of the disruption, It reads, in part:
"We continue to recover from a cybersecurity incident that disrupted all library systems and technology. Restoring systems and services across 100 library branches is a complex undertaking, and we’re making progress in our recovery efforts. Keeping customers informed of this progress through regular communications is important. This week, we have taken a huge step forward in our recovery efforts. We have begun returning items into circulation and introducing new materials. Additionally, we have resumed our holds service. Find more information about these services and others below. The full and safe recovery of our services will take time, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been busy behind the scenes preparing to put more than one million items into circulation."
If you can suffer this much damage to major city institution - a library - just imagine the chaos, and harm, if, as in Pennsylvania, if a judicial system goes down. Which make me wonder, given the Pennsylvania experience, what steps are being taken in other major cities in North America and elsewhere to prevent such potentially disruptive events. HL;
MORE DETAILS: "This update provides more information about the cybersecurity incident that we first announced on October 28, 2023, the day it first came to our attention. It has been a very challenging time, and we are deeply sorry for the concern it has caused. It is so unfortunate that data security and ransomware incidents are becoming increasingly common, and that public sector organizations including hospitals, schools and libraries – all dedicated to the betterment of the community – are being targeted. We sincerely thank all staff who have been working tirelessly to address the impact of this incident and prepare for the restoration of library services, and all our customers for their patience and support. We have also been working with third-party cybersecurity experts to address this issue, and have reported the breach to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. A report has also been filed with Toronto Police Service. Although our investigation is continuing and will continue for some time, we are now able to explain more. Regrettably, the criminals that compromised our network did steal a large number of files from a file server. We did not pay a ransom. We are aware that stolen data connected to this incident may be published on the dark web, which is part of the internet that is not accessible except through a special browser. We are currently evaluating the affected data and can share some preliminary conclusions. Initial Update on Stolen Data: At this point in our investigation, we believe current and former staff employed by Toronto Public Library (TPL) and the Toronto Public Library Foundation (TPLF) from 1998 are impacted. Information related to these individuals was likely taken, including their name, social insurance number, date of birth and home address. Copies of government-issued identification documents provided to TPL by staff were also likely taken. Our cardholder and donor databases are not affected. However, some customer, volunteer and donor data that resided on the compromised file server may have been exposed. It will take us time to analyze data to determine who is affected and how. We will continue to be transparent and notify those affected as appropriate and in light of our findings."
-------------------------------------------------------
PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Todd says there is no indication that any court data was compromised during the attack. But how does this happen? The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says that a denial-of-service cyber attack occurs when malicious actors flood the targeted host or network with traffic until the target cannot respond or simply crashes, preventing access for legitimate users."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STORY: "Cyber attack shuts down parts of Pennsylvania Courts' website : Pennsylvania court's website experiencing crashes after cyber attack," by published by ABC27, on February 4, 2024.
GIST: Areas of the Pennsylvania Courts’ website that were shut down due to a denial-of-service cyber attack on Sunday are continuing to experience crashes and delays this morning.
The news of the cyber attack came from Pennsylvania Chief Justice Debra Todd on Sunday.
“Out court information technology and executive team is working closely with law enforcement including the CISA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the F.B.I to investigate the incident,” Todd said. “At this time, there is no indication that any court data was compromised, and our courts will remain open and accessible to the public.According to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, the cyber attack affected court web services that include PACFile, the use According to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, the cyber attack affected court web services that include PACFile, the use of online docket sheets, PAePay, and the Guardianship Tracking System.
Todd says there is no indication that any court data was compromised during the attack.
But how does this happen?
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says that a denial-of-service cyber attack occurs when malicious actors flood the targeted host or network with traffic until the target cannot respond or simply crashes, preventing access for legitimate users."
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resurce. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
—————————————————————————————————
FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
---------------------------------------------------------
YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.
https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801
————————————————————————————————
