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It’s nice when ransomware gangs have their bitcoin stolen, malware servers shut down, or are otherwise forced to disband. We hang on to these occasional victories because history tells us that most ransomware moneymaking collectives don’t go away so much as reinvent themselves under a new name, with new rules, targets and weaponry. Indeed, some […]
We are excited to announce the release of a new, online self-deposit application for the Stanford Digital Repository, with a brand-new user interface. The new application was designed with a focus on improved accessibility and better future support for Open Access as well as other campus research and digital library needs. Much of the content […]
The following is a post by Senior Innovation Specialist Meghan Ferriter about the Collective Wisdom initiative. Collective Wisdom seeks to identify and enrich networks of practitioners of crowdsourcing in cultural heritage, document current practices, and invite others to join in thoughtful consideration of future practices. Supported by an Arts & Humanities Research Council UK US-UK […]
This post was collectively authored by Andrew Berger, Dinah Handel, and Geoff Willard Project goals Digitization of audiovisual resources is only the first step in ensuring their contents are seen by many for years to come. In order for our audiovisual heritage to be truly accessible by all, it needs corresponding captions in a […]
This is a guest post written by Jacob Kowall and Hilary Szu Yin Shiue, 2021 Junior Fellows in the Digital Collections Management & Services Division (DCMS) under the mentorship of Kate Murray, Digital Projects Coordinator. Jacob and Hilary assisted in updating and expanding the Sustainability of Digital Formats website, which provides information and analysis on […]
Every time there is another data breach, we are asked to change our password at the breached entity. But the reality is that in most cases by the time the victim organization discloses an incident publicly the information has already been harvested many times over by profit-seeking cybercriminals. Here’s a closer look at what typically […]
July 2021 LC LABS LETTERA Monthly Roundup of News and Thoughts from the Library of Congress Labs Team Our Projects LC Labs publishes “Library of Congress Digital Scholarship Research Guide” Have you ever wanted to use digital Library of Congress materials but weren’t quite sure where to start? Well then, we have just the guide […]
Here’s a presentation I delivered this summer on the near-future of AI and Machine Learning systems and services for the 2021 IDEA Institute on Artificial Intelligence. I discuss how ML systems “create” things, two types of ML systems that are popular right now (CLIP and GAN), how they might be used in the information world, […]
Joseph “PlugwalkJoe” O’Connor, in a photo from a paid press release on Sept. 02, 2020, pitching him as a trustworthy cryptocurrency expert and advisor. One day after last summer’s mass-hack of Twitter, KrebsOnSecurity wrote that 22-year-old British citizen Joseph “PlugwalkJoe” O’Connor appeared to have been involved in the incident. When the U.S. Justice Department last […]
Today’s guest post is from Kate Murray (Digital Projects Coordinator, Digital Collections Management & Services Division), Marcus Nappier (Digital Collections Specialist, Digital Content Management Section), and Ted Westervelt (Chief, US/Anglo Division) at the Library of Congress. Introduction As the Library of Congress expands its digital collecting activities, the Recommended Formats Statement (RFS) has revised its […]
The following is a post by Alice Goldfarb, an LC Labs team Innovation Specialist working on the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative at the Library. As we recently announced, we are working with three digital humanities researchers as part of the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative, where we are […]
The process of discovering “what service is hosted where” can prevent most common causes of security-related incidents. Things like outdated installs, abandoned installations and in-development software running on publicly accessible domains are a major source of such attacks. Domain and specially subdomain discovery is a critical skill for hackers, security researchers and pentesters. Therefore, using […]
A 18-year-old Tennessee man who helped set in motion a fraudulent distress call to police that lead to the death of a 60-year-old grandfather in 2020 was sentenced to 60 months in prison today. 60-year-old Mark Herring died of a heart attack after police surrounded his home in response to a swatting attack. Shane Sonderman, […]
Originally noted by ResearchBuzz, from PsyPost: The “Sci-Hub effect” can almost double the citations of research articles, study suggests. The researchers found that articles downloaded from Sci-Hub were cited more frequently compared to articles not downloaded from Sci-Hub. After controlling for variables such as the number of figures included in a paper, title length, the […]
The following is a post by Olivia Dorsey, an LC Labs team Innovation Specialist working on the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative at the Library. Hello! Things have really started to get underway with the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative, like rounding out our team and the arrival of […]
Peter Levashov, appearing via Zoom at his sentencing hearing today. A federal judge in Connecticut today handed down a sentence of time served to spam kingpin Peter “Severa” Levashov, a prolific purveyor of malicious and junk email, and the creator of malware strains that infected millions of Microsoft computers globally. Levashov has been in federal custody […]
In today’s post, By the People community managers Carlyn Osborn, Lauren Algee, and Abby Shelton reflect back on changes in their program since March 2020. Launched in 2018, By the People is a volunteer engagement and collection enhancement program at the Library of Congress that invites the public to explore and transcribe documents on the […]
Much of this focus has come about to address the sheer volume and sophistication of cyber threats in today’s landscape. The rise of malicious actors seeking to compromise data, steal information, disrupt services and cause damage has led to the implementation of numerous defense strategies, practices and technologies. Encrypting data, using firewalls to prevent unauthorized […]
Browse the comments on virtually any story about a ransomware attack and you will almost surely encounter the view that the victim organization could have avoided paying their extortionists if only they’d had proper data backups. But the ugly truth is there are many non-obvious reasons why victims end up paying even when they have […]
Alice Goldfarb, Innovation Specialist at the Library of Congress. Alice is working on Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC). Photo credit: Becky Lettenberger We’re thrilled to share that Alice Goldfarb has joined the LC Labs team as an Innovation Specialist! Alice will be working on the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative at […]
