Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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The peak of the ‘silly’ season with COVID just adding to how quiet it is! Just a few items of note!
Also it seems the NBN is finished – Who knew?
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Online powers to silence the trolls
Australia is set to introduce the world’s first trolling take-down scheme, giving the nation’s cyber watchdog new powers to order social media platforms to remove harmful online adult abuse.
The proposed new laws would also widen existing online protections for children by enabling the eSafety Commissioner to remove cyber-bullying material from a broader range of online platforms than social media, including gaming and messaging sites.
The bill would halve the time social media platforms have to remove offensive content from 48 to 24 hours before the commissioner steps in. It also requires platforms to report on how they are dealing with a range of online harms, including “digital lynch mobs” who seek to overwhelm a victim with abuse.
And if a website or app systematically ignores take-down notices for serious cases such as child sexual abuse material, the eSafety Commissioner can require search engines and app stores to remove access to that service, and impose further civil penalties.
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https://www.itwire.com/security/nsw-health-among-users-of-compromised-network-management-tool.html
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 09:31
NSW Health among users of compromised network management tool
The NSW Department of Health, a user of the Orion network management software that was compromised in a supply chain attack, says it was alerted on 14 December to the fact that an attack had taken place.
"To date, there has been no evidence found that NSW Health systems have been compromised and no evidence there has been any breach of patient information," an eHealth NSW spokesperson told iTWire in response to a query.
The attack came to light this month when cyber security firm FireEye announced on 9 December AEDT that it had been compromised and had its Red Team tools stolen.
Five days later, FireEye issued details about attacks using malware which it called SUNBURST, which it said had been used to hit both private and public entities, by corrupting the Orion network management software, a product of SolarWinds.
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https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/specifications/ehealth-reference-platform/ep-3355-2020
Clinical Package Validator v3.2
The Clinical Package Validator (Validator) provides software developers with enhanced capabilities to achieve a greater degree of automation and depth of their conformance tests of clinical documents, SMD messages and HL7 v2 messages.
Before formally declaring conformance of a software product, developers need to perform additional tests to ensure full coverage of all requirements. Please refer to the Product Data Sheet for more detailed information about the Validator’s coverage of requirements and conformance test cases.
Identifier: EP-3355:2020
Date: 22-12-2020
Size: 207.26 MB
Type: application/zip
SHA256 Checksum: f20f9636f7c28548f3614432a3888112601dff849756142a934bb896b73ca869
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Spinal cord breakthrough a step forward
When ballet dancer Tom Elphick dived into the sea during a holiday in Portugal five years ago, he misjudged the depth of the water. Hitting his head on the sand, he fractured his vertebra, and life as he knew it changed radically.
Mr Elphick was paralysed from his collarbone down, but he was lucky to retain some sensation and strength in his arms and legs. Today, he walks with the aid of a brace, but he knows that the possibilities of regaining more movement and strength are great.
Now 26, he dedicates his life to spinal cord injury research, has obtained a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and plans to study to become a doctor.
He’s well aware of advances made in research into curing spinal cord injuries. In February, he will sign up to take part in a world-first clinical trial that will test whether non-invasive neurostimulation can help those with spinal cord injuries to regain movement, function and perhaps even walk again. “I think we are on the verge of many breakthroughs — we just continually need to support our researchers and give them the time and resources to find out what those breakthroughs are,” he said.
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Opportunity to develop My Health Record best practices for outback colleagues
Date published: Dec 21, 2020, 14:58 PM
Summary
Professional Practice seeks a group of up to 3 Fellows, Advanced Trainees and subject matter experts to join the My Health Record Guide Development Reference Group.
Description
The Development Reference Group will establish a RACP Best Practice My Health Record (MHR) Guide to assist physicians in private practice and in rural and remote settings.
The goal is to provide a user-friendly resource that will enable physicians and practice managers to effectively implement MHR and be rewarded with the benefits of improved patient care and administration efficiencies.
The guide will cover:
- staff training instructions
- staff agreement procedures and access templates
- systems security, access requirements and a password policy
- policy and procedures, including current regulatory obligations and requirements
The role of the Development Reference Group will be to review and provide guide content.
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Annual Report Highlights -Healthcare Quality and Safety Commission
- Two clinical safety reviews were completed for the My Health Record system
- 123 information sessions were provided on the Emergency Department Clinician’s Guide to My Health Record
- The Commission developed the NSQDMH Standards, which address key safety and quality risks for digital mental health service users.
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Take care not to overshare
Published 22 December 2020
The Australian Digital Health Agency is urging people heading into the festive season to be wary about over-sharing on social media because it can compromise cyber and personal safety.
Australians when socialising often use social media to let family and friends know what they are doing. While enjoying yourself is great for wellbeing, it is important to remember not to let your guard down and share too much information. Healthcare professionals should be aware of this risk, particularly given the attention the healthcare sector has received this year.
Posting photos of work Christmas parties and professional network end of year drinks may seem like a good idea at the time.
There are pitfalls as you could inadvertently tag your whereabouts, flag your interest with particular organisations or share sensitive information, such as details visible in the background of photos.
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What happened to the NBN, Australia's 'information superhighway'?
Download What happened to the NBN, Australia's 'information superhighway'? (26.61 MB)
The National Broadband Network could have been Australia’s landmark twenty-first century infrastructure project but it became a political hot potato, leaving us with an expensive, compromised system that’s in need of an upgrade before it’s even finished. This program was first broadcast on 19 April 2020
Duration: 29min 4sec
Broadcast: Sun 27 Dec 2020, 12:05pm
Guests
Software developer
Former RN Breakfast technology correspondent
Technology journalist
Technology journalist and broadcaster
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-shows-up-to-238000-premises-unable-to-get-25mbps-speeds-559336
NBN Co shows up to 238,000 premises unable to get 25Mbps speeds
By Ry Crozier on Dec 23, 2020 11:57AM
Says numbers are becoming consistent.
NBN Co says about two percent of all premises - up to 238,000 - are still incapable of minimum 25Mbps peak download speeds, though it claims “the vast majority” of those see speeds over 20Mbps.
The whole-of-footprint number is made calculable by figures in a lengthy report [pdf] from NBN Co to the government in support of the network being declared “built and fully operational”, a stepping stone to the eventual sale of the company.
The government made the declaration on the basis that the NBN “is supporting 50Mbps to more than 90 percent of the fixed line footprint and 25Mbps to approximately 98 percent of all premises, with ongoing proactive and reactive programs in place to resolve the remaining lines.”
With approximately 98 percent of all premises able to hit the 25Mbps minimum peak speeds mandated in the 2016 statement of expectations, that leaves two percent or less that can’t.
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/fletcher-declares-nbn-as-built-and-fully-operational/
Fletcher declares NBN as 'built and fully operational'
The declaration is one of the steps that need to be taken to eventually sell off the company.
By Aimee Chanthadavong | December 23, 2020 -- 04:54 GMT (15:54 AEDT) | Topic: NBN
Australia's Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher has formally declared that the National Broadband Network (NBN) is "built and fully operational", as one of the first steps towards the eventual sale of the company responsible for the roll out of the NBN.
On Wednesday, Fletcher made the declaration after reviewing a report from NBN on the extent to which the NBN access network is built and fully operational.
"In my view, the evidence before me shows it is appropriate to make the declaration that the NBN should be treated as built and fully operational," he said on Wednesday.
According to Fletcher, he made the declaration on the basis that the number of premises able to connect to the NBN is over 11.86 million, and the number of yet to be ready to connect premises will be reduced from 100,000 as of August 2020 to 35,000 by December 31.
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NBN declared complete, opening way to privatisation
James Fernyhough Reporter
Dec 23, 2020 – 11.46am
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has formally declared the national broadband network complete and fully operational, overcoming a legal hurdle to the network's eventual privatisation.
The announcement was necessary under the National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011, which requires the government to declare the network should be "treated as built and fully operational" by December 31, 2020, or formally extend the deadline.
The declaration is the first of four hurdles to allow the $57 billion government-owned infrastructure asset to be privatised.
The next step would be a Productivity Commission inquiry on the sale. This would then need to examined by a Parliamentary joint committee, and would finally need to be signed off by the Finance Minister.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-declares-nbn-built-and-fully-operational-559333
Govt declares NBN 'built and fully operational'
By Ry Crozier on Dec 23, 2020 11:10AM
First official gate passed on the path to privatisation.
The government has declared the national broadband network “built and fully operational”, a required step towards NBN Co’s eventual sale.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher made the call on Wednesday morning, following the submission of a detailed report into NBN Co’s operational status dated last month.
There is still construction work for NBN Co to perform; the company estimates it will enter 2021 with “around 35,000” premises still unable to connect, reducing to “just over 5000” premises by mid-2021.
In addition, there are still premises that do not meet the statement of expectations (SOE) requirement of having lines able to support a minimum 25Mbps on the downlink.
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Government declares NBN mission accomplished, while thousands wait to be connected
By Supratim Adhikari
December 23, 2020 — 12.00am
The federal government has declared the National Broadband Network “built and fully operational” despite 35,000 homes still waiting to be connected to the network.
However, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the number of homes yet to be connected to the NBN had shrunk considerably over the last three months and having done the heavy lifting, NBN Co was now well positioned to improve the overall quality of service.
“In my view the evidence before me shows it is appropriate to make the declaration that the NBN should be treated as built and fully operational,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Of course the government recognises that there are some premises which have not yet been made ready to connect, and I expect NBN Co to work as speedily as possible to make the network available to those premises."
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https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/nbn-caught-in-the-middle-of-a-geopolitical-storm-20201221-p56pak
NBN caught in the middle of a geopolitical storm
NBN Co's fragile supply chain reflects rising geopolitical and trade tensions between the US and China. It could also point to a tectonic shift in global tech leadership.
Dec 22, 2020 – 12.00am
Global supply chains will never be the same thanks to the combination of COVID-19 and the United States’ trade and technology war with China.
Companies using inputs from third parties can no longer rely on the just-in-time supply of manufactured goods. This means holding higher levels of inventory to ensure security of supply to customers.
This clearly means high working capital costs which will have to be borne by the purchasers of the goods.
In electronics and telecommunications, the trade and tech war between the US and China has added a layer of complexity to the sourcing of components and rising levels of paranoia in Western countries of the location of manufacturing plants.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-a-low-threat-of-overbuilding-in-greenfields-estates-559284
NBN Co a 'low' threat of overbuilding in greenfields estates
By Ry Crozier on Dec 22, 2020 6:54AM
Though ACCC says overbuilding has previously worked in users' favour.
NBN Co is considered a “low” threat of using new powers to overbuild other networks in new housing estates in the short to medium term.
The assessment, made by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is contained in a draft decision [pdf] around infrastructure-based competition that was released at the end of last week.
Although partially redacted, the ACCC said that some overbuild decisions taken by NBN Co in the past had resulted in favourable outcomes for broadband users in those areas.
“The ACCC is aware of some instances where NBN Co has improved network competition in superfast broadband markets,” the commission said.
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TPG offered sliver of hope in bid to overturn NBN protectionism
By Ry Crozier on Dec 21, 2020 11:58AM
Competition watchdog may be open to small-scale proposals.
TPG Telecom’s bid to be allowed to roll out fixed-line infrastructure that competes with NBN Co again remains a live - albeit limited - possibility after the competition watchdog left the door open to future small-scale proposals.
For a time, TPG had been able to compete with NBN Co in city areas by rolling out a fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) network - in most cases before NBN Co could deploy its own infrastructure.
A regulatory change put a stop to the FTTB rollout, but TPG asked in October for the regulations to be overturned as part of a scheduled review of the rules.
TPG argued that NBN Co should no longer be “artificially insulated ... from competition” now that the govermment-backed network is mostly completed.
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Enjoy!
David.
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