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 First Responder Appreciation Day Luncheon at the Lexington

 

The Lexington will be hosting a special luncheon for our first responders to salute the men and women who serve our community every day.  The invitees will include the police department, fire department, sheriffs department and ambulance companies.  You are cordially invited to have lunch with our community’s local heroes.  This event is open to the public.  The Lexington is located at 5440 Ralston Street in Ventura.  The event will be held Friday, September 16th from 11:30am – 1:30pm.

For more information call 644–6710.

 

Nominations for the 2016 Mayor’s Arts Awards are due September 8

 

Nomination forms are now available online until September 8 for the 12th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. For more information visit the website. To have a form mailed to you please contact Georgeanne Lees at 805/658-4720 or [email protected].

The awards recognize the artistic achievements and contributions to the cultural community by City of Ventura residents in seven categories:

  1. Arts Patron, a business or individual whose strong support of the arts has been ongoing through philanthropic and/or volunteer service
  2. Artist in the Community, an established individual artist in any discipline for artistic excellence and singular efforts in contributing to Ventura’s cultural vitality
  3. Creative Entrepreneur, a locally owned for-profit business which exemplifies the impact and vitality of Ventura’s creative economy
  4. Arts Leader, a nonprofit arts professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, organizational stewardship and partnership within the arts community
  5. Arts Educator, an individual or organization whose achievements and contributions to arts education have been significant and far reaching
  6. Emerging Artist, a working artist under 40 who has demonstrated outstanding promise and commitment to Ventura’s arts community (students are ineligible)
  7. Student Artist, an active student artist in any discipline under the age of 19 who has demonstrated outstanding promise and commitment to the arts

“These annual awards are an important tradition for everyone who loves the arts in Ventura,” said Mayor Erik Nasarenko. “They cultivate a greater understanding and visibility of the value of the arts to the public at large. They showcase the economic impact of Ventura’s creative businesses and arts leadership and patrons. The Mayor’s Arts Awards are one small way to say ‘well done’ and ‘thank you’ to everyone involved in our creative community–for their contributions, their dedication and their passion to serve the arts in our city.”

In September a panel of community members representing the arts and business worlds will review applications based on: the significance and magnitude of the nominee’s contributions; leadership in the arts community and commitment to service to the arts; benefit and impact of the nominee’s contribution to the citizens of the City of Ventura; and potential contribution to the arts in the emerging artist and student artist categories. The panel’s selections will be presented to Cultural Affairs Commissioners who will make recommendations for the Mayor to approve.

The Mayor will announce honorees on October 10, and present each recipient with a non-monetary award at a reception on November 3, including a limited edition artwork, Mark of Excellence, created by Lis J. Schwitters. The awards are presented as a joint project of the city departments of Community Development and Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships.

 

CSU Channel Islands lecturer Jerry Clifford will discuss “What your art teacher didn’t tell you — but should have” in a free presentation Sept. 8

Because of a previous engagement Mona Lisa will not be able to attend the discussion.

CSU Channel Islands lecturer Jerry Clifford will discuss “What your art teacher didn’t tell you — but should have” in a free presentation from 5:30-7 p.m. September 8 at the Buenaventura Art Association Gallery on Santa Clara Street.  Dr. Clifford has taught a Science of Art course to art majors for many years at Cal State Channel Islands.

Using classical and modern artworks, he will examine how artists employ light and color to affect our perception, often through their careful observation rather than scientific training.  Why is Mona Lisa’s smile so elusive?  Dr. Clifford will examine visual perception and the process by which visual images are formed.

The talk is open to all interested members of the public. Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are recommended. RSVP to 648-1235.

700 E Santa Clara St, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information about Dr. Clifford’s presentation or BAA and its galleries, call 648-1235 or visit www.buenaventuragallery.org.

 

 

Vol. 9, No. 24 – August 31 – September 13, 2016 – Tech Today

Four Leaders in the Ransomeware Game
by Kenneth May-Swift Chip

You’ve heard of CryptoLocker, right? Sure, it’s the media favorite, but there are a lot of other players these days that are worth more than an honorable mention. As an MSP, you know how important it is to stay current on the sheer breadth and depth of these types of threats—not to mention their individual characteristics—in order to keep clients protected. Let’s take a look at the lineup.

1. CryptoWall 4.0

The CryptoWall family seems to turn out a winner with every generation. Like its predecessor, the 4.0 version of CryptoWall uses phishing emails to distribute. This should come as no surprise, since phishing remains the single most effective way to deliver a payload. But this latest iteration doesn’t play by the old rules; not only are the victim’s files encrypted, the names of the files are randomized so the victim no longer knows which file is which. By creating so much confusion about how much file damage there really is, the new CryptoWall increases the chances that victims will pay out.

CryptoWall 4.0 also includes a free decrypt demo, which convinces victims that the decryption routine they need to get their files back is easy, and that paying the ransom will actually get their files back.

  • Phishing email attachment is source of payload
  • Randomizes victim’s filenames to create confusion
  • Offers free decrypt demo to add credibility

2. PadCrypt

What sets this new ransomware apart from the pack is its willingness to interact with the public; PadCrypt includes a chat interface embedded into the product. The process of getting a Bitcoin wallet address, filling it with coins, and sending payment securely can be complicated, so this chat feature adds a more human support element, helping the perpetrators ensure that their victims remit ransom payments promptly. (Isn’t that nice?) This might be a bit more difficult in situations where victims have cold-stored their wallet (see this article here), in which case you might have to just move onto the next one.

  • First ransomware with chat support
  • Communicates via Darknet to avoid being traced
  • “Helps” even less savvy victims pay up

3. TeslaCrypt

TeslaCrypt was something of an up-and-comer, specifically targeting gamers by encrypting the files they need for their games. This included saves, any mods, and profiles like DayZ. Because TeslaCrypt was being sold on the Darknet by non-authors, the original authors chose to release its master key to the public to permanently diffuse the threat. As diverse and competitive as the ransomware sphere seems to be, however, we might end up seeing this player again next season.

  • Accounted for ~11% of distributed ransomware
  • Attacked over 200 extensions on newer variants
  • Specifically targeted gamers (Valve, Bethesda, Unreal Engine files)
  • Got around 3rd party defense to deliver polymorphic payloads at root level

4. RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service)

RaaS isn’t really a player, per se, but it was created for criminals by criminals to open the playing field to hackers of all skill levels. With RaaS, almost anyone can design encrypting ransomware payloads and then distribute them from their existing botnets. Hackers pay for this service by handing off a cut of their spoils to the RaaS author.

  • Enables almost anyone to make ransomware
  • Portal for malware generation is exclusively in Darknet (typically invite-only)
  • Intended for less-skilled cybercriminals who rent botnets
  • The malware author who created the portal takes a commission

Conclusion

Although the number of players keeps growing, and their skills and strategies keep getting more advanced, there are steps that we can take to maximize defense and help clients win hands down. Educating yourself and your customers about the various offensive strategies and types of exploits favored by today’s ransomware is key—as well as setting up a winning defense with next-generation endpoint protection that utilizes collective threat intelligence to hit hard and proactively protect against constantly-evolving malware.

 

Nursing facilities that allow animal visits are smart and foresighted

Fwonsa and Manny really miss their best friend Big Dog.
Fwonsa and Manny really miss their best friend Big Dog.

by Es Cole

“Fwonsa will see you now.”  Fwonsa is a doxie mix and has ruled our household for five years. Les Cole, my husband, aka Big Dog, is her slave. She barks, and Les opens the back door. She barks, and Les lets her back in. She barks, and Les comes up with treats. Then Manny was added to the household. He gets the same treatment as Fwonsa, but has to wait his turn.

Les is now at Victoria Care Center and misses the dogs like crazy. We brought Fwonsa to see him today, and, I swear, the entire establishment looked healthier when she walked through the front door.  As she strolled into Les’ room, I could feel Les’ blood pressure dropping.

After checking out the kind personnel looking after Les, Fwonsa decided she wanted a second opinion from her colleague Manny.

Manny is a cuddly, curly-haired poodle mix. He marched through the hallways, tried to peek into every room, acknowledged the oohs and aahs and allowed all attractive and gentle nursing people to pet him.

Nursing facilities that allow animal visits are smart and foresighted. They are getting effective, curative nursing procedures at no cost. You don’t even have to buy extra insurance coverage to take advantage of their healing skills.

Both Fwonsa and Manny had waved a happy wagging tail salute to John Gardner, Executive Director of Victoria Care, as they walked past his office.  I know they were thanking him and his entire staff for looking after their favorite ‘Big Dog’ while he was recuperating.

 

Spend the Fall on Fridays in Ojai with Osher

Bears are great mommies but their habitat is shrinking.
Bears are great mommies but their habitat is shrinking.

Bring a Brown-Bag lunch to enjoy between classes on the Little House deck set among giant oaks in a park like setting.

10AM-1PM, Dr. Amy Denton will be sharing her expertise with lectures on “The Arctic: Exploration, Exploitation, and Natural History”. Beginning with an overview of our current understanding of the Arctic and the history of polar exploration from Stone Age to the present you will experience arctic science with an emphasis on its unique flora, fauna, and geology; indigenous cultures; the history and current status of resources extraction,

Dr. Denton a professor of Biology at CSU Channel Islands and maintains a keen interest in the history and development of evolutionary thought.

1PM-3PM, Dr. Oliver Boyd-Barrett will explore “Media: Money and Power”. From media ownership and the interest they serve to ask the question has this become something to celebrate, to fear, or both. You will be asked to consider the implications for our informational, entertainment and surveillance environments.

Oliver Boyd-Barrett teaches for the Department of Communications at CSU Channel Islands and has taught and researched for the British Open University and the Center for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester (UK).

The cost for each 8-week sessions is $80.00. Classes begin Friday, September 9. For enrollment information, please contact Donna Ingles at 427.2748 or check http://ext.csuci.edu/community-ed/osher/index.htm or simply Google: CSUCI OLLI