OIST

Increased Solar Flare activity has been detected recently including a large flare event on Oct 31, 2021 from Sunspot AR2887. The impact on Earth can cause geomagnetic storms that knock out GPS and radio communications, interfere with satellites, and potentially impact the power grids around the area of impact. The OIST recommends all Asgardians be familiar with emergency preparation procedures to deal with sudden loss of power and/or communications in their local areas. This includes potentially owning and maintaining generators and battery supplies, ensuring you have food and potable water to last for several days in the event of power loss, and familiarizing yourself with the Asgardia HAM Radio network protocols.

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center Alerts

NASA Notice regarding AR2887 eruption

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

During national holidays security agencies around the world have recorded a surge in Ransomware activity. Asgardians should be vigilant in their personal security habits and follow the best practices outlined below in order to ensure they do not fall victim to these threats. Becoming a victim of these forms of Ransomware often results in a complete loss of data.

CISA alert regarding Ransomware increase

CISA alert regarding BlackMatter Ransomware

CISA alert regarding Conti Ransomware

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect all nations around the globe. Please review the World Health Organization's fact sheets and guidelines regarding public safety to ensure you and those around you are protected.

WHO Covid-19 FAQ

WHO Covid-19 Q&A Hub

Multiple major VPN Providers have been purchased by a company known to distribute Malware (Crossrider, a.k.a. Kape) . The same company has also purchased several popular VPN Review sites, and those same review sites are now coincidentally listing the newly acquired VPN providers as the top choices for the public to use. The OIST recommends all Asgardians avoid these VPN Providers at all costs in order to prevent your data from being compromised by known threat actors.

Restore Privacy News Article regarding Kape acquisition of VPN Providers

The Google Chrome browser has been found to be vulnerable to no fewer than 5 major zero-day vulnerabilities with severe implications for those affected. Google has released an alert advising all users to stop using Chrome and immediately uninstall it from all desktop and mobile devices until such time as the issues have been resolved. As of Sep 30, 2021 2 of the 5 critical issues discovered between Aug -> Oct 2021 have been patched. The OIST recommends all Asgardians remove Google Chrome from all desktop and mobile devices until further notice. Alternative browsers to consider include Microsoft Edge or Opera. Due to the insecure architecture of the product Mozilla Firefox is also not recommended at this time.

Google Chrome Removal Instructions

Chrome Security Release Sep 30th 2021