Tag: vulnerable
University of Wyoming sorority sisters say they feel vulnerable around trans woman who peeps at them
This WordPress plugin for Elementor leaves websites vulnerable to hackers
If your website is powered by the WordPress page-builder Elementor, double-check if you’re using this popular plugin. Because, if you are, hackers can easily stage a complete takeover of your website thanks to a newly discovered security flaw.
Security researchers at Patchstack have released a new report about a concerning cybersecurity issue related to the WordPress plugin Essential Addons for Elementor. The plugin provides users with an assortment of pre-built WordPress blocks and templates for use when creating or updating their website.
“This plugin suffers from an unauthenticated privilege escalation vulnerability and allows any unauthenticated user to escalate their privilege to that of any user on the WordPress site,” writes Patchstack in its report.
Basically, malicious actors can take advantage of this to reset the password of any user, including the administrator’s account. If that latter account’s password is reset, a hacker could basically have access to the entire website – backend and all – and take control of the site from its rightful owner. If a targeted website stores user information, this bad actor would have access to and control of that as well.
“This vulnerability occurs because this password reset function does not validate a password reset key and instead directly changes the password of the given user,” explains Patchstack.
Update the plugin as soon as possible
The plugin vulnerability has since been patched and Essential Addons for Elementor users are being urged to update to version 5.7.2. All versions of the plugin prior, going back to version 5.4.0, are affected by the vulnerability. So, be sure to update the plugin!
More than 43 percent of all of the websites on the internet use WordPress. Elementor is a popular website builder for WordPress-powered sites. More than 12 million WordPress-sites utilize Elementor. According to the WordPress Plugin Directory, more than 1 million active websites have the Essential Addons for Elementor installed.
Remote workers are still more vulnerable to hackers than they should be. Here’s what to do
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Cold weather warning to elderly & vulnerable Brits, as Met Office says ‘freezing temperatures’ to sweep UK
AN urgent cold weather warning has been issued to elderly and vulnerable Brits as “freezing temperatures” are expected in the next few days.
The alert, issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covers all areas of England with low temperatures and wintry showers forecast.
Freezing temperatures are expected in the next few days[/caption]
The warning is in place from 1am on March 6 to midnight on March 8.
UKHSA is advising people to stay warm and and to look out for any vulnerable people.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, the UKHSA’s head of extreme events and health protection, said: “During periods like this, it is important to check in check in on family, friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold weather, as it can have a serious impact on health.
“If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over the age of 65, it is important to try and heat your home to at least 18°C if you can.’’
The Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist Chris Almond said: “Although we’ve moved into meteorological spring there will be a distinctly wintry feel to our weather next week.
“Very cold air will spread across the UK bringing snow showers even to sea level in the north on Monday and these snow showers could spread further south on Tuesday.
“With freezing overnight temperatures and the risk of ice it is likely weather warnings will be issued for Monday and Tuesday once the detail of potential impacts becomes clearer, so keep an eye on the Met Office forecast.”
According to the latest Met Office forecast chilly winds from the north are set to blow in and temperatures will once again plunge to -1C in the coming days.
The Met Office long-range weather forecast has predicted some “wintry showers” and “snow”.
Although the health warning is in place, many people have been struggling to heat their homes due to the ongoing cost of living crisis and having difficulty paying their energy bills.
If people are struggling, the UKHSA has advised they seek help from Simple Energy Advice which provides free advice on energy efficiency and national grants that are available to help keep you warm this winter.
If people can’t afford all the rooms they use, they are urged to heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before going to sleep.
People are also advised to wear several layers of thinner clothing which will keep you warmer than one thicker layer.
Having plenty of hot food and drinks is also effective to keep you warm.
Meanwhile, bookies are making this March to be the coldest ever.
Coral has slashed their odds to 6-4, from 3-1, on this month being the coldest March on record in the UK.
The bookmaker makes it as short as 1-2 for snow to fall in any major city in the UK this month.
Coral’s John Hill said: “Spring is going to feel like a distance away at times this month, and we could be set for the coldest March on record if our odds anything to go by
“It looks likely we will see snow fall in March. We make it odds-on for the white stuff to come down in a major UK city this month.”
The Met Office said it expected to issue weather warnings in the coming days[/caption]
Vulnerable woman, 55, died of hypothermia inside her freezing cold & barren council home, inquest finds
A WOMAN died from hypothermia after routinely leaving her home unheated, a court heard.
Cass Terry, 55, from Exeter, Devon, suffered from poor mental health triggered by persistent delusional disorder.
Terry, right, had a history of mental health issues[/caption]
The fire brigade were called to break into Ms Terry’s property by one of her neighbours in November 2021.
The concerned neighbour reported not having seen her for a week – and saw her lying motionless when he looked through her letterbox.
The musician and artist passed away a year after she was placed under the care of Devon’s Community Mental Health Team.
An inquest heard on Wednesday how Ms Terry was unsure how to use her heating system and did not own a washing machine, microwave, or fridge.
Her sister, Anne-Marie Rogers, feels that the lack of care she received could have played a part in her death.
She said: “I have concerns about her death and the care she received or did not receive leading up to her death which I feel possibly contributed to her death.”
Exeter Coroner’s Court heard Ms Terry would often drink heavily to self-medicate.
Despite this, a post-mortem examination noted that she died from hypothermia and that she was not intoxicated.
Describing her past struggles, Anne-Marie continued: “She was put into care at age of 14 by Devon County Council and was also repeatedly sectioned in recent years.
“She had been homeless, once living in a cave.”
A neighbour recalled how her mental health noticeably worsened shortly before she died.
In a statement, he said: “She started drinking more heavily in the months before passed away, about 10 cans of lager a day.”
Reflecting on Ms Terry’s living conditions, he added: “The weather was quite cold at the time [she died] and I know she always used to have her windows open.
“When I visited her flat previously I remember it being very cold and I said to put the heating on but she said she did not know how to.
“In my opinion, she could not look after herself due to her drinking and she should have had a carer.”
After displaying symptoms of psychosis, Hertfordshire-born Ms Terry was assigned a support worker by CMHT who visited on a bimonthly basis.
On one occasion, when the worker asked to help source a new fridge, Ms Terry declined – stating that she was having her kitchen fitted and it wasn’t an “urgent” acquisition.
Additionally, a social care package was proposed by the CMHT, but Ms Terry again refused – assuring them that her neighbours were taking good care of her.
Issues with a lack of heating were never mentioned, the court heard.
Ms Kent said: “We had to respect her choice and decision and she had the ability to weigh up her options. We felt she had insight and an ability to self-rescue by calling into services so that was quite a protective factor.”
No concerns were highlighted when Ms Terry had her annual over-the-phone mental health check in February 2021, nine months before her death.
Paying tribute to Ms Terry after the inquest, her sister Miss Rogers said: ” She was a gentle soul who loved animals.
“Despite being well known to Exeter mental health services, having been sectioned six times in four years including several occasions in Exeter, she was discharged during a lockdown and judged a ‘low risk’.
“Yet the mental health services knew she couldn’t cook for herself, didn’t have a fridge, wasn’t taking her medication, and had been sectioned the year before.
“Cass’s death is an indictment of current mental health provision. The principle of self-determination seems to be used as an excuse to ration mental health services. Once discharged, there was no care for Cass. The mental health system that is set up to protect people like Cass has seriously failed her and our family.”
Area coroner Alison Longhorn reached a conclusion of natural causes for Ms Terry’s death.