Bristol airport under cyber siege
Flight display screens at Bristol Airport in the United Kingdom were out of service for two days following a cyber attack. The ransomware attack caused airport staff to turn to paper, whiteboards and pens in a desperate bid to keep travellers informed. “We believe there was an online attempt to target part of our administrative systems and that required us to take a number of applications offline as a precautionary measure, including the one that provides our data for flight information screens,” said spokesman James Gore. The attack did not disrupt any flights.
Australia gets its first astronomer-at-large
Former senior executive and astronomer at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, Professor Fred Watson, has been announced as Australia’s first Astronomer-at-large. In the new role, Professor Watson will promote Australia’s astronomy and astrophysics capabilities to a global audience. He will also foster relationships with key stakeholders across government, industry and research communities. “Professor Watson has made an enormous contribution over a long career to science and science communication. It is tremendous to have such an experienced and high-profile Australian astronomer in this role,” said Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews.
CSIRO moves into ASEAN
The CSIRO is increasing its presence in the ASEAN region, formally launching its presence in Singapore. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the move would strengthen the bridge between the Australian and ASEAN innovation sectors. “Innovation has become too hard to do alone – it must be a team sport,” he said. The new Singapore presence will be supported by existing ASEAN staff in Vietnam and Indonesian.
