update Archives

A new hospital cyberattack left patients without care – Keep your records safe

Come with me. Imagine you rush to the emergency room, but after five hours, they tell you to find another hospital. Or you check in at your specialist’s office for a chronic condition, only to find they’ve lost your entire medical history. Both of these scenarios just happened.

Yesterday’s cyberattack on one of the largest health systems in the U.S., Ascension, was bad — really bad. Before you say, “Another data breach? So what, Kim?” know that having your records sold on the dark web is the least of your worries.

Code red

The hack on Ascension sent its 140 hospitals and 40 senior facilities into full-blown chaos. It took down patient record systems and medication prescribing systems, forcing doctors and nurses to rely on paper charts and handwritten records to keep things running.

One patient, Zackery Lopez, checked himself in at an Ascension-run hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He was suffering from internal bleeding and thinking his cancer had returned. Zackery waited a grueling seven hours before a nurse could help him. As he waited, he saw patients checking themselves out.

Keep your health records safe

When hospital systems get hacked, it’s a matter of life and death. And it’s happening more and more often. Keeping physical records sounds old-school, but if digital systems go down, it could save your life.

Start with a list. Make a list of all your meds, including dosages and names, and keep both digital and physical copies. Store a physical copy in your purse or wallet if you’re currently in treatment or in case of emergency.

I also recommend compiling your full medical records and having a printed copy on hand. If you have an iPhone, you can sync them to your Health app:

Add your health records

Open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad.
If you’re on your iPhone, tap the Summary tab, then your profile picture in the upper-right corner. On iPad, tap Profile in the upper-left corner.
Scroll down to Features > Health Records > Get Started.
Search for your hospital or network, then tap it. FYI: It’ll ask you to add location services to find hospitals and health networks near you, but you don’t have to enable it to search.
Under Available to Connect, choose Connect Account. Sign in to your health care provider’s website or app.
Wait for your records to update. It might take a minute for your information to appear.
Repeat these steps for each supported provider. Start by going to Features, then tap Add Account.

View your health records

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Best routers for 2024 [List]

A good router isn’t just about performance. It’s your first line of defense against network break-ins. If your router isn’t updating anymore, you’re experiencing random Wi-Fi freezes, frequent reboots, or runs hot, it’s time for a new one. Komando IT genius John replaces his every two years.

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Over 69% off!

Rug grippers: Put these grippers on all your rugs, whether they’re on hardwood floors or tile, to help keep the rugs from moving or causing a fall. This pack of 16 grippers is on sale for $7.99, 69% off the regular price ($25.99).
Outdoor solar lights: Light up the night with these waterproof lights for just $26.99 — 85% off (they’re normally $180!). Solar-powered for up to 12 hours, their elegant design is perfect for the patio or walkways.
New pillows: Sleep like you’re in a luxury hotel with this cozy pillow set from Cozsinoor for $32.99, 72% off their original price of $120. Designed to perfectly balance and support your neck and back, these pillows come with a cooling cover that hot sleepers will love!
Car vacuum: Get rid of all the dirt, grime, food and who-knows-what-else in your car. This bestselling vacuum is now $25.99 — that’s 80% off the regular price of $129.99.
Bedroom update: Whether it’s for your room or the guest room, I really like this lightweight soft cotton quilt that includes two pillow shams for $43.10, a whopping 80% off (originally $219.99).

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Windows 11 surprise update: Microsoft is rolling out an unscheduled update for Windows 11. Patch KB5037853 is optional, but the changes will be applied to everyone during this month’s Patch Tuesday. There are bug fixes, new email tricks, ways to create QR codes and more. But you know about it first ‘cause I’ve got your back.

Play as you go: Uber wants to make your ride more fun. Hidden code in Uber’s latest iPhone app update hints at mini-games coming soon with data or an internet connection required. Why? It’s another way to serve you ads, of course.

AI coming to save Siri: Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 update, which is expected to be announced on June 10, is all about AI upgrades (Bloomberg, paywall link). Coming soon: The ability to control your apps using Siri, transcriptions and summaries of voice memos, automated text replies, AI-generated emojis, and advanced photo editing. If Siri worked for me, I would’ve fired her years ago.

Over Wordle? There’s a new game hidden on your iPhone called Quartiles. You score points by making as many words as you can from three or four lettered tiles. The iOS 17.5 update includes the game for all Apple News+ subscribers (you can get a free three-month trial if you don’t have it already). To find the game, open Apple News and search for Puzzles > Quartiles.

🇺🇸 Patriot Mobile’s big breach: The self-proclaimed “Christian conservative wireless provider” exposed its cellphone customers’ info, including full names, email addresses, ZIP codes and account PINs. Hard to ignore the timing on this one … If you’re a subscriber, update your login info ASAP.

Did you hear the inventor of the remote died? They found him stuck in the couch. The new Google TV update included Find My Remote. Yup, that’s exactly what it sounds like. Simply press a button on your streaming device and the remote will beep for 30 seconds so you can find it. It’s already on some Roku and Walmart TVs.

Office freebie: Unless you absolutely need Microsoft 365, don’t waste your money. I’ve recommended LibreOffice, the free, open-source office software suite, for years, and it just got a major update. Plus, it works on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Restart Chrome: That’s the easiest way to update. The latest patch fixes a zero-day flaw. Translation: Hackers know about it, so update your Chrome browser now.

200 injuries so far: The FDA has recalled the Tandem Diabetes Care t:connect iOS app. It’s been crashing and relaunching, causing the compatible t:slim X2 insulin pump to shut down prematurely. If you’re affected, update your app to version 2.7.1 or later ASAP.

🎸 Update to yesterday’s newsletter: I linked to Randy Travis’ new song made with AI (and Travis’ blessing) because Travis can no longer sing since his 2013 stroke. Thanks for all the replies to learn more about the AI involved. Watch this CBS Sunday Morning story. Someone must’ve been cutting onions when I watched it.

VPN trouble: Microsoft’s April security update is causing some VPN connections to fail on Windows 11 (versions 23H2, 22H2 and 21H2) and Windows 10 (versions 22H2 and 21H2). No patch date announced yet, so beware: Your IP address and location could be exposed. I’ll let you know when they fix this.

Don’t buy an iPhone now: Apple’s doing a deal with the ChatGPT team to bring regenerative AI to the iPhone 16. This means the AI will learn and remember your likes and dislikes, just like a real (virtual) assistant. The iPhone 16 is expected to roll out in September or October. This will be the biggest iPhone update since it was first released in 2007.

r/Update: Reddit has been crappy to navigate on mobile for, well, forever. Not anymore. The latest app update makes it easier to get to the comments (what most of us use Reddit for anyway), watch videos and add your two cents.

With the updated Google for Education App Hub, educators and school admins have, at a glance, 25 apps to update class rosters, grade papers and so much more. My homeroom teacher once told me I’d never amount to much because of how I procrastinated. I replied, “Just you wait.”

Get off my PC: The latest Windows 11 update crams ads for apps into the “recommended” section of the Start Menu. Yes, it’s on by default. I’ve got the fix: Go into Settings and select Personalization > Start. Then, toggle off “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more.”

Key-ping up: YubiKey is a USB-based key used by the ultra-security-conscious who don’t trust 2FA or authenticator apps. Turns out, there’s a major bug that lets someone gain administrator access to all your usernames and passwords. If you use a YubiKey, get the latest update now.

Find my Android: You can find your Google Pixel 8 or 8 Pro even if it’s dead. A new update makes sure your phone holds onto a bit of juice to track it. Just head to your Find My Device portal online to locate it.