Zoom has identified a vulnerability in its Zoom Meeting Client for Mac, Windows and Linux. This vulnerability is pretty bad, we believe it’s worth you taking the time to upgrade. The vulnerability could enable execution of unauthorized Zoom commands like spoofing chat messages, hijacking screen controls and kicking attendees off calls and locking them out of meetings.
To address this issue, Zoom has released updated Zoom Meeting Clients for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Make sure your client is one of these versions:
- Windows: 4.1.34460.1105 or higher
- Mac: 4.1.34475.1105 or higher
- Linux: 2.5.146186.1130 or higher
- IOS: 4.1.18 (4460.1105) or higher
- Android: 4.1.34489.1105 or higher
What you should do:
Zoom users should download and install the most recent version of the Zoom Meeting Client. The update is available here: https://lbnl.zoom.us/download.
Why would this article be featured in IT Spotlight? The Green Gaming Project was a collaboration between Science and IT. Evan Mills and Norm Bourassa, senior scientists from the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division, worked together with a group of avid gamers from the IT Workstation Support Group to measure the energy consumption from gaming systems. This project and IT’s Jimmy Mai’s involvement were recently highlighted in Mother Jones, Video Games Consume More Electricity Than 25 Power Plants Can Produce.
The story began when Evan Mills brought in his MacBook Pro to be repaired by the IT Workstation Support Group. Evan shared his story about measuring energy consumption on his son’s gaming PC. The IT technicians, some avid gamers, engaged in the conversation and were curious about his work. One thing led to another and Mills found a group of willing participants in his project. He had IT staff designing, procuring, configuring, testing and monitoring gaming systems plus the development of server and client software to track GPU consumption since it was not available in the open market. The Workstation Support Group became the one stop shop for Mills and Bourassa and this project became the dream job for Desktop Systems Specialist Jimmy Mai, the lead tester on the project. It was a win-win for the Lab.
If you use a high-powered gaming computer or console, you might want to consult the project results to see what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, check out http://greengaming.lbl.gov.
Operations computers are managed by the IT Workstation Support Group under the Operations Desktop Support (ODS) program. At this time Operations Mac users cannot install the latest macOS, Mojave. We are currently blocking this macOS until we can confirm that all standard ODS software is compatible with the upgrade. Test results indicate that all software works except for Spirion, a Personal Identifying Information (PII) removal tool. We are waiting on the vendor to release an update. Delivery date not yet published. Once a Spirion update is provided, ODS Mac users will be able to download and install Mojave.
For non-Operations users, always approach major operating system upgrades with caution. Users should always verify:
- Hardware compatibility
- Application compatibility
- Backup capability
RoaringApps (https://roaringapps.com/), a crowd sourcing website provides information on application compatibility with operating system versions. All Mac users should ensure they have a backup of their system before doing any kind of update to minimize downtime if the upgrade fails.
If for some reason you need to help updating your Mac, REQUEST HELP.
The servers that run commons.lbl.gov, conferences.lbl.gov and espace.lbl.gov (aka ecsm2.lbl.gov) are being moved and will be unavailable for use between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, this Thursday, November 8, 2018.
To minimize this service disruption, we recommend that you sign out of these services by 5:00 PM, since any unsaved changes made while the servers are offline will be lost.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 510-486-4357.
On Oct 22, a major power disruption to the 50 Complex required shutdown of all institutional business and science systems.
Power is still out to Building 50.
Lab Business Systems are restored to service, but may be shut down again since they are operating on temporary cooling.
Science systems are dependent on full restoration of power to Building 50.
View status.lbl.gov for the most up to date information.
This year a pilot program between IT and Berkeley Lab Property Management used BigFix in the Lab’s Wall-to-Wall inventory campaign to certify the existence of a DOE tagged asset. Any DOE-barcoded system running BigFix and present on the LBL network can be automatically verified for inventory purposes, without the barcode being scanned. This saves property reps and staff time normally spent digging through closets and desk drawers for missing laptops. There are currently over 3500 DOE assets accounted for in BigFix. Manual scanning of barcodes has become a thing of the past.
During the pilot it was discovered that there are many systems in BigFix whose serial numbers do not match any records in Sunflower. Some of these were the result of data entry errors, but there are still some computers that have serial numbers which are unable to reconcile with Sunflower. As a result, Berkeley Lab IT will begin an on-going campaign to request help from users to tag their systems by providing the DOE number.
Users logged into affected computers will see one of the following windows:
Step | Instructions | Windows View | Mac View |
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| 1 | Does the computer have a DOE number? Specify Yes or No If "Yes", go to Step 2. If "No", We Thank You! If "Cancel", window closes. |
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| 2 | Enter the DOE number and verify before clicking “Submit” or “OK” |
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| 3 | We Thank You! Click "OK" |
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For further information on BigFix, see https://commons.lbl.gov/display/itfaq/BigFix. We encourage you to install BigFix on your computer systems and the software is available from software.lbl.gov.
If you need help installing BigFix, enter a help ticket by clicking on the Request Help link below.
Additional Help Resources
ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a detector in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ring designed to investigate quark-gluon plasma, the primitive matter that filled the early universe. Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division, in partnership with IT’s Scientific Computing Group, has recently established a new site on the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid to provide a significant amount of ALICE computing and data storage. More>
Thomas Edison tested thousands of materials before discovering the right one for his electric lightbulb. Materials scientists today are only recently transitioning from the “Edisonian” way of discovery to data-driven “materials by design.” Using supercomputing, Materials Project researcher Shyam Dwaraknath and other Lab scientists are helping to bridge the gap from computer simulations to real-world applications. More>
Scientists at the Advanced Light Source are using the new COSMIC Imaging beamline and a high-performance data pipeline implemented by the IT Division’s Scientific Computing Group to turn large datasets of X-ray diffraction data into high-resolution images. With a technique called ptychographic computed tomography, the researchers recently mapped locations of nanoscale reactions inside a lithium-ion battery in 3D. More>
The Scientific Computing Group's Jackie Scoggins is one of sixteen women being recognized for their dedication, talent, STEM contributions, and commitment to the Lab's mission. The awards ceremony will be on July 9, 2018 at 3:00 pm
What is the relationship between the frequency of lightning strikes and frequency of wildfires? That’s just one of the questions researcher David Romps is trying to answer. As a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab's Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Romps leverages Berkeley Lab Science IT resources like Lawrencium to better understand Earth’s climate. Read More »
Berkeley Lab is aware of the European General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR and is working with UC legal counsel, in coordination with the campuses, on longer term efforts to analyze situations where the rule may be applicable to specific University functions.
LBL General Counsel and IT intend to provide additional guidance to the Laboratory when UC's GDPR implementation plans are finalized.
If you have questions, please email: [email protected]
FAQ Below:
Background
The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is effective as of May 25, 2018.
- What is it? GDPR is an EU regulation designed to protect the privacy rights of individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the European Union Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein. It is intended to be an overarching privacy regulation for all EU Member States and replaces prior EU privacy regulations.
- What does it do?
- GDPR expands privacy rights for individuals located in the EEA Specifically, it guarantees certain rights, depending on how the data is used:
- The right to be informed about data collection, the specific intended use of the data, and the right to be informed if the intended use changes;
- The right to make informed decisions regarding the use and disclosure of the data;
- The right to access the data; and
- The right to have the data returned or deleted.
- It also impacts data pertaining to these individuals even when the data is located in other countries, regardless of the citizenship of the individuals. Specifically, the GDPR establishes a framework for safeguarding how personal data is used, such as:
- Ensuring that the data is transferred, processed, stored and eventually disposed of using appropriate technical safeguards;
- Limiting the use/processing of the data to purposes that comply with GDPR requirements (e.g., managing the academic records of UC students studying in the EEA as part of Education Abroad);
- Requiring third parties who receive the data to adopt UC’s GDPR protections and safeguards through changes to contract terms.
- GDPR expands privacy rights for individuals located in the EEA Specifically, it guarantees certain rights, depending on how the data is used:
- Who does it apply to? GDPR applies to organizations that are established in the EEA (for example, a study center in Europe). It also applies to organizations not physically in the EEA when goods or services are offered to individuals in the EEA (e.g., applications for admissions), or monitor the behavior of individuals in the EEA (e.g., research that includes EU citizens).
- Are there penalties for non-compliance? Yes, GDPR imposes significant monetary penalties for organizations that do not comply with the regulation.
UC GDPR Compliance Program
What is the University of California (UC) doing to prepare for GDPR? UC’s compliance, privacy and informational technology functions are working together to develop an effective GDPR compliance program. This program is specifically designed to enhance the existing robust privacy infrastructure at UC to ensure compliance with this new regulation. Program activities include:
- Assessing how GDPR will affect UC programs
- Developing tools and templates to assist UC programs with GDPR compliance
- Developing communication tools to provide greater transparency to UC students, employees and other UC program participants regarding the collection and use of personal data
- Ensuring that appropriate physical and technical safeguards are in place to protect the personal data of individuals
- Working with our partners and vendors to ensure that data protections are maintained when personal data is transferred outside UC
LBL Laboratory Counsel and IT Division are working to implement the UC GDPR Program at the Laboratory.
The servers that run commons.lbl.gov, conferences.lbl.gov, fac.lbl.gov (Penetration Permit, Key Plans, etc) and espace.lbl.gov (aka ecsm2.lbl.gov) are being moved and will be unavailable for use between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, this Friday, May 18th.
To minimize this service disruption, we recommend that you sign out of these services by 5:00 PM, since any unsaved changes made while the servers are offline will be lost.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 510-486-4357.
As announced by MIke Witherell on May 17, 2018, IT Division will be realigning to better focus on the needs of the scientific community at Berkeley Lab. This realignment will enable new services and refinement of existing services in support of the scientific needs of the Laboratory.
Why Realign?
IT at LBL has always had a strong connection to the science divisions. From our pioneering Scientific Cluster Support program (which was among the first such programs at large Tier 1 research institution), to our focus on collaborative applications for scientists, IT has long supported research needs. However, we see new challenges today and on the horizon. From big data to the proliferation of computational services and techniques to the increasing complexity of research pipelines, we see numerous opportunities to serve the scientific community in new and more impactful ways. Realignment of our services towards the emerging priorities will make it easier for us to serve the missions of the institution.
What's Happening?
Organization:
A new org chart for IT has been created which combines key IT support for science resources in a single unit. While not all the parts of IT that support science are represented here, the new unit will help act as the concierge for services for science across IT. You can view the new org chart here.
Advisory Committee:
A new scientific systems advisory committee is in the process of being chartered. This committee will help guide the portfolio of services IT offers to the scientific divisions. Lab leadership from each ALD will be represented and the committee will report to Horst Simon and Rosio Alvarez. Additional information about members and charter will be available soon.
Engagement:
IT is recommitting itself to engagement with the science divisions. Meetings with Division leadership, scientific staff, and individual projects will be more frequent and more regular. We are especially focused on early engagement with projects where we can help scientific project staff design and engineer smart computing solutions from the ground up.
New Services:
The new advisory committee will help guide our portfolio of science services in the future. While no specific services have yet been decided on, we see great opportunities to help the Laboratory in these areas:
Data Management and Support: A suite of services from reliable institutional storage to high speed data transfer architecture, to data publication and management to help projects navigate the data deluge.
Expanded Cluster Computing: Expanded scientific computing offerings to meet the future compute needs of the Lab’s next generation of projects, combining both expanded cluster computing and new architectures to support emerging capabilities such as machine learning.
Cloud & Colocation Services: New and expanded services to help scientists leverage local and cloud computing offerings, including enhanced virtual machine support, expanded hosting for scientific systems, and cloud architects who can help projects navigate the increasingly complex world of cloud service offerings.
Consulting: Expanded consulting with a focus on early-engagement with scientific projects and aligning computing resources from any source with the needs of researchers.
Your Thoughts:
We want to hear from you. In the next few months, our triennial user survey will go out with a focus on refining our science services portfolio.
But you can also get in touch at any time - tell us what you think, what you'd like to see in the future and how computing at LBL is or is not meeting you needs now. Get in touch at [email protected]
The Grouper drive, also known as the G or H drive for Windows users, will be unavailable for use between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, this Friday, May 18th.
To minimize this service disruption, users of Home and Shared folders on Grouper should:
Close any files or folders stored on Grouper and in use by 5:00 PM, since any changes made while Grouper is offline will not save properly.
Reboot your computer when you return to work from the weekend, since this will automatically restore your Grouper mounts.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 510-486-4357.
