May 17, 2017

Report: Mar-a-Lago vulnerable to hackers

Alex Brandon / AP

Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club is vulnerable to hackers, ProPublica and Gizmodo report. What they found, by driving around in a motor boat and pointing an antenna at the club: three poorly encrypted Wi-Fi networks, which they said they could have hacked in five minutes (but didn't).

What it means: Hackers could take over devices like smart phones because of these gaps in security and listen in on — and record — conversations on the property.

Why it matters: POTUS frequents Mar-a-Lago and so do foreign leaders (Trump has hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe), and he has held sensitive meetings on the property.

Other vulnerabilities: At Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, ProPublica found two open Wi-Fi networks that anyone could join without a password. At Trump International Hotel in D.C. and a golf club in Virginia the team found open Wi-Fi networks, wireless printers without passwords, servers with outdated and vulnerable software, and unencrypted login pages containing sensitive information.

A Trump Organization spokeswoman said they are confident in the steps they've taken to protect the business. The White House didn't respond to requests for comment.

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Marisa Fernandez

CDC warns it's anticipating spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.

Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images

57 people have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus in the U.S., an increase in cases largely driven by the repatriation of American citizens from the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday.

The big picture: As more countries experience community-wide transmission, CDC official Dr. Nancy Messonnier told reporters that it's now a question of when the same will happen in the U.S. — and how many citizens will develop a severe illness.

Go deeperUpdated 7 mins ago - Health

Axios

Coronavirus spreads to new countries, while U.S. confirms 57 cases

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

Public health officials confirmed Tuesday the U.S. has 57 people with the novel coronavirus, mostly those repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship — an increase they had expected after the passengers were allowed to return home from Japan against their initial advice.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,700 people and infected more than 80,000 others, mostly in mainland China. There's only been two cases of person-to-person infections in the U.S. so far, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned today that Americans should prepare for the outbreak to broaden here.

Go deeperUpdated 12 mins ago - Health

Miriam Kramer

Space tourism gets ready for launch

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Multiple space tourism companies are aiming to send their first customers to the edge of space before the end of this year.

Why it matters: Right now, most revenue in the space industry is tied up in government contracts, but experts say the maturing industry will need tourism to grow into the $1 trillion economy some predict it could be.

Go deeper1 hour ago - Science