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Data breach at America First Credit Union affects at least 20,000 customers
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Devon Dolan
Deseret News National
Updated: Jun 2, 2014, 5:00 PM
Published: Jun 2, 2014, 3:18 PM

At least 20,000 debit cards from America First Credit Union were breached in a security breach, but affected customers didn’t know about it until Wednesday afternoon.
Two weeks ago, 12 of the bank’s employees were alerted to suspicious activity. The bank investigated and discovered the security breach.
“There were multiple occurrences. We were on the early end of this one,” America First executive vice president and chief financial officer Rex Rollo said.
The employees discovered two or three odd transactions on each of at least 20,000 debit cards.
The credit union says a skimming device was used to steal data from the cards.
Jeff Francom, a customer, was notified via email during a business meeting. He said his billing information, PIN and card numbers of the affected cards were listed in the email.
“It just happened late this afternoon. I actually stood up and left my meeting,” Francom said.
He thought it was a scam and called the credit union. He then learned the email was not a drill.
One thing the letter does not state is who the retailer is who experienced the breach or where the retailer is located. Francom said as far as he knows, the information could have been stolen any time between last October and February. But it’s valuable information that Francom wants to know, for his own financial security.
“The more information we have as consumers, the better protection we can provide for ourselves,” Francom said.
But America First disagrees.
“It doesn’t matter for the consumer to know who the retailer was because it’s past history,” Rollo said.
America First said it notified VISA, which has also launched its own investigation. Until VISA finishes its work, thousands of customers won’t know where or when their information was stolen.
All compromised cardholders will receive a new debit card and PIN in the mail within a few weeks, according to the credit union. Current debit cards will still function as credit cards, and America First says it will monitor all transactions on affected accounts.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.