What is Internet Security?: Part 1 - How a home network operates

Internet security is a really big topic.  But what does it mean?  Does it mean:

• Keeping your antivirus up to date?
• Updating your operating system and applications regularly?
• Keeping your private information safe from prying eyes?
• Making sure your data is secure and recoverable in case of disaster?

It means all those things, and more.  In addition to those, and most importantly, it means:

• Having a basic understanding of how the Internet works.
• Educating yourself about how Internet evildoers attempt to take over your computer and/or gather your private information.

Why is it important to understand how computers talk on the Internet?

The old saying goes “knowledge is power.”  Without understanding the process of how basic computer communications work it is impossible to decide how to best protect yourself.  Think of it as “if I do not understand my house’s security weaknesses, I cannot protect it.”

How is my home network constructed?

We start at the beginning – the home network.  Here is a standard home network configuration:

Figure 1:  Standard Home Network Configuration

Your devices talk to the home router using either an Ethernet cable or a wireless network connection.  That is fine and dandy, but we need a deeper dive into the home router to understand how information is transmitted to and from your devices and servers on the Internet.

Why is it called a “home router”?

Devices connected to your home router are on one network.  Everything else is on other networks.  Your home router “routes” communications between networks.  If there were no routers all devices would have to be on one network, which is not possible.

Understanding how your home router works requires looking under the hood.  This is how nearly all home routers are constructed internally:

Figure 2: Home router internal breakout

Let’s define each of these components.

• Switch:  so-called because it “switches” information from one device to another; this is what allows your home router to connect many devices to the Internet and your devices to talk to one another.
• Ethernet-Inside:  this is the network connection on the firewall that talks to your devices.
• Ethernet-Outside:  this is the network connection on the firewall that talks to the Internet.
• Firewall:  the heart and soul of any home router, the firewall acts as a gatekeeper and does the job of routing communications between networks.

How does the firewall act as a gatekeeper?

In general, the firewall allows requests to go from inside your network to the Internet.  When the requested information comes back from the Internet the firewall matches that information with the requests going out.  If they match, you get your email, web pages, Google Docs, OneDrive, and cat videos.  If information comes into the firewall from the Internet and there is no matching request, the firewall will not respond to (“drop”) that connection attempt.  Remember that.  If a server on the Internet attempts to talk to your home router without you previously requesting information from that server, the firewall will simply drop that communication.

How does the firewall keep things straight?

The details would send us down a rabbit hole from which we would never return, so we’ll keep things fairly general.

We’re going to talk about “IP addresses.”  There are two kinds:  Internet Protocol (IP) version 4 and version 6 (IPv4 and IPv6).  We will talk only about IPv4 right now (shown here as IP).  IPv6 will be discussed at some point in the future.

• Your firewall has two IP addresses.
• The “Ethernet-Inside” IP address will be something like 192.168.0.1 (emphasis on the 1, here) and is often called the “default gateway.”  This IP address is not routable to or from the Internet.  What that means is if I take a device with an IP address that belongs on my home network and connect it directly to the Internet, nothing will talk to it.  All routers on the Internet will not talk to anything with an IP address that belongs on a home network.  More about that later.
• The “Ethernet-Outside” IP address will be assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is routable because this IP address is part of the public IP address space (more about that later).
• Each device on your home network gets a different IP address that is only accessible to devices on your home network – like 192.168.0.something.  (Something in this case will be anywhere from 2 through 254.)  Your firewall knows the IP address of each device on your network and puts it in a table.
• When your computer makes a request for data to the Internet (email, web pages, videos, etc.) the firewall adds to the table what server you're trying to talk to on which specific “port.”  To make a long story shorter, the firewall waits for a response from the server on the Internet (from which you requested information) to that specific port.  When, and if, the response comes back to the firewall from the Internet, the firewall matches it to the table; if the ports are the same, it will forward the information back to your computer.

Wait – you said someone could try connecting to my home router from the Internet.  Could someone be trying to hack my home router?

Yes.  In fact, it happens constantly in an automated process.  There are millions of computers on the Internet constantly scanning for home routers they can access.  These computers are usually controlled from a series of central locations.  Each group of computers controlled by a central location is called a “botnet.”  There is nothing you can do to stop one of those computers from trying to talk to your home router.  What you can do is make sure your home router is configured correctly (so it drops the connection attempt) and keep its software updated.

Update my home router?  How do I do that?  How often should I check?

Home routers are single-purpose computers and, like any computer, are controlled by software.  If you acquired your home router from your Internet Service Provider, generally the ISP will keep it updated.  If you bought your own home router it will be your responsibility to occasionally check for updates.  Fortunately, every home router has a website you can log on to for that purpose.

Your home router has a web page used to administer it.  You will need two pieces of information:

1.       The default gateway mentioned above

a.       To get the default gateway,

                                                   i.      On a Windows computer, in the Search box type “powershell” and click on the app that is presented to you.  Next, type “ipconfig” and press Enter.  Look for the line that says “Default Gateway” with an IP address.  Write that down.

                                                  ii.      On a Mac or Linux, open the Terminal program.  At the prompt, type “ifconfig” and press Enter.  Again, look for the default gateway in the output.  It will be somewhat buried, but you will see it.  It will almost always be the IP address that ends in “1.”  Write that down.

2.       The default username and password

a.     To find the default username, open a web page and use your favorite search engine to look for this phrase:  “make and model of your home router default username.”  So, if I had a Netgear C6230 (you’ll find the make and model on the back or bottom of your home router), you would search for “Netgear 6230 default username.”  Or you can download the manual from the manufacturer’s website and search for “username.”

b.     The password will be listed with the username in the documentation.

The home router’s documentation will explain how to search for updates.  Generally, this is a button that will say “Check for updates.”  If an update is available, follow the instructions on the web page to download and install it.

While you are doing this, change the password for the default username to something secure.  Write that password down and keep it safe.  If any security issues are found with your home router that might allow someone on the Internet to use the default username and password to log on to it this will foil their attempt.

Updates to a home router’s software is infrequent.  Check every three months to six months.

Sometimes your Internet Service Provider will help you do this, but they will tell you they cannot take responsibility for updating the software.

You mentioned that IP addresses on a home network are not routable – what addresses are they?

IP addresses have four pieces, separated by a “.”.  Each piece starts at 0 and goes to 255.  For example, a IP address could be 1.15.32.75.  Here is what it looks like generally:

[0-255] . [0-255] . [0-255] . [0-255]

IP addresses are broken up into six classes with specific ranges.  Those ranges are:

Table 1: IP Addresses by Class

		Range	Purpose
1	Class A	0.0.0.0 – 126.255.255.255	General
2	Class B	128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255	General
3	Class C	192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255	General
4	Class D	224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255	Multicast – not assigned to a computer
5	Class E	240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.255	Research only
6	Reserved	127.0.0.0 – 127.255.255.255	Loopback, for testing

All the IP address ranges in Classes A through C are part of the public IP address space, except for ranges reserved for private networks.  The ranges are:

Table 2: Private IP Addresses

	Range	Purpose
Class A	10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255	Private IP addresses
Class B	169.254.0.0 – 169.254.255.255	Assigned by the computer itself if it can­not other­wise get a network address
Class B	172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255	Private IP addresses
Class C	192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255	Private IP addresses

Any IP address in the public address space is routable on the Internet – that is, Internet routers will accept communications from and send communications to any device with a public IP address.  Addresses in private networks cannot talk directly on the Internet – all equipment on the Internet will refuse to communicate with any machine that has an IP address in those ranges.

Figure 3: Internet routers refuse communications with private IP addresses

What it means for you is this:  if your home network is functioning correctly your computer will have a IP address in one of the private IP ranges listed above.  Assuming your home router is working and correctly configured your home computers are safe from someone trying to break into your network.  The firewall and routing functions in your home router will protect you.

Of course, this does not mean you do not need antivirus.  The most common way for hackers to break into your computer is to convince you to let them in.  That will be our next topic.

Comments are welcome.  Please leave them here or send them to Orange Planer inworld.

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for July 2021

By Gentle Heron

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the SLURLs in this posting. Once you are there, you can click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.  If you click the other posters within a particular exhibit, you will get a message with additional information and sometimes live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island

Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!     

 

Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month

July is Herbal/Prescription Interaction Awareness Month

July is International Group B Strep Awareness Month

July is Sarcoma Awareness Month

Why You Should Read More

Will It Sting Me?

Ugh, Blackheads!

Tick, Tock, Call the Doc!

 

Thanks to Anna for assistance with the posters this month.

“Mind the Brain” podcasts

Your mind includes your thoughts, emotions, and cognitive processes. Your mind is produced by the brain, an organ inside your body.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Psychiatry has created a series of podcasts called the “Mind the Brain” series. These include interviews with experts about personal mental health topics such as:

• Resilience
• Managing uncertainty
• Assessment and care of psychosis
• Food and body image

Important social topics are covered as well:

• Racism and discrimination in mental health care
• Mental health challenges of refugees
• COVID19 as a threat to mental health

Find the podcasts here: https://soundcloud.com/anschutz-dept-psychiatry/.

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for June 2021

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the links in this blog entry.  Also, clicking each of the pictures will end you to the appropriate place in Second Life. Click on the poster in Second Life with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images. 

If you click each poster in Second Life, you will get a message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

Rebuild Your Life Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/111/81/24

Retinopathy of Prematurity
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/62/32

Scleroderma Awareness Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/99/37/26

June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/51/27/28

June Aphasia Awareness Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/25/24/30

Swollen Fingers
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/196/156/23

Hypoglycemia
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/187/181/24

Are you eating too much sugar?
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/154/22

The Most Common Questions Asked by Blind People About Second Life Access: Answered By CeleneHighwater

Hi all! By now you probably know I am the ballgown-loving, fin-flipping mermaid who lives at Virtual Ability. And yes, I know ballgowns aren't exactly compatible with a tailfin, but hey, it's SL! I can transform easily.

What some of you might not know is that I am a blind Second Life user. I use a viewer called Radegast. You can find it here:

http://radegast.life

I have decided to write this post to answer some frequently asked questions about life in Second Life and Radegast viewer use.

Q - I have never heard of Radegast. What is it?

A - Radegast is a text-based viewer for use in virtual worlds. It does have limited 3D view capabilities but these were never fully developed. What has been developed, however, is its accessibility and ease-of-use for those of us who are blind.

Q - Do I need money in Second Life?

A - No. No money is needed in the virtual world. However, you can transfer real life currency into Linden dollars if you so choose. And once acclimated with Radegast and in world life, you can work a job if you want or do something for fun to earn a little extra like trivia, fishing, or themed contests.

Q - What is possible in Second Life?

A - Second Life is a world with endless possibilities. If you can dream it, you can probably do it here. The environment is surprisingly accessible for those who use a screen reader and, as awareness grows among other residents and creators, so does the level of access. Virtually the only two things we can not do right now are drive and build. But, no one drives much in SL unless for sport. Teleportation is definitely the way to go here!

Q - What kinds of places can I explore?

A - There are clubs, non-profit organizations, roleplaying sims, universities and colleges offering credit courses, groups with dedicated sims, dance halls, concert venues, parks, cities, museums and even some real world replicas of well-known places (e.g., Yosemite National Park, the Pyramids of Egypt, Machu Pichu)!

Q - How do I get started?

A - If you want to join Second Life, you will want to register on Virtual Ability's website for a Second Life account. The reason for this is because when you log in with Radegast, you will be on Virtual Ability's orientation island where, if you've scheduled an appointment with us, we can be waiting to help you gain your inworld feet.

It is not necessary for you to schedule an appointment with us, but we do encourage it, just because Second Life is such a huge place and it can be overwhelming at first. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get started.

After you register at virtualability.org, visit

http://radegast.life

and download the latest version of Radegast. Note that there is a how-to tutorial for Radegast on the site. We strongly encourage you to reference that often as you learn.

Q - Why do I have to make an appointment? Shouldn't there be someone around whenever I log online?

A - Second Life is a huge place with things going on all the time. It is a 24-7 world that never sleeps. We could be taking part in an event elsewhere, relaxing at our favorite sim, or we could be in real life with our families. We are all volunteers and can not monitor the entry point for Virtual Ability at all times. It is not possible.

Q - I know what is possible for sighted users, but what about blind people?

A - While we can not build currently in the virtual world, we can do most everything else. We can shop, manage our own wardrobe, interact at events, dance, etc. My favorite activity is fishing; I am hopelessly addicted to it, but that is just my preference. Everyone will find their own place in this world. It's the way Second Life is designed. And because Second Life is an ever-evolving platform and Radegast an open source viewer, anything is possible!


I hope these questions and answers have helped you somewhat as you decide whether or not to join us in the world of Second Life. If you do decide to come in, we will be happy to help you as much as we can. We were all new residents once and we remember what it is like!

Mental Health Symposium, Friday, April 16, 2021, “Mental Health in Trying Times”

Virtual Ability Presents

the 10th Annual Mental Health Symposium
“Mental Health in Trying Times”

Friday, April 16, 2021
Sojourner Auditorium,
Virtual Ability Island
In Second Life

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23

The 10th annual Mental Health Symposium will take place in Virtual Ability’s Sojourner Auditorium, on Virtual Ability island on Friday, April 16, 2021. There is no charge to attend.

The theme of this Symposium is “Mental Health in Trying Times.”  Our international group of presenters will offer a wide interpretation of the theme, based on their interests and academic backgrounds.

The Symposium will take place in the virtual world of Second Life, at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability island. The SLURL for the auditorium is:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23.  (You can create a free Second Life account through Virtual Ability’s Sign-Up Portal (https://virtualability.org/second-life-signup/), entering at the beginning of our New Resident Orientation Course. You can then post the auditorium’s SLURL into Nearby Chat, click the green underlined link, and teleport to the auditorium.)

Virtual Ability hosts this annual Symposium to share information about mental health and mental disabilities with the general population. Within our cross-disability community we have members who deal with a variety of mental health issues. Not only is this an opportunity for our community members to learn more about topics related to mental health from experts they probably would not have a chance to meet otherwise, it allows the general public to attend a professional conference at no cost.

Below is the full schedule for the conference.

Mental Health Symposium 2021 Schedule of Events

April 16, 2021. All times are in SLT/PST.

Start Time	Presenter Name	Institution
7:00 am	Clara González Sanguino	Anti-stigma chair University Complutense of Madrid - Group 5
Title of Talk: The impact of Covid-19 on our mental health: A longitudinal study from the beginning of the pandemic to the return to the new normality in Spain
Presenter Biography: Clara González Sanguino has just obtained her PhD in psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid, where she is currently on a postdoctoral fellowship and part of the anti-stigma chair UCM-Group 5. Her research is mainly focused on the stigma associated with different mental health problems, and with the arrival of Covid-19 on the consequences of the pandemic for mental health.
Summary of Talk: Spain has been one of the countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the world on several occasions in the number of infected and dead people. The aim of this research was to know the consequences throughout the first wave of the pandemic on depressive symptomatology, anxiety and post-traumatic stress by means of a longitudinal study in the general population. Other measures such as loneliness, spiritual well-being, discrimination or social support were also evaluated. The results showed the impact on mental health over the months, with values appearing to improve with the return to the new normal. Loneliness, spiritual well-being, being female and younger age were the main predictors of the impact on our mental health.
8:30 am	Laura Ritchie and Daniel P. Cervone	University of Chichester Conservatoire, UK and University of Illinois at Chicago
Title of Talk: Projects pursued and abandoned: Pandemic reactions of care & coping
Presenter Biography: Laura Ritchie is Professor of Learning and Teaching at the University of Chichester, UK. Laura’s teaching is heavily influenced by her research into people’s self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive processes as they learn and perform/carry out tasks. Her recent book Yes I Can: Learn to use the Power of Self-efficacy is a practical and personal book about self-efficacy, strategic thinking, and recognising possibility in order to adopt the yes of self-efficacy into daily life. Daniel Cervone is Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research has addressed issues in social-cognitive analysis of personality and behavior including self-efficacy processes, self-regulation, and the influence of affective states on thinking about the self. In recent years his main effort has been to advance a model of the overall architecture of cognitive and affective personality systems: The Knowledge and Appraisal Personality Architecture or KAPA model, which, in research by Dan and others has shown how social-cognitive systems can account for a classic phenomenon in personality psychology, namely, the cross-situational consistency of psychological response.
Summary of Talk: In early 2020 with the global spread of COVID-19, ‘lockdown’ imposed travel restrictions that affected many aspects of day to day living, including the pursuit of meaningful personal goals. This study investigated the impact of that initial period of lockdown on people’s views and self-beliefs about personal projects they were already working to complete when they were suddenly interrupted. Participants were invited to complete an online questionnaire collecting both qualitative and quantitative data about self-efficacy beliefs and free text responses describing their goals and projects, whether they believed they could still complete them, if and how they were pursuing them, and whether they still cared about the project. At the time, life had been ‘normal’ only a few weeks before and participants were able to compare how they felt both before and in these new lockdown conditions. There was a notable drop in self-efficacy levels; over two thirds of the 161 participants were either unsure or did not believe they could still carry out their goals. Over a quarter either abandoned or were uncertain they could pursue their goals, but despite this, people continued to care about their goals. The self-reported strategies for dealing with the new situation included aspects of emotional and problem-focused coping and involved active planning and engaging with metacognitive strategies. The implications and usefulness of creative engagement and strategies for coping with realigned goals beyond lockdown are discussed.
10:00 am	Catherine Ettman	Boston University School of Public Health
Title of Talk: Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A story of depression and growing inequity
Presenter Biography: Catherine Ettman is Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Dean’s Office at Boston University School of Public Health. Catherine is pursuing a PhD in Health Services Research at Brown University School of Public Health. Catherine studied public policy at Princeton University. She has previously worked in campaign politics in Washington, D.C., and Texas. She is the co-editor of Urban Health (Oxford University Press, 2019). Her work explores the social and economic factors that shape population mental health.
Summary of Talk: While the COVID-19 pandemic has upended daily life for all people, the economic and mental health consequences of the moment have not been borne equally. This presentation will report the first findings published in the U.S. on depression severity experienced during the pandemic relative to before COVID-19, and emerging trends for increasing inequities. We will explore leading edge data on mental health, assets, and what we can learn from this moment to build back a better world post-pandemic.
11:30 am	Tom Boellstorff, Evan Conaway, Sandy Wenger	University of California, Irvine
Title of Talk: Virtual Worlds, Mental Well-Being, and COVID
Presenter Biography: Tom Boellstorff: I’m a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. My original research was about sexuality in Indonesia and includes the books The Gay Archipelago and A Coincidence of Desires. Since 2004 I have been studying the cultures of virtual worlds, and have written about this in my books Coming of Age in Second Life and Ethnography and Virtual Worlds: A Handbook of Method. I have also studied disability in virtual worlds. Two articles about that research are “The Ability of Place” and “The Opportunity to Contribute.” I’m excited to be working with Evan and Sandy on this project! Evan Conaway: I’m a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine! My focus is on video game preservation, and in my dissertation I explore the motivations, values, and strategies of people who are working to bring old online virtual worlds back to life, closely examining the challenges and meanings that emerge as a result of the centrality of servers to these endeavors. I have also worked on projects related to mental wellness among youth online, LGBTQ gaming communities, and data localization laws. I’ve been an avid gamer since I was a kid, and I’m thrilled to be bringing my passion for games, virtual worlds, and specifically Animal Crossing to this project! Sandy Wenger: I am a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. My research is about love and relationships among queer men in Malaysia. I examine how men navigate competing ideas about masculinity, sexuality, and male bodies in their relationships with one another. Before moving to the US, I spent several years working at a university college in Malaysia where I taught classes on food and culture, culture and media policies, and research methods in the social sciences. While I do play the occasional game (this may or may not primarily happen on my phone), participating in a project that focuses on virtual worlds is new and exciting for me.
Summary of Talk: This talk is based on a research project supported by the National Science Foundation, involving four anthropologists (Tom Boellstorff, Evan Conaway, Chandra Middleton, and Sandy Wenger) and the filmmaker Bernhard Drax. With a primary data collection period of July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, the research project took place entirely online, focusing on the virtual worlds Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) and Second Life. In this talk we will focus on ACNH, with some comparative insights from Second Life. We will discuss how residents of these virtual worlds have used them to respond to the challenges of the pandemic with regard to mental well-being, as well as ways in which the virtual worlds were experienced as less beneficial to mental well-being. At this early stage of our data analysis, we will set forth some preliminary conclusions and their broader implications, and look forward to audience questions and insights.
1:00 pm	Ryan Schultz	University of Manitoba, Canada
Title of Talk: Acedia During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A 5th-Century Term for a 21st-Century Problem
Presenter Biography: Ryan Schultz is a science and agriculture librarian at the University of Manitoba Libraries in Winnipeg, Canada, and for the last three and half years he has been writing a blog about social VR, virtual worlds, and the metaverse (including coverage of steals, deals, and freebies in Second Life!) at https://ryanschultz.com. From time to time he writes about other topics, such as the pandemic, and mental health issues (he is a mental health consumer and he writes from that perspective).
Summary of Talk: Acedia, described as listlessness, distraction, and wanting to avoid the task at hand, was first identified by 5th century monk and theologian John Cassian. The spatial and social constrictions of 5th-century monastic life are also a rather apt and concise description of the governmental and societal responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing limits physical contact, and quarantines and lockdowns constrict physical space and movement. Working from home day after day, and rarely leaving that space, means a distinct lack of external stimulation. In other words, the 21st-century coronavirus pandemic conditions we face ironically approximate those of 5th-century solitary desert monks.
2:30 pm	Mark Czeisler	Monash University (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Title of Talk: Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic—disproportionately affected populations
Presenter Biography: Mark Czeisler, A.B. (he/him), is a Fulbright Scholar and Ph.D. student in psychology at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health of Monash University (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). He is also a Research Trainee in the Department of Psychiatry of Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts, USA), and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Breathing and Sleep of Austin Health (Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia). Since March 2020, Mark has been leading The COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation (COPE) Initiative, a public health surveillance activity launched to assess (1) public attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation, and (2) mental and behavioral health during the infectious disease outbreak.
Summary of Talk: The COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation have introduced challenges for communities related to the morbidity and mortality caused by the disease itself, and related to mental and behavioral health. Just as with the disease itself, mental and behavioral health inequities are evident. This presentation reviews evidence on mental and behavioral health in 2020, particularly in terms of populations that have disproportionately experienced adverse mental and behavioral health symptoms, and considers how we may reduce these inequities going forward.