Tag: tech

New Python-based trojan targets financial tech firms to steal sensitive data

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Dubbed PyVil, the new remote access trojan goes after passwords, documents, browser cookies, and email credentials, says Cybereason.

Trojan horse

Image: IvonneW, Getty Images/iStockPhoto

A new remote access trojan (RAT) is aiming at financial technology companies in the UK and European Union to capture sensitive information through keylogging and screen captures. Described in a Thursday blog post from cybersecurity firm Cybereason, the RAT named PyVil comes courtesy of the Evilnum APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) group. But this one has a few new tricks up its sleeve compared with previous trojans deployed by the group.

SEE: Security Awareness and Training policy (TechRepublic Premium) 

In its blog post, “No Rest for the Wicked: Evilnum Unleashes PyVil RAT,” Cybereason points to Evilnum as an operation whose malware attacks and phishing campaigns are highly targeted. The group typically sets its sights on financial technology (FinTech) companies, and mostly those located in the UK and EU.

To

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Top back-to-school gear: Tech Support

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Welcome to Tech Support, a segment where I, Dan Howley, serve as your intrepid guide through the sometimes confusing, often frustrating, world of personal technology.

Here, I answer all of your most pressing questions about the various gizmos, gadgets, and services you use in your everyday life.

Have a question of your own? Reach me on Twitter at @danielhowley or email me at [email protected]

Now, on to your questions. This week’s dilemma:

‘What back-to-school tech does my kid need?’

We’re halfway through the summer, and that means the back-to-school season is in full swing. And with many schools expected to start the school year with remote learning as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, students are going to need new tech more than ever.

We’re talking laptops, Chromebooks, and routers to help get work done, and a few other gadgets for the inevitable down time.

Here’s the gear you’ll

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Tech adapts to fit new business needs

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When employees at the 3D bioprinting company Cellink went back to the office Monday after nearly five months, they were required to clip a small piece of Bluetooth technology onto their clothes before walking through the office’s front doors.

The devices, made by the Austrian company Safedi, are intended to make sure people are socially distancing in the office. A green light shines when people are at least six feet apart.

A red light flashes and the device emits a noise when people get too close.

“Safedi has already shown its value in just one day, especially when it’s time for those coffee breaks,” Cellink CEO Erik Gatenholm said.

The devices are one example of the varied and sometimes bizarre tech-infused solutions businesses are using in an effort to get their employees back to work and offer their customers a safe environment amid the ongoing outbreaks of the coronavirus in

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WA Tech Exec Charged With Laundering Coronavirus-Relief Money

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BELLEVUE, WA — A Washington tech executive has been charged for laundering millions of dollars that were supposed to be used supporting businesses and employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Justice says 48-year-old Mukund Mohan of Clyde Hill filed eight fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans for six different companies. Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loans are supposed to be used to help struggling businesses stay afloat and pay their employees during the pandemic, but prosecutors say Mohan illegally used the money to support himself instead.

The complaint against Mohan alleges he lied several times about the companies he was requesting loans for, and about how many people were on their payroll. In one case, the DOJ says Mohan claimed a company of his, Mahenjo Inc., had dozens of employees who were receiving millions in wages during the pandemic. In fact, Mohan had bought Mahenjo online in May of

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Are Facebook and Alexa really listening? 6 common tech myths debunked

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We once believed that Macs would never get a virus, closing apps would save battery life, and private mode was really private.

For the record, switching to incognito in your browser probably doesn’t do what you think. Tap or click for six practical reasons to use it, from keeping your search autofill clean to shopping without spoiling the surprise.

And I’m sorry to break it to you, but like a Windows PC, your Mac is certainly at risk. Tap or click for five free downloads that will keep your Mac or PC secure. This recommendation is one you can’t afford to ignore.

Call me your digital life myth-buster with six misconceptions you can stop believing.

1. You can’t be tracked if GPS is off

Even if you turn off location tracking on your phone, you can still be tracked. Smartphones continuously check in with cell phone towers. Using this data,

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Shopify Signs Onto Affirm’s ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Tech

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Click here to read the full article.

E-commerce platform Shopify and alternative finance provider Affirm have signed an exclusive deal to bring the latter’s buy-now-pay-later proposition to Shopify merchants, the companies said Wednesday.

Affirm will power the upcoming Shop Pay Installments feature — which, as the name suggests, will allow shoppers of eligible Shopify stores to pay for purchases over time, instead of all at once. The move represents a shift in technology, as Shop Pay currently uses buy-now-pay-later plug-ins, which require some coding to integrate.

“With the acceleration of online spending, many small businesses must reinvent themselves. This includes embracing the rising importance of e-commerce strategies and meeting consumers, particularly young shoppers, where they are,” said Max Levchin, founder and chief executive officer of Affirm.

“By partnering with Shopify, the gold standard of commerce platforms for businesses that want to sell direct to consumers, we can help merchants seamlessly

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Why international students may have Big Tech to thank for the US’s visa reversal

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Sometimes, it helps to have friends in high places.

A coalition of powerful U.S. technology companies and trade organizations threw their support behind a legal challenge — launched by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — to block the federal government from banning international students from attending online only classes on U.S. soil in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. And Big Tech’s involvement may have been a key factor behind the administration’s last minute about-face on Tuesday.

Revocation of the rule means that the U.S. Department of State may again issue visas to international students enrolled in U.S. schools for the fall semester. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection no longer has authority to deny those students entry to, or continued residence in, the country.

Yet the Trump administration’s aborted effort was noteworthy for the big guns that joined forces to block the move. A coalition

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Should you delete TikTok?: Tech Support

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Welcome to Tech Support, a segment where I, Dan Howley, serve as your intrepid guide through the sometimes confusing, often frustrating, world of personal technology.

Here, I answer all of your most pressing questions about the various gizmos, gadgets, and services you use in your everyday life.

Have a question of your own? Reach me on Twitter at @danielhowley or email me at [email protected]

Now, on to your questions. This week’s dilemma:

‘Should I delete TikTok?’

If you’ve used the internet in the past year, then chances are you have some passing understanding of TikTok. And if you’re a teen or tween, you’re probably already shooting a video for the app instead of reading this.

But the explosive growth of the hottest social media platform has given rise to a new kind of panic beyond the usual hand wringing over too much screen time.

See, because TikTok, which is based

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Lockdown exposes looming tech gaps as money management goes digital

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Getty/iStock
Getty/iStock

Two-thirds of UK adults now rely on mobile and online banking technology to manage their money, as lockdown prompts the wholesale shift to digital financial management.

Since March, a study of thousands of British adults has found almost 90 per cent check their accounts, 80 per cent transfer money, and 35 per cent even withdraw investment funds using fintech, as physical banking options remained closed.

Others have opened savings accounts, applied for credit cards and extended overdrafts. More than a fifth of fintech users said they have successfully secured new financial products during the lockdown without having to speak to a single human being, according to a new study seen exclusively by The Independent.

Almost half of consumers plan to continue using tech much more, even as bank branches reopen, and now say their technology offering is a “key consideration” when choosing a financial services provider.

“In light

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Verizon unveils new business plan with the goal of going carbon neutral by 2035 and retraining 500,000 employees for emerging tech jobs

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Better Capitalism
Better Capitalism
Hans Vestberg
Hans Vestberg

Kevork Djansezian / Getty

  • Verizon announced Tuesday it’s launching a new business plan called Citizen Verizon, which includes a number of socially responsible goals, like becoming carbon neutral by 2035. 

  • Diego Scotti, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon, said that the company including socially responsible goals in its business strategy is an important distinction. It means the company is encompassing stakeholder capitalism in its business model. 

  • Scotti agreed that more brands are moving toward stakeholder capitalism, the belief that companies should be accountable to not only their shareholders, but to their workers and communities in which they do business.

  • Other companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Unilever have recently shared pledges to become carbon neutral (or carbon negative) in the coming years. 

  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Verizon, one of the country’s largest telecommunications providers, announced Tuesday it is launching a “responsible

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