Technology – Page 3 – The News Desk

Change Healthcare’s New Ransomware Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse

16Apr

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Technology

Change Healthcare’s New Ransomware Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse

Change Healthcare is facing a new cybersecurity nightmare after a ransomware group began selling what it claimed is Americans’ sensitive medical and financial records stolen from the health care giant.“For most US individuals out there doubting us, we probably have your personal data,” the RansomHub gang said in an announcement seen by WIRED.The stolen data allegedly includes medical and dental records, payment claims, insurance details, and personal information like Social Security numbers and email addresses, according to screenshots. RansomHub claimed it had health care data on active-duty US military personnel.The sprawling theft and sale of sensitive health care data represents a dramatic new form of fallout from the February cyberattack on Change Healthcare that crippled the company...

Cellphone nightmare leads to ported numbers, identity theft and fight for recovery

16Apr

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Cellphone nightmare leads to ported numbers, identity theft and fight for recovery

Imagine this scenario: You’re going about your day, and suddenly you can’t make calls or send texts. Little did you know, but you’ve become the latest victim of a ported phone number scam, a devious tactic in which hackers hijack your phone number to take over your identity.CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER A woman talking on her cellphone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)What is the ported phone number scam?A CyberGuy Report subscriber contacted us to share that they've been a victim of a ported phone number scam. Also known as a SIM swapping or port-out scam, this is when a hacker steals a victim's phone number to gain control over it. Once they have control, they use that number to commit i...

Why so many app icons have a black and white color scheme

16Apr

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Why so many app icons have a black and white color scheme

When I intend to work out with the Peloton app, I sometimes accidentally tap Wahoo, a different exercise app on my phone.Or sometimes my finger mistakenly wanders to another fitness-related app from 4iiii.I get these apps mixed up because their logos all have white text on a black background. My brain can’t tell the apps apart at a glance.Once I noticed just how many app logos have white-on-black color schemes — including Threads, the BBC, Uber, Apple TV, and, yup, The Washington Post — I had to know what the heck was going on.What’s wrong with, you know, colors?Other apps — including the New York Times, the RealReal shopping app and the dating app Hinge — take the opposite tack with black text on a white background. (Actually, the Times says its logo colors have slightly reduced contrast...

The Paris Olympics’ One Sure Thing: Cyberattacks

16Apr

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Technology

The Paris Olympics’ One Sure Thing: Cyberattacks

In his office on one of the upper floors of the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizing committee, Franz Regul has no doubt what is coming.“We will be attacked,” said Mr. Regul, who leads the team responsible for warding off cyberthreats against this year’s Summer Games in Paris.Companies and governments around the world now all have teams like Mr. Regul’s that operate in spartan rooms equipped with banks of computer servers and screens with indicator lights that warn of incoming hacking attacks. In the Paris operations center, there is even a red light to alert the staff to the most severe danger.So far, Mr. Regul said, there have been no serious disruptions. But as the months until the Olympics tick down to weeks and then days and hours, he knows the number of hacking attempts and ...

Amazon HQ2 was supposed to add jobs last year. It shed them instead.

16Apr

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Technology

Amazon HQ2 was supposed to add jobs last year. It shed them instead.

Amazon has fallen so far behind schedule in creating new jobs at its Northern Virginia headquarters that its workforce at those offices shrank last year, the company confirmed, underscoring how a project that it had initially pitched as an economic jolt is instead hitting a slowdown.Following a much-hyped sweepstakes across North America several years ago, the tech giant made a deal with state and local officials to locate half of its “HQ2” in Arlington, just outside D.C.: In exchange for as much as $750 million in taxpayer subsidies from Virginia, it agreed to build a massive new campus near the Pentagon and fill it with tens of thousands of new employees.The company was supposed to gradually add 25,000 new jobs at HQ2 by the end of the decade, according to its agreement with the commonw...

Tech Firms Fall Short on Election Security, Rights Groups Say

16Apr

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Tech Firms Fall Short on Election Security, Rights Groups Say

A quarter of the way into the most consequential election year in living memory, tech companies are failing their biggest test. Such is the charge that has been leveled by at least 160 rights groups across 55 countries, which are collectively calling on tech platforms to urgently adopt greater measures to safeguard people and elections amid rampant online disinformation and hate speech.“Despite our and many others’ engagement, tech companies have failed to implement adequate measures to protect people and democratic processes from tech harms that include disinformation, hate speech, and influence operations that ruin lives and undermine democratic integrity,” reads the organizations’ joint letter, shared exclusively with TIME by the Global Coalition for Tech Justice, a consortium of civil...

The Kasa Smart Plugs Mini EP25 four-pack is down to its lowest price yet

16Apr

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The Kasa Smart Plugs Mini EP25 four-pack is down to its lowest price yet

There's something truly nice about not having to get up when you realize that light across the room is still on. If you're looking for that ease then check out the current sale on our favorite smart plug. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 four-pack is on sale for $32.58, down from $50. The initial deal cuts its price to $37.58 with a $5 coupon available at checkout (though its limited to one per order).Kasa SmartThe Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 works with Android and iOS devices and offers assistant support from Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and Samsung SmartThings. The plug has a stable connection, and you can give each one a unique name for easy control. The app is also clean and intuitive to use, with features such as timers, vacation mode and schedules.There's also a deal on Amazon's Smart P...

AMD brings AI to business desktops with Ryzen Pro chips

16Apr

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AMD brings AI to business desktops with Ryzen Pro chips

AMD today launched its most recent generation of business processors for business PCs, the Ryzen Pro 8000 series, for both desktop and laptops. For now, AMD will be the only CPU vendor offering AI-powered NPUs in business desktop PCs. AMD’s launch arrives on the heels of Intel’s 14th-gen vPro platform, which also offers desktop and mobile parts. The difference is that Intel launched its vPro refresh based upon the “Raptor Lake Refresh” architecture, which lacks AI; AMD’s Ryzen Pro 8000 series is relatively consistent across both its mobile and desktop offerings. However, not every new Ryzen Pro 8000 mobile or desktop chip includes AI support. If you’ve been following our coverage of AMD’s Ryzen 8000 mobile CPUs and AMD’s corresponding Ryzen 8000 desktop processors, AMD’s latest...

Satechi USB-C Multiport 8K dock review: A pint-sized powerhouse

16Apr

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Technology

Satechi USB-C Multiport 8K dock review: A pint-sized powerhouse

At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsFast standards on every portFour USB-C data ports with three at 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2)8K video output (up to 30Hz)85W of passthrough power over USB-CWell-labeled ports ConsNo dedicated Micro SD slotOur VerdictThe Satechi USB-C Multiport 8K dock provides four USB-C data ports (three at 10Gbps USB 3.2), gigabit ethernet, the latest in SD Card standards, 8K video, and 85W of passthrough USB-C power making it a compact powerhouse sized correctly for mid-range laptops. Price When Reviewed$99.99 Best Prices Today: Satechi USB-C Multiport Adapter 8K With Ethernet V3 $99.99 Satechi has updated ...

Mortgage Rates Go Up for Homeseekers: Mortgage Interest Rates for April 16, 2024

16Apr

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Technology

Mortgage Rates Go Up for Homeseekers: Mortgage Interest Rates for April 16, 2024

Today’s average mortgage rates Mortgage Refinance Today’s average mortgage rates on Apr. 16, 2024, compared with one week ago. We use rate data collected by Bankrate as reported by lenders across the US. Current mortgage interest rates If you’re in the market for a home, here are today’s mortgage rates compared to last week’s. Product Rate Last week Change 30-year fixed 7.13% 7.02% +0.11 15-year fixed 6.64% 6.44% +0.20 10-year fixed 6.51% 6.37% +0.14 5/1 ARM 6.79% 6.60% +0.19 30-year jumbo mortgage rate 7.40% 7.20% +0.20 30-year mortgage refinance rate 7.11% 6.97% +0.13 Average rates offered by lenders nationwide as of April 16, 2024. We use rates collected by Bankrate to track daily mortg...