Airtable raises $185M and launches new low-code and automation features

The spreadsheet-centric database and no-code platform Airtable today announced that it has raised a $185 million Series D funding round, putting the company at a $2.585 billion post-money valuation. Thrive Capital led the round, with additional funding by existing investors Benchmark, Coatue, Caffeinated Capital and CRV, as well as new investor D1 Capital. With this, […] Continue reading Airtable raises $185M and launches new low-code and automation features

Govt.-Backed Contact-Tracing Apps Raise Privacy Hackles

New opt-in COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Express systems baked into Apple’s iOS and available on Android need privacy guardrails, say privacy advocates. Continue reading Govt.-Backed Contact-Tracing Apps Raise Privacy Hackles

University of California San Francisco Pays $1 Million to Ransomware Operators after June 1 Attack

NetWalker ransomware operators have persuaded the University of California San Francisco to pay over $1 million in an extortion scheme using data-encrypting malware. The attack, UCSF officials say, didn’t even target the institution. UCSF’s… Continue reading University of California San Francisco Pays $1 Million to Ransomware Operators after June 1 Attack

Startups are transforming global trade in the COVID-19 era

The global trade crisis is a setback, but also an opportunity for logistics startups to show the value of digital platforms in an analog industry. Continue reading Startups are transforming global trade in the COVID-19 era

KPF-designed office complex will “shimmer like sequins”

Construction recently began on a new three-building office campus in San Jose, California, that’s designed by high-profile firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF). Named Platform 16, the project’s overall form is said to shimmer in sunlight, and the de… Continue reading KPF-designed office complex will “shimmer like sequins”

Decrypted: Chegg’s third time unlucky, Okta’s new CSO Rapid7 beefs up cloud security

Ransomware is getting sneakier and smarter. The latest example comes from ExecuPharm, a little-known but major outsourced pharmaceutical company that confirmed it was hit by a new type of ransomware last month. The incursion not only encrypted the company’s network and files, hackers also exfiltrated vast amounts of data from the network. The company was […] Continue reading Decrypted: Chegg’s third time unlucky, Okta’s new CSO Rapid7 beefs up cloud security

Hackers file fake tax returns in scheme to steal IRS refunds

It may be open season for coronavirus scammers, but tax frauds aren’t letting up, either. Attackers tried obtaining large tax refunds by posing as clients of Weber and Company, the California-based accounting firm revealed last week. The scammers apparently accessed clients’ personal data — including, perhaps, Social Security numbers and bank account information — and used that to file fraudulent returns, Weber and Company said in a notification to California’s attorney general. The IRS and the FBI are investigating the matter, the company said. The number of attempted IRS scams tends to increase every year in March and April in the U.S., as legions of crooks try to steal Americans’ refunds. Earlier this month, the IRS said attackers exploiting the COVID-19 crisis could use stolen data to commit tax fraud. In 2016, the IRS said attackers had attempted to breach its online filing portal and steal Social Security numbers. For years, lawmakers have debated the proper response to incidents of this kind. It was not immediately clear […]

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Continue reading Hackers file fake tax returns in scheme to steal IRS refunds

California Proposal for Mandatory Cyber Insurance

Will California’s bill to force cyber insurance be a harbinger for the rest of the U.S.? On Feb. 15, California Assemblyman Ed Chau, representing the Western San Gabriel Valley (near President Nixon’s old stomping ground of Whittier) introduced … Continue reading California Proposal for Mandatory Cyber Insurance