Uber Technologies Inc. today launched a new on-demand labor hiring app that matches people looking for shift work with companies that need temporary employees. First reported a year ago, Uber Works debuts in Chicago Friday and has been designed to provide “more clarity” in a market by allowing workers to see all relevant and available ...

Electric scooter and moped hire startup Bird Rides Inc. today revealed that it has raised $275 million in new funding on a $2.5 billion valuation for ongoing vehicle research and development in hopes of getting closer to profitability. The Series D round, led by CDPQ and Sequoia Capital was announced by Bird Chief Executive Officer and Founder Travis VanderZanden ...

Palo Alto Network Inc.’s Unit 42 threat intelligence team has detailed a new Chinese-linked cyberespionage group that’s targeting countries primarily in Southeast Asia. Dubbed “PKPLUG,” the threat actor group, or possibly groups, uses the tactic of delivering PlugX malware inside ZIP archive files as part of a DLL side-loading package. The ZIP file format contains PK ...

Three hospitals in Alabama were closed to all but critical patients Wednesday after a ransomware attack crippled their computer systems. The form of ransomware used in the attack on the hospitals, all run by a nonprofit firm called DCH Health System, is not currently known. “A criminal is limiting our ability to use our computer systems ...

A new botnet in the wild has been found, and it’s notable for one reason: It’s really cheap to operate. Dubbed MasterMana by security researchers at Prevailion Inc. today, the botnet, believed to have been operating since December 2018, is described as a financial scam. Using infected systems in a botnet configuration, MasterMana seeks out other ...

Internet of things security startup ReFirm Labs Inc. said today it has raised $2 million in an early-stage funding to accelerate new product development and hire more staff. The Pre-A round was led by DataTribe and New Dominion Angels and included TEDCO and Tysons Angel Investors. Founded in 2017 by former U.S. National Security Agency cybersecurity operators, ...

Ripple Labs Inc.’s investment subsidiary Xpring is moving into new territory today with the launch of the Xpring Platform, a new service designed to make moving money across the blockchain easier. The Xpring Developer platform allows any developer to integrate payments into their application whether currencies or cryptocurrencies, the latter with initial support for Ripple ...

The head of a bitcoin escrow service has been indicted for fraud over allegations that he stole $7 million from two customers for bitcoin purchases that never happened. Jon Barry Thomas, the owner of two firms, Volantis Escrow Platform LLC and Volantis Market Making LCC, is alleged to have stolen the money while making false promises to purchase ...

A security vulnerability found in Cisco Systems Inc.’s Webex and Zoom Video Communications Inc. videoconferencing platforms can allow an attacker to enumerate or list and view active meetings that are not protected by passwords. Discovered by security researchers at Cequence Security Inc., the vulnerability, dubbed “Prying-Eye,” involves launching an enumeration attack, a form of attack ...

Major partners in Facebook Inc.’s Libra cryptocurrency group including Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. are considering withdrawing their support, according to an unconfirmed report published today. The Wall Street Journal reported that the two main credit card providers along with “other financial partners” were reconsidering their involvement because of the backlash against the proposed cryptocurrency by ...