The creators of a recently discovered form of ransomware have devised a way to extort customers with hijacked files borrowed from the world of apps: a freemium model. Called Spora after the Russian word for spore, the ransomware offers five levels of decryption to those unfortunate enough to be infected. An initial tier allows a ...

Bitcoin is considered by some to be nothing more than the virtual currency of choice for drug dealers and other nefarious actors. But a strange case out of the U.S. Midwest shows that bitcoin-related crime can occur in the offline world as well. In a complaint filed in the Northern Illinois District Court, bitcoin automatic teller machine ...

Intel Corp. wants to revolutionize the retail environment through a new Internet of Things retail platform that delivers a deeper understanding of how stores and people interact. Called the Responsive Retail Platform or RRP for short, the offering promises to allow retailers to unify every part of their operations to bolster their bottom line and solve longstanding business ...

Google Inc. has rolled out a new imaging technique that cuts down on bandwidth required to view an image by 75 percent. For now, the technique, called Rapid and Accurate Image Super Resolution, or RAISR for short, is being used only on the little-used Google+ social sharing service. But Google signaled that it will be rolled ...

In a twist on the Uber-for-everything trend, a company in Russia is launching a service that allows users to organize a funeral via a smartphone app. Called Umer, apparently the Russian word for “he’s dead” and also an obvious play on the name Uber, the service is designed to make it easier for grief-stricken relatives unfamiliar ...

Blockchain-based distributed ledgers may soon power the future of banking in India after the research arm of the country’s central bank successfully tested the platform across a range of financial institutions. The Reserve Bank of India’s Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology ran the trial in conjunction with regulators, banks, financial institutions and clearing houses. ...

Lyft Inc. has confirmed once and for all that its global ride-hailing alliance with Didi Chuxing Technology Co., GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. Ltd.,and India’s Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) is dead. Lyft advised its users that they should download one of their former partners’ respective apps in the country they are visiting. Users were previously able to book a ...

The notorious hacking group TheShadowBrokers announced Thursday that it’s retiring, but not without leaving a parting gift. The group came to worldwide fame back in August after hacking the National Security Agency linked Equation Group and offering the tools it obtained for sale on the dark web. Shadow Brokers tried to sell the tools, initially asking for 1 ...

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will advise the incoming administration on cyber security matters, President-elect Trump’s transition team announced Thursday. Despite critical remarks by some in the media, Giuliani comes into the role with some experience, not only from his days of implementing tough law-and-order policies in New York but as the chairman of Giuliani ...

Google Inc. has updated its Maps app to allow Uber users to book their rides directly within the search giant’s app itself. The new feature, an extension of basic support for Uber rides announced back in 2014, allows users to search, browse, request and pay for an Uber directly from Google Maps. Perhaps more significantly, users don’t have to ...