Facebook Inc. launched a desktop version of Messenger for both Windows and macOS today as millions worldwide flood into videoconferencing services during the coronavirus pandemic. The Messenger app had been previously available only on Android and iOS and desktop users were restricted to accessing the service via their web browser. In its announcement, Facebook said ...

A newly reported hacking campaign that’s believed to date back to 2018 is targeting Microsoft-SQL servers with data-stealing malware and Monero cryptomining code. Discovered and publicized Wednesday by security researchers at Guardicore Labs, the hacking campaign, dubbed “Vollgar,” involves hackers using brute force password hacking to breach targeted MS-SQL hosts. Once access is gained, those behind the hacking ...

Cloud backup provider SOS Online Backup has exposed 135 million records online in the latest case of a company failing to secure its cloud storage. Discovered and reported today by security researchers Noam Rotem and Ran Locar at vpnMentor, the data belonging to SOS Backup Data was exposed to all and sundry in November. The company was ...

Online workspace startup Notion Labs Inc. said today it has raised $50 million in new funding on a $2 billion valuation in a round led by Index Ventures, giving it a $2 billion valuation. Founded in 2016, Notion offers an all-in-one workspace that includes support for notes, tasks, wikis and databases. Pitched as blending everyday ...

Google LLC-owned YouTube is planning to launch a rival service to wildly popular short-form video app TikTok, according to a report today from The Information. YouTube’s rival, reportedly called Shorts, will be featured inside its existing mobile app. Shorts will include a feed of brief videos posted by users and will also take advantage of YouTube’s ...

Policy advisory and research firm Startup Genome today released a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the startup ecosystem — and though the short-term impact is unsurprisingly not good, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. Starting with mainland China, the report notes that venture capital deals have contracted ...

Marriott International Inc. has suffered yet another data breach, this one involving the theft of personal information on 5.2 million guests. The new data breach was discovered in late February after those behind the data breach gained access to data from mid-January. The data is believed to have been accessed by an unknown third party using the ...

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. today reported that its profit rose in 2019, but the smartphone maker said its growth rate came in lower than in previous years amid trade bans from the U.S. For the calendar year 2019, Huawei booked revenue of RMB 858.8 billion ($123 billion), a 19% rise over the year before. Net profit ...

Videoconference service Houseparty has offered a $1 million bounty to anyone who can provide details of what it says is a smear campaign claiming it has been hacked. In one of the more strange alleged hacking stories during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports started appearing in the U.K. on Monday claiming that the service had been hacked. Some ...

Airbnb Inc. has finally stepped up to the plate, offering financial support to hosts for missed and canceled bookings. The company has set aside $250 million to pay hosts for missed stays, according to a letter sent to Airbnb providers, CNBC reported today. Airbnb will provide 25% of the fee usually collected when users cancel bookings to ...