Twitter Accounts of Uber, Apple, Buffet and Musk Are Simultaneously Hacked by Scammers 

Twitter suffered a series of simultaneous cyber attacks Wednesday in which the accounts of prominent businesses and celebrities were hacked.

“The unknown attackers tweeted identical messages promising that they were ‘giving back 5000 BTC ($45,889,950) to the community’ on Wednesday afternoon from the accounts of Gemini, Binance, KuCoin, Coinbase, Litecoin’s Charlie Lee, Tron’s Justin Sun, Bitcoin, Bitfinex, Ripple, Cash App, Elon Musk, Uber, Apple, Kanye West, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, Barack Obama and CoinDesk,” according to a report in CoinDesk.

Twitter later seemed to acknowledge that the attacks were probably the work of hackers with access to the accounts of several Twitter employees.

“In a series of tweets posted (Wednesday) evening under its support channel, Twitter said that its internal systems were compromised by the hackers, confirming theories that the attack could not have been conducted without access to the company’s own tools and employee privileges,” according to an article in The Verge.

Google Wrapping Video and Chat into Gmail Business Version

In an effort to counter growing competition from Zoom and Microsoft, Google expanding the capabilities of its Gmail business app.

“The Alphabet subsidiary is incorporating more applications into the business version of Gmail so that users don’t need to switch to other apps or browser tabs, It could help keep employees satisfied with the company’s business software and not want to adopt alternative services, such as Slack or Zoom,” writes Jordan Novet of CNBC. “That’s an important consideration for building up the cloud business that augments Google and Alphabet’s advertising core. The coronavirus hurt Google’s ad revenue in the first quarter, but as schools and offices closed, people began to lean more on digital services that could help them continue to communicate, which led to greater adoption of Google services like the Meet calling service.”

Amazon Soon to Unveil Smart Shopping Cart for its Supermarkets

Amazon is taking another step to remove friction from grocery shopping with the introduction of its experimental “Dash Cart.”

“It’s equipped with a touchscreen and other various hardware components to automatically detect what items you’re placing inside and even how many of those items you’ve picked off the shelf. When you’re done shopping, you’re allowed to take the cart through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring you up,” writes Nick Statt in The Verge. “The idea builds on Amazon’s approach of trying to take the convenience it’s mastered in the digital realm and bring it into the real world.”

Essentially, the smart cart enables you to skip the line and leave the store without interacting with a cashier or using a self-service checkout station. 

“For years now, Amazon has been trying to apply all the learning its picked up from developing Alexa-powered products, including microwaves and wall clocks, and establishing a brick-and-mortar presence through its Whole Foods acquisition and growing Amazon Go store network. Those efforts are now resulting in hybrid products that bridge the digital and physical, if only in small and experimental bursts,” Statt writes.

Military Strengthens IT Management with Nomination of Experienced Cyber Warrior

Maj. Gen. John Morrison has been selected to become one of the Army’s top IT officials, according to a report published in C4ISRNET. The nomination follows on the heels of a reorganization of the Army’s chief information office.

“Morrison, who recently wrapped up service as the chief of staff of U.S. Cyber Command, will receive his third-star as part of the promotion. The nomination was received by the Senate Armed Services Committee June 24,” write Andrew Eversden and Mark Pomerleau of C4ISRNET. “Previously, Morrison has led the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence where he oversaw the development of new doctrine and capabilities for the Army in the cyber and electronic warfare domains as well as soldier training in cyber and electronic warfare.”