Facebook Helps FBI Bust Cybercriminals Blamed for $850 Million Losses

December 12, 2012, 3:57pm

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) --- Investigators led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and aided by Facebook Inc, have busted an international criminal ring that infected 11 million computers around the world and caused more than $850 million in total losses in one of the largest cybercrime hauls in history.

The FBI, working in concert with the world's largest social network and several international law enforcement agencies, arrested 10 people it says infected computers with "Yahos" malicious software, then stole credit card, bank and other personal information.

Facebook's security team assisted the FBI after "Yahos" targeted its users from 2010 to October 2012, the U.S. federal agency said in a statement on its website. The social network helped identify the criminals and spot affected accounts, it said.

Its "security systems were able to detect affected accounts and provide tools to remove these threats," the FBI said.

According to the agency, which worked also with the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused hackers employed the "Butterfly Botnet". Botnets are networks of compromised computers that can be used in a variety of cyberattacks on personal computers.

The FBI said it nabbed 10 people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, New Zealand, Peru, the United Kingdom, and the United States, executed numerous search warrants and conducted a raft of interviews.

It estimated the total losses from their activities at more than $850 million, without elaborating.

Hard data is tough to come by, but experts say cybercrime is on the rise around the world as PC and mobile computing become more prevalent and as more and more financial transactions shift online, leaving law enforcement, cybersecurity professionals and targeted corporations increasingly hard-pressed to spot and ward off attacks.

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Windows 8 to bridge gap between PC, mobile devices

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer arrives to give his presentation at the launch of Microsoft Windows 8, in New York, Thursday. Windows 8 is the most dramatic overhaul of the personal computer market’s dominant operating system in 17 years.      AP | Zoom

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft launched a radical redesign of its world-dominating Windows operating system Thursday, introducing a touch-enabled interface that attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing mobile devices powered by the company’s fiercest competitors.
The debut of Windows 8 heralded the biggest change to the system since 1995, when the company first offered built-in Internet support. And with so much riding on it, the overhaul could be Microsoft’s most important product since co-founder Bill Gates won the contract to build an operating system for IBM Corp.’s first PC in 1981.
To succeed, the new version will have to be innovative and elegant enough to attract consumers who’ve fallen in love with notebook computers,tablets and smartphones running software from Apple and Google.
“What you have seen and heard should leave no doubt that Windows 8 will shatter the perceptions about what a PC really is,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer crowed at a New York event to kick off the Windows promotional campaign.
The first PCs and other devices running Windows 8 were to go on sale Friday.
The software is designed for use on a variety of machines — desktop PCs, notebook computers and tablets, including Microsoft’s new Surface tablet, the first computing device the company has manufactured after focusing almost exclusively on software for more than 30 years.
The redesigned operating system represents an attempt to pull off a difficult balancing act as Microsoft maintains its highly profitable heritage in software while trying to get a foothold in the newer, more fertile field of mobile devices.
So far, the booming mobile device market has been defined by Apple’s trend-setting iPhone and iPad, Google’s pervasive Android software and Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets. Tablets have been undercutting the sales of desktop and laptop computers since Apple released its pioneering iPad in 2010.
Another version of Windows 8 will be released next week for smartphones, which are overwhelmingly dominated by Apple Inc. and Google Inc.’s Android software.
Microsoft is also opening a Windows 8 store featuring applications built to run on the system. The store is similar to the apps stores of Apple and Google and will include many of the same services.
More than a billion PCs currently run on Windows, including 670 million that use Windows 7, the last version of the operating system, released in 2009.
But the owners of most existing Windows machines aren’t expected to switch to Windows 8 for at least a year, maybe longer. That means most of Windows 8’s early usage will come from consumers, businesses and government agencies that buy new devices with Windows 8 already installed.

There were few surprises at Thursday’s launch event because Microsoft Corp. has been previewing preliminary versions of Windows 8 for the past 13 months — part of 1 billion hours of testing.
Still, the overhaul poses a big risk for the Redmond, Wash., company because Windows 8 looks and operates so much differently than previous versions.
“This is the biggest gamble they’ve ever made,” said analyst Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group. “Does (Windows 8) do more things? Yes ... but it’s not that easy to use.”

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Now, android phones get water-resistant

Now, android phones get water-resistant

ELEMENTS ECO EFFICIENT RESIDENCES - Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City

ELEMENTS ECO EFFICIENT RESIDENCES - Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City

7 Reasons Why Hiring a Filipino Virtual Assistant Makes Business Sense

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CC Image courtesy by hongxing128 on Flickr

If you’re thinking that outsourcing some of your tasks for the growth of your Internet business is a cost, well, you’re correct. You’re running a business here for crying out loud – you can’t expect to not lose some cash. But that’s exactly why you’d want to hire some folks overseas: It’s a business. If you’re working at your campaigns on your own, you might as well call yourself self-employed and watch your life wither away with stress and decay.

That said, you’re now seriously considering hiring some people. Now another question appears: Who do I hire and what makes me so sure they’ll stay for the long haul? You’ve heard about the rumors over the Internet when it comes tooutsourcing and you’re probably doubting everyone over the net right now.

Chill. There’s this hardy people in South East Asia who would absolutely love to work for you at a relatively low cost and stay loyal to you.

In this article, I’ll explain (in 7 reasons, tops) why Filipinos aren’t only the best boxers and nurses in the world – they’re also the absolute best overseas Asian people to talk to when it comes to making it big in the Internet.

Filipinos are low cost

Filipinos are bluntly cheap because of their standards of living. Here’s a simple comparison:

In the United States, you can get a Quarter pounder for, say, $5.00 – and it could suffice for just a single meal (maybe lunch or something). In the Philippines, $5.00 means that the Filipino family can eat for not just an entire day, but a day and a half.

With regards to hiring a Filipino virtual assistant, you can get a good deal off of $250 per month. It may be a lot more expensive than a burger, but the returns are massive! You may think that for something as low as $250 it’s going to cost you quality work, at least in terms of content production. That brings me to my next point:

Filipinos KNOW English

Statistics say that among all the nations in Asia, the Philippines are the best English speakers ever. But there’s more than speaking ye olde English that makes Filipinos the right race to get when it comes to hiring a VA – They love the American culture.

While it’s true that half of the world do not necessarily like the United States of America (and everything it allegedly stands for), Filipinos absolutely adore it. So much so that every Filipino flick is based off of US movies and every trend is likened to the ones from the West.

So if you’re thinking that you can’t be on the same page with a Filipino virtual assistant who lives thousands of miles away, think again. For all you know, he might share common interests with you.

Filipinos are compassionate

The Filipinos are a very hospitable people (sometimes to a fault), but more than that, they can totally relate with their business owners. In terms of stress management and proving a point, Filipinos know very well that once their American provider is not happy, they’ll soon run out of a job – which is why they are committed to getting the results that their employers want.

Filipinos are committed

Speaking of getting things done, Filipinos pride themselves at being committed. This is because they are very much aware that if any of their campaigns screw up (because of relevant causes like WordPress errors, etc.), the chances of being laid off, if not fired increases.

They’ve also developed the uncanny ability of staying up really late just to get something done, going as far as working through the night shift.  This means that they can be up and at it while you’re going through your day. This, of course, depends on your arrangement with them.

Filipinos are full of pride

When you hire a Filipino virtual assistant, you literally raise the latter’s status up among his peers. This is because of 2 main reasons:

1. You pay him more than anyone else – take note that the Philippines has relatively low standards as compared to the US. This means that what’s less than minimum wage in the US is big money for the regular Filipino.
2. You make them happy – Remember that these folks are working in the same setting as you are. These means that they relatively share the same perks you get at work. They also get to learn new stuff which may, in the long run, help them in their own business ventures.

They’re also attached to the idea of just working primarily because Filipinos have been trained, since childhood, to keep working for their keep.

Filipinos are easy to please

Filipinos are easy to deal with as long as you give them small rewards every now and then. In the US, where everyone’s entitled to vacations every now and then, workers still need to earn the right to go on leave. Often times, a job offer is turned down as soon as a prospective employee finds out he can’t go on leave whenever he wants – an imagine the repercussions of asking one to go on overtime.

In the Philippines, it’s okay to ask people to work outside of working hours – heck, it’s a pleasure for them because they feel that their proving themselves to you. This brings in security and at the same time an extra 5 bucks in their wallets – which, by the way, isn’t too small for them and isn’t too hard to pull out of your wallet.

Filipinos are loyal

As stated earlier, Filipinos will do anything to keep their jobs – even if it means sacrificing a few personal liberties. This guarantees their loyalty. The myth goes like this, virtual assistants, in general, will leave you as soon as you put money in their bank account.

That’s not always the case when it comes to Filipinos. Their loyalty lies in their want to learn more from you. You’re the guy who thinks about how the gears should turn, and in the long run, they want to learn how to make a business work on their own too.

Now, another fear can be generated from this as well: the fear of being left without a virtual assistant because he’s already found his way to Internet business mastery – this is false because just like how you are continuously learning, they’re continuously learning as well. So it’s okay to let them in on your secrets, they’re the ones who keep it and share  it with  you and they WON’T leave you for it.

10 Essential Tips in Hiring a VA

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CC Image courtesy by Ctep on Flickr

When you’ve finally decided to cut the chatter and start hiring Filipino virtual assistants, there are a lot of things to take note of. Remember, you’re dealing with a lot of things here besides distance and possible communication barriers.

Don’t fret though. In this article, I’ll give you some tips in hiring a virtual assistant. I’ll also add in a little bit of action points for you to nurture your relationship with your VA – something  that’s important for your Internet business at the end of the day.

Check it out:

1. Search for the right person

Now, I’m not saying that you scour onlinejobs.com or Odesk for Mr. Right. Chances are, he’s already hired by a top Internet businessman or you can’t afford his rates. Here’s the thing: Take as many candidates as you can, set a trial of two to three months and do what you must for your business to move forward.

It’s not really about finding the absolute best virtual assistant, it’s really about training your people to be really good. You can’t expect them to be out right and do everything!

2. Get a team, not a person

Speaking of which, you can’t expect just one virtual assistant to handle everything. From WordPress installation to SEO link building, everyone knows a little bit of each in the world of digital marketing outsourcing – it’s really all just a matter of assigning each person a segment of special tasks that they’re better with than others.

After, say, a few months when you’ve done all the trial work and you’re certain you’ve got a team that complements your needs as an Internet businessman – get someone who rose above the noise and turn him into a project manager. So you don’t have to fuss about everyone’s reports.

3. Make them feel involved

There’s nothing better than that feeling of belonging – maybe accountability and ownership, but in the outsourcing world, they’re pretty much connected. Make your Filipino virtual assistant feel like he’s part of your success. This should push him to better his skills and at the same time, serves as a virtual tap on his shoulder for a job well done.

4. Give them recurring tasks

Recurring tasks serve one main purpose: to keep your virtual assistant busy and involved. At some point, virtual assistants that specialize in a niche task (like web development or digital design), will have a hard time keeping themselves busy, especially after a launch. So keep them busy.

For web designer virtual assistants, give them some infographics and Facebook visuals to work on while they wait for that next big launch. For web developers, have them study app development and iFrame design for, say, your Facebook pages.

There’s loads of stuff to do, and giving these to your virtual assistants means that you get to keep them on your pay roll – which leads to them feeling pretty lucky.

5. Get to know the culture

Culture encompasses a lot of things from religious beliefs to national and special holidays. For the Filipino virtual assistant, getting to know their culture is a pleasure! The best you could do, when everything’s going as well as you’d hope for them to be, is pay them a visit in their archipelago home.

Getting to know their culture also means getting to know (and pay respect) to their holidays. While some may be down-right arbitrary, others are religion-based. The Philippines, being a very religious state, would have a few religious feasts and celebrations every month, so be ready to at least give them a day off.

6. Train them well

Training your virtual assistants helps the both of you in many ways. For you, you gain the assurance that the type of work or task at hand won’t get messed up. For the virtual assistant, he gets to increase his knowledgebase.

Training your virtual assistants well can range from giving them training material they can consume, to having daily calls and meetings about a certain Internet marketing concept. This also sends the message that you care for their professional growth which breeds trust – a vital factor in the growth of your Internet business.

7. Set reasonable expectations

This works in any setting – when you’re setting expectations, always make sure that these are achievable and measurable. This is so you can gauge your virtual assistant’s progress and, in the long run, the growth of your business.

Here’s a good example:

You give your virtual assistant some link building tasks and expect him to create, say, 30 links back to your website for, say at least 2 weeks. That’s pretty easy. You may want to push him a little, it depends, really. So long as you set clear expectations.

8. Treat them right

Don’t intentionally miss replying to their questions. Don’t call them anything demeaning or racist. Don’t make them feel inferior. The whole point of this is making them feel that they’re people too – which they are. At the end of the day, you not only create a relationship of camaraderie with your team, you get to save yourself from entering the outsourcing black list of doom too.

Besides, hate and anger are double-edged swords – you’re bound to get hurt (if not your business) too.

      9. Communicate with them daily

This could be best done at the start of the day, at least, for the Philippine virtual assitants’ side of the world. Let them know that you’re there by asking for updates from their tasks and work and give them updates from your side. This allows you both to be informed about the what’s ups and FYIs.

This also sends the impression that they are vital to the growth of the business – making them feel that you depend on them to get your business working allows

9. Use the right tools

In every team, there’s an arsenal of tools that complement their efficiency. For instance, communicating with your team requires a handy VoIP system like Skype or GotoMeeting. In terms of file transfers or sharing, Egnyte and 4Shared work pretty well.

At the end of the day, when you give your team the tools they need – a hammer for nails – this should lessen their burdens and you can expect your Internet business to grow at a much quicker pace.

That about wraps it up for the 10 essential tips you need to know when hiring a virtual assistant. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Key Competencies of Filipino VAs

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The Philippines’ new tourism slogan says it all: “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

That can never be truer, especially when it comes to hiring a Filipino VA.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to hiring a virtual assistant is the savings to cost. Time is money, that we know for sure. But when you have an efficient virtual assistant to take care of some of your tasks for you, you get a tremendous load of your back and you save on time and money. That leaves you with more cash and time to be used for expanding your business.

Yes, there are costs involved. But the benefits of hiring a Filipino VA far outweigh the costs. With a Filipino virtual assistant, you will even more have an opportunity to run a business that is worry-free.

So why is it more fun to get a Filipino VA? Filipino VAs have key competencies that are at par with their international counterparts.

Filipino VAs are dynamic

Filipino VAs are young, able to easily adapt and dynamic. They are extremely abreast with the changing economic and technological trends. And because there is virtually free to access information in the Philippines thanks mostly to the low cost of getting an Internet connection, most young Filipinos stay in the know.

Filipino workers can easily adapt to the changing business landscape, and the competencies that they possess are world-class. This can be attributed to low cost and world-class quality of IT education.

Filipino VAs possess excellent English skills

Because Filipinos are exposed to a wide range of English media, an average Filipino can speak the language with great fluency. Most foreigners actually find it amazing to hear some Filipinos speak the English language in a neutral accent.

Most Filipino kids are actually taught to read and write in English before they are taught to read and write in Filipino. At school, the medium of instruction is English and tests are mostly administered using the English language.

Indeed, many Filipino professionals are great English speakers and writers. As an Internet marketer looking to outsource, you will never run out of excellent Filipino VA from the vast pool of Filipino professionals.

Most Filipino professionals are well-informed

Young Filipinos these days are hugely exposed to a wide range of information. Information, as previously mentioned, is virtually free in the Philippines. Any Filipino VA would find research work as just a walk in the park. Filipino VAs know exactly where to find the right information. Because of that, Filipino VAs are known for quick turnarounds of accurate information.

Filipino VAs are multi-skilled

Need to have something written? No problem. Need to have something consolidated? No worries. Need to have something found and turned in before you wake up in the morning? No sweat. You see, as the world continues to get smaller with technology, Filipino professionals have learned to adapt and stay competitive in the ever evolving new economy. Because of passion to excel, Filipino VAs have learned to learn what it takes to get the job done.

Smartphone without compromise

By: Princess Daisy C. Ominga
Philippine Daily Inquirer

2:26 am | Monday, April 16th, 2012

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SINGAPORE—Introducing to the world a new series of smartphones, HTC unveils the HTC One Series with what could possibly be the most exciting phones in the market today.

Lennard Hoornik, HTC South Asia Pacific president, led the presentation of the HTC ONE Series, starting with HTC One X, a lightweight but durable smartphone with polycarbonate unibody, making it resistant to stains and scratches. HTC One X also features a full 4.7-inch contoured Corning Gorilla Glass display and optical lamination, for wider viewing angles and reduced reflections to improve visibility during day time.

HTC One X is powered by a 1.5 GHz quadcore NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor for clear graphics and faster applications, with an integrated fifth battery saver core, which handles low-powered tasks like music, videos, and active standby.

During the interview, Hoornik repeatedly slammed the phone on a table without making as much as a tiny scratch, attesting to the One X being “lightweight, but very, very strong material, with polished sides, giving it a gorgeous finish.”

“In Manila, it’s very hot, and when people use their phone, sweat tends to transfer to their phones and water comes in to the tiny grills. So we make the micro-holes—they are smaller than water drop—so that water won’t come in [inside the phone],” Hoornik explains.

Fastest camera

“If you look carefully on how people use their phone, you’ll see that number one is to make phone calls, and number two is to take pictures. There are lots of texting in the Philippines, but don’t forget Facebook in the Philippines is huge, one of the biggest in the world. Filipinos love taking pictures and uploading them like crazy. So we’ve made sure to create the fastest camera in the world,” says Hoornik.

Activating in 0.7 seconds, and an auto-focus that takes just 0.2 seconds to get ready, One X enables the user to take up to 99 continuous shots at 4 frames per second by holding the shutter button. The 8-megapixel camera is automatically synchronized with Dropbox, to store and share up to 11,000 pictures.

Powered by HTC ImageSense, photos can be taken even in conditions such as low lighting, dark or bright backlighting. Another impressive function is the Video Pic, which allows the user to shoot videos and snap photos at the same time. The user could capture images that catch his attention even while taking videos simply by tapping the shutter button.

Car Mode

HTC One Series comes with custom-tuned Beats Audio, giving quality sound system whether the phone is used for music player, Youtube, videos, games or Internet radio apps.

A simple accessory called the HTC Car Stereo Clip also connects the user to music through online radio stations or play music from the phone through the car speakers. Taking into consideration the safety of the users when using their phones while driving, HTC One X comes with a unique feature called the Car Mode.

“In the car, it’s dangerous [using a phone] if not properly done, so we came up with something clever called Car Mode, which has everything; it can help you in navigation, you can play songs, but it’s very big (the display) so it’s safe to use. You can make phone calls, and it automatically goes to Car Mode,” says Hoornik.

Media Link

Probably the most impressive feature of the HTC One X is the Media Link, which connects the phone to a TV with a three-finger swipe action. Just plug the Media Link HD accessory into the HDMI port of any TV and the phone automatically configures to the accessory via WiFi. The Media Link enables the TV screen to function like a desktop, a mirror site of your HTC One X, or play movies, videos, games, or business presentations, and the user can choose to either control what is displayed onscreen or use the phone for other tasks.

HTC One V

Also presented in the launch was the HTC One V, which is the entry level in the One Series. Powered with 5.0-megapixel camera, HTC One V, like the One X, also activates in 0.7 seconds and auto-focus in 0.2 seconds, and can also capture up to 99 continuous shots. The phone features a simple, aluminum unibody design, and is also integrated with Beats Audio technology.

Later this quarter, HTC will launch the One S, another inclusion to its One Series to strengthen its lineup in the smartphone market.

Hoornik sums up the power of multi-function in the HTC One Series: “This is not just your phone. This is your camera, this is your music device, your game device, your setup box—this is your everything. You can do your whole life in this device, and all this power in one device that is in your pocket.”

The HTC One X and One V are already available in the Philippines. The Media Link HDMI and Stereo Clip are sold separately.