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15-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Hacking into Irish TalkTalk Group Website

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15-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Hacking into Irish TalkTalk Group Website

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Northern Ireland in connection with the cyber-attack on TalkTalk’s website.

The arrest is the first major development since the phone and broadband provider said last week it had been hacked, prompting warnings from the company that the bank details and personal information of its four million customers may have been accessed.

The boy was arrested in County Antrim at about 4.20pm on Monday by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), working with detectives from the Metropolitan police’s cybercrime unit (MPCCU).

The teenager was arrested on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act, police said. He was taken into custody at a County Antrim police station where he will be interviewed. A search of the address is under way and enquiries continue, police said.

A statement from TalkTalk said: “We know this has been a worrying time for customers and we are grateful for the swift response and hard work of the police. We will continue to assist with the ongoing investigation.

“In the meantime, we advise customers to visit http://talktalk.co.uk/secure for updates and information regarding this incident.”

Earlier on Monday it was announced that TalkTalk executives are to be summoned before MPs to explain how hackers were able to steal customer bank details as the company continues to try to limit the damage of last week’s cyber-attack.

On Monday the culture minister, Ed Vaizey, told the House of Commons that an inquiry into the TalkTalk hack will be launched by Jesse Norman, chair of the culture, media and sport select committee.

Shares in the embattled broadband and pay-TV firm fell 12% on Monday as city traders came to terms with the potential fallout of the hacking episode, the third possible data breach in 10 months. It has also emerged that the company could face claims amounting to millions of pounds from fraud victims who lose out as a result of the attack. The company has lost around £360m in value since it revealed details of the attack last Thursday.

TalkTalk said on Saturday that the amount of information was “materially lower” than first feared and insisted that it would be impossible for customers to lose any money solely as a result of the cyber-attack.

As investigations by both the Metropolitan police and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) continue, the focus is turning to whether the company had properly protected itself, and whether sufficient fines are in place for data breaches.

The company chief executive, Dido Harding, insisted in the wake of the hack that the company’s cybersecurity was “head and shoulders” better than its competitors.

Security experts have been queuing up to claim that the TalkTalk attack was nothing out of the ordinary, and to point out the company’s failings.

One, Adrian Culley, a former Metropolitan police detective and now a security consultant, has likened it to the Great Train robbery and said the potentially liability for TalkTalk could be “huge”.

Announcing the inquiry, Vaizey described the hack as “very serious”, although he said any compensation for customers would be a matter for the information commissioner.

An ICO spokesperson said: “Our investigations into previous incidents are ongoing, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to presume a company had breached the Data Protection Act until our enquiries are complete. But what is clear is that organisations do need to make sure they have the appropriate level of security in place to protect the customer information they hold. If they don’t, we will act.”

Vaizey said the ICO can already levy “significant fines” but told MPs he was “open to suggestions” about how the situation could be “improved”.

TalkTalk is facing a maximum fine of £500,000 despite its annual turnover of £1.8bn a year.

The consumer group Which? called on the company to release affected customers without imposing early termination charges.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “Nobody should lose out as a result of this data breach, so TalkTalk should also look at what more it needs to do for its customers, including appropriate compensation for those affected. It’s important people are treated fairly so we expect that any affected TalkTalk customers who want to leave their contract should be able to do so without penalty.”

Exit penalties have to be paid by the customers if they opt to leave mid-contract, and can cost up to £300 in the telecoms sector.

TalkTalk said it would only let customers leave without penalty in the “unlikely event that money is stolen from a customer’s bank account as a direct result of the cyber-attack”.

The telecoms regulator Ofcom said on Monday it was “extremely concerned about the data breach and any potential effects” on customers.

“Until all of the facts have been established it is too early to say whether TalkTalk customers would have the right to terminate their contract,” said a spokeswoman.

Following a data breach in November 2014, scammers have repeatedly called customers and pretended to be from TalkTalk, while quoting them their account numbers to gain their trust. Having warned them that their computer was under threat of virus, they have successfully taken over the customer’s computer and gone on to apply a sophisticated scam and emptied their bank account.  Dozen of victims said this has happened to them, but there are thought to be many more victims. Until now TalkTalk has refused to compensate them because financial information was not leaked.

Entrepreneur, contributor, writer, and editor of Sostre News. With a powerful new bi-lingual speaking generation by his side, Sostre News is becoming the preferred site for the latest in Politics, Entertainment, Sports, Culture, Tech, Breaking and World News.

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Digital vs Traditional Marketing: Which Is Better?

There’s no denying that starting a digital marketing campaign is much easier than doing any form of traditional marketing. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your time and effort into traditional marketing. This is still incredibly effective no matter what type of company you have. For business owners on a tight budget, it can be hard to determine whether to go through traditional or digital means of promoting products and services. Here are some of the key differences between the two.

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Digital vs Traditional Marketing: Which Is Better?

There’s no denying that starting a digital marketing campaign is much easier than doing any form of traditional marketing. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your time and effort into traditional marketing. This is still incredibly effective no matter what type of company you have. For business owners on a tight budget, it can be hard to determine whether to go through traditional or digital means of promoting products and services. Here are some of the key differences between the two.

Marketing Cost

It goes without saying that traditional marketing is much more expensive than digital campaigns. After all, you have to pay for things like billboards, printing, radio and TV ads. On the other hand, you can create a digital marketing campaign with a very small budget. Making a campaign on Facebook can help you reach thousands of people for just a few dollars.

If you’re able to come up with a good social media campaign, you might not even have to pay a penny to promote your business. In case your post goes viral, you’ll automatically start getting visitors. On top of that, you have the option of cross-promotion with other businesses.

Another easy and inexpensive way to market your company is by improving your search engine rankings. If you have the knowledge to do this yourself, you won’t need to spend any money on search engine optimization (SEO). But even if you don’t have a clue about optimization, you can hire an SEO company to do this at a low cost.

Marketing Results

When you create a traditional marketing campaign, it will take you a while to determine whether it’s working or not. In some cases, it may even take a few months for you to get the results of your campaign.

If you already have some experience with marketing, you probably know that it’s hard to do everything right on the first try. It might take you several to analyse results, make adjustments, and improve your campaign. On the other hand, digital marketing allows you to get real-time results and make adjustments in a matter of minutes.

With digital marketing, you can try several different campaigns in a span of a few weeks. By analysing results like incoming traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates, you can quickly determine which campaign you should use.

Communication

Traditional marketing involves one-way communication. You basically just showcase a product or service to your potential customers. Digital marketing takes it one step further and lets you communicate with consumers. This allows you to ensure your customers are satisfied.

Do Your Customers Have a Choice?

When you start a traditional marketing campaign, your audience don’t have a say in how they’ll receive the new information. If you start making cold calls to promote new products or services, there’s a good chance you’ll catch a lot of people at inconvenient times. This will ultimately have a negative impact on your sales. Similarly, if your target audience gets a lot of junk mail on the same day you send them flyers, they’ll likely throw them out without even looking at your special offers.

When it comes to digital marketing, consumers can choose how they’ll receive your content. Some might want to read a blog post, while others would prefer to watch an informative YouTube video. As long as you provide them with multiple options, your potential customers will be more likely to pay attention to your digital marketing campaign.

Personalization

Personalized offers are one of the main advantages of digital marketing campaigns. Since it’s not hard to collect data on your customers online, you can use it to create different groups within your target audience based on their preferences and behaviour. You can then use email marketing to reach people through personalized emails to boost your sales. Keep in mind that this would be very hard and expensive to do with traditional marketing.

Bottom Line – Which Is Better?

There are more advantages to digital marketing and it’s easy to see why it is superior to traditional marketing campaigns. Despite it being the inferior option, traditional marketing is still an effective way to promote your business. Nevertheless, if you have a limited budget and have to choose between the two, you should go with digital marketing.

In case you have a big enough budget, you should definitely do both traditional and digital marketing. This approach will help you reach more people and promote your business across all platforms.

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Top Reasons to Rent Your Business Computer Equipment

As a business owner, you already have many challenges to face when it comes to finances. One thing you have to invest in for your business is modern technology, as all businesses these days rely on tech to some degree in order to operate efficiently. However, investing in technology can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses with limited budgets…

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Top Reasons to Rent Your Business Computer Equipment

As a business owner, you already have many challenges to face when it comes to finances. One thing you have to invest in for your business is modern technology, as all businesses these days rely on tech to some degree in order to operate efficiently. However, investing in technology can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses with limited budgets.

Fortunately, there are various solutions that can help, one of which is to rent your computer equipment rather than buying it outright. From Apple Mac rental to smartphone and high-end laptop rentals, there are all sorts of options available to ensure you get the ideal computer and tech equipment for your business. In this article, we will look at some of the major benefits of renting computer equipment for your business.

What Are the Top Benefits of Rental?

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from computer equipment rental, and there are many advantages to look forward to. Some of these include:

 

An Affordable Solution

Many businesses struggle when it comes to finances, and this can prove to be a huge issue when it comes to investing in necessary tech and computer equipment. This type of equipment is crucial for many businesses, but at the same time, affordability can become a big problem.

By opting for computer equipment rental, you do not have to find huge amounts of cash upfront in order to purchase the computer equipment you need for your business. This makes it a more affordable option, particularly for smaller and start-up businesses that may have no way of raising the money to purchase outright.

Excellent Choice of Products

Different businesses require different types of computer and technical equipment in order to operate efficiently. This includes everything from desktop computers and laptops to tablets, notebooks, and smartphones.

When you rent your equipment from a reputable provider, you can look forward to an excellent choice of products, manufacturers, and models, which makes it easy to find the ideal equipment for your needs. You can then look forward to increased efficiency and productivity with your business, as you will have all the equipment you need.

Easy to Upgrade

With technology evolving at a rapid pace, new products tend to hit the shelves on a regular basis when it comes to tech and computer equipment. However, if you have just spent loads of cash on purchasing a range of equipment, you may not be able to afford to go for upgraded versions released after you made your purchase.

By renting your computer equipment, upgrading to the latest models is simple and convenient, and it won’t involve you losing huge amounts of cash that you already paid out. Instead, you can simply contact your provider and look at replacing the existing equipment with the newer and improved version, so you always have the latest technology for your business.

Great for Start-Up Businesses

When you start your own business, you can look forward to an exciting new journey and the chance to shape your own future. However, you also have to deal with the various challenges, one of which is finances. As a start-up, you will probably be very limited when it comes to finances, which can make it difficult to purchase computer equipment initially.

Renting computer equipment is a great idea for start-ups, as it means that you can get things moving without facing delays while you raise the money to fund the purchase of computer equipment. It also means that you have a chance to see how the new business pans out before you start ploughing large sums of money into buying tech equipment.

High-End Equipment

Technology has come a very long way over recent years, and improvements continue to be made on an ongoing basis. This means that businesses can benefit from a range of high-end equipment that is designed to enhance business operations and help them to grow their business. However, the cost of high-end equipment can be a huge stumbling block for many.

With computer equipment rental, you can access high-end computers and tech products with ease, so you can look forward to using cutting-edge technology that can help your business in many ways. You also won’t have to worry about finding huge sums of money or getting into debt in order to access high-end equipment.

A Flexible Solution for Your Business

Many businesses these days turn to computer equipment rental, as it offers a flexible solution that is convenient, affordable, and simple. Whatever the size and nature of your business, you will find that computer equipment rental could be the perfect choice for you. 

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Instagram Rolls Out New Plan To Remove Likes on Posts

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Instagram Rolls Out New Plan To Remove Likes on Posts

Instagram launched in 2010 and no one could’ve predicted the global phenomenon it would soon become–well no one except for the wise guys at Facebook. Facebook acquired the photo app just 18 months after its launch, and since then, the social media platform has gone on to consume our time and our lives.

But now the app is looking to make one of its biggest shifts since its birth–removing likes. Likes are the currency to building coveted “influencer” status–a marker of fame that can turn your average Joe or Jane seemingly into a celebrity overnight.

Influencers caught the attention of advertisers and sponsors looking to “natively” introduce their products to audiences. These partnerships led to a lot of money and capital for individuals over the years–with those with 1 million followers and up earning around $10,000 to $250,000 per post.

But now removing “likes” threatens to pop the already vulnerable influencer bubble. As Instagram rolls out the new format overseas, users are wondering what the changes will mean for their social media consumption.

“We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love,” Mia Garlick, Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy, said in a statement, according to BBC.

The change is also meant to encourage users to use the platform in the way it was originally intended, hoping, “this change can help people focus less on likes and more on telling their story”.

Continuing, Adam Mosseri, Instagram chief in Canada said, “We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about.”

So far the roll out has taken place in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Brazil.

What do you think of the changes?

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