Attacks surging on business email, finds report

Companies are spending time and money educating employees on the potential dangers lurking in emails. But workers are not heeding the message.

Incidents of business email compromise — or BEC — doubled last year, according to a new report from SecureWorks. The FBI said BEC attacks cost companies $2.7 billion in 2022, an amount that understates the damage because not every organization reports cyberattacks. Other research shows that a typical company now receives 30 to 40 BEC messages every day, and employees open 28% of the BEC email in their inbox.

The majority of attacks are launched in phishing emails sent to employees. Many are genuine-looking emails purporting to be from company executives or payroll administrators.

Fanatics buys sports betting site

Sports apparel giant Fanatics has agreed to purchase the U.S. business of online sportsbook PointsBet for $150 million. Manhattan-based Fanatics has launched betting sites in three states, but the PointsBet deal gives it access to additional states, including New York. Australia-based PointsBet says it’s the seventh-largest U.S. betting site. Fanatics, known for selling collectibles, team gear and trading cards, is worth $31 billion, according to CNBC.

No more ‘password1234’?

Google is offering the option to sign in to your account using passkeys instead of the traditional username/password combination. Passkeys are digital credentials stored on a device that allow you to log on using a face or fingerprint scan or a PIN. They can also be used to log on to apps and websites. Google says passkeys are “easier to use and more secure than passwords.”

Big bucks to swat A.I. bugs

OpenAI will start paying people as much as $20,000 to help the company find bugs, weaknesses or security problems in its artificial intelligence systems, such as the massively popular ChatGPT chatbot. The cash rewards depend on the size of the bugs uncovered, ranging from $200 for what OpenAI calls “low-severity findings” to $20,000 for “exceptional discoveries.” — BLOOMBERG NEWS