Hacking is not done to show off anymore. It’s done to steal information and make a profit. Cyber crime has become a huge threat in recent years because it doesn’t require any physical presence or effort. It can be committed single handedly from a remote location. These criminals do not have to worry about law enforcement or security guards getting in the way of their goals. That makes transactions on ecommerce websites all the more dangerous....

Since 2008, Innovation Works’ AlphaLab has offered 5-month programs in Pittsburgh to mentor and kickstart startups, with office space and $25,000 in funding. Here are the 6 startups (all based in Pittsburgh): HeadRight Games: A game development studio that creates games for a variety of devices, based on a game engine that makes creation faster. Their first title is adventure game Amusement World!, or “Willy Wonka meets Disney world.” Led by 7-year game professional Matt Rodgers, who previously worked at Nintendo and Microsoft....

“It’s amazing what happens when you surrender yourself to the easy things to do in life,” he says. Aziz, a director at DFJ Mercury, believes that companies should also do what is easy. Throughout his career in venture capital, he has noticed – time and time again – that companies tend to work when they have unfair advantages to succeed. An unfair advantage might mean that the company was founded by someone who has already made a name for him or herself in the industry....

Fortunately, Etsy retailers are taking things into their own hands by launching a guild that is designed to “promote the interests” of those trying to make a living by selling products online. Etsy and its sellers haven’t exactly been getting along lately either, with the latter going on strike in April to protest the higher transaction fees being implemented by the former. Creators are infamously underrepresented when it comes to the platforms that host them....

It’s tough to stay on top of the constantly shifting mass of incubators, accelerators, and VC funds in DC’s tech ecosystem — particularly since many umbrella groups run several programs under the same or similar names. TechCo strives to keep this page updated, so if you see any accelerator that has closed, needs to be added, etc. on this page, feel free to drop us a note. Check out the list below, updated as of September 2017, for a comprehensive collection of the DC accelerators currently in operation, what they’re looking for, and how you can apply today....

For five years, TechCo has scoured the planet in search of the most innovative companies to compete at the Startup of the Year competition. This year, we’ve recruited startups from 24 states and 9 countries to guarantee a diverse and innovative lineup. Companies from the West, the East, the Midwest, the South, and the World will aim to woo our panel of tech titan judges for a chance at prizes, recognition, and bragging rights for a full year....

How does a life insurance company qualify as a startup? Because Fabric uses its proprietary technology to allow users to make a purchase in two minutes, whether from their phone, tablet, or desktop. How It Works American families are likely to put off getting life insurance for a variety of reasons. They don’t have to time to purchase it, it costs too much, or they simply don’t understand the options and benefits available to them....

Shreathe’s initial report described a bug that allows you to post on anybody’s wall, even if they are not your friend. To demonstrate, he posted a link on Sarah Goodin’s wall, a college friend of Mark Zuckerberg. A member of the Facebook Security team clicked the link, received an error message, and told Khalil that what he had found was in fact not a bug at all. So Khalil took his efforts to the next level, politely posting his link on Zuckerberg’s own wall and exploiting the bug once more....

According to a representative from Facebook, the payments feature in Messenger was only previously available to those in smaller cities, including Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and Austin, TX. NYC will be the first major metropolitan area in the United States where the payments feature will become functional for Facebook users. The Facebook Messenger payments feature will allow people to send and receive money with their contacts on Facebook. Similar to the way Venmo allows easy and seamless transfer of money between contacts, Messenger will now allow Facebook users in New York City to transfer money securely online....

FanStitch is a sports jersey rental company where people can rent jerseys for way cheaper than it costs to buy one. It’s the perfect solution for the fair weather fan, tourist, or newcomer who isn’t quite ready to commit to their new home team. They have recently struck a partnership with LemonStand is an ecommerce platform that helps companies create beautiful, and unique ecommerce websites. The two companies are harmoniously working together to create a user-friendly experience that will keep fans coming back whenever a new player is traded or a team changes their shade of green....

Even worse, the attack was perpetrated thanks to extremely lax password security, which the hackers insisted features embarrassingly easy to use guess login credentials. The attack is a stark reminder for businesses of all sizes that passwords are the first line of defense against these kinds of hacks and that shoring up your security could save you millions. The hack was just the beginning, though. The attacker — who went back the moniker “Thrax” in the initial notification — also gained access to the Fast Company CMS via WordPress....

There are many different reasons why you might need to do this. There are a variety of performance reasons and, particularly in fast-growing companies, there is the issue of people who simply don’t scale—some people are a lot better at starting companies than they are at leading large teams. I’ve written about a variety of these groups and their characteristics before so I won’t repeat that all here. I am also not going to talk about laying people off or making them redundant, which is a related but very different process....

After being successfully installed on the town’s network after a member of staff opened a rogue email attachment, town officials claim they have been hit hard, with key functions and services severely disrupted. Blame is being pinned on an elderly and out of date security system, which had recently been scheduled for replacement. Wait, what Happened? The hack was the result of a successful phishing incident. A city employee clicked an email link while logged into the city’s computer system, which triggered an upload of the hackers’ malware....

To better support the fast-growing customer base, ForwardMetrics is planning to expand the staffing while maintaining their two-part software suite. The cloud-based software focuses on driving business performance and creating succinct business plans via their FM and Client Navigators. In addition to the software, ForwardMetrics has integrated an FM Community: a business social network that offers executives an opportunity to connect with prominent thought leaders. The idea is that new business relationships and opportunities will arise as individuals connect over inspiring content....

Non-technical Founder seeking Tech Co-Founder Say you are building a technology-driven startup in the US. One of the major costs that you will incur is technology. If you are a non-technical person looking for a technical co-founder to run the technology show for your business, then it’s best to look on the other side of the world. A basic MVP requires diverse skills such as user experience design, front end development, back end development, testing, and some kind of content strategy in place....

What does it mean to have the “best job in the world?” Of course any list that claims to show the “best” of anything is ridiculously biased no matter how it’s calculated, so keep that in mind. But according to this list recently released by Glassdoor, it means having a job that has a large number of job openings, a high salary and good career opportunities. According to this list, if you’re a data scientist you’re basically living on top of the world....

With 154 million unique users per month, Google Maps is firmly the most popular navigation app available today, six times more popular than the next most popular navigation app, Waze. That could be because it comes preloaded on every Android device, a practice that earned Google a $5 billion fine from the EU, but it’s still safe to say Google Maps is the go-to navigation app across the industry. And by the looks of their latest innovation — a feature that users have been asking for with enthusiasm for years — it’s going to stay that way....

But more importantly, we’re all hyped about the video game industry in general. Which is why it’s a good time to share some data on who’s hiring in the industry, and what they’re looking for. LinkedIn recently dipped into its trove of information to share a few charts. Here’s what anyone hoping to snag a video game job should know. The Companies Hiring There’s a limited number of name-brand companies in the industry, but the biggest ones have plenty of positions open:...

I’d like to throw Telluride, Colorado into the mix for you all. Not only is it just as beautiful as the rest of ski-worthy Colorado, it’s home to the Telluride Venture Accelerator, a program that’s nestled inside a ski resort in the mountainous town. As it just so happens, TVA has opened applications for their 2016 cohort and will close them on October 15 at 7pm MST. It’ll be their fourth class of entrepreneurs to date – the session runs from February through June, which is considered prime skiing season by most enthusiasts....

PCs have long been viewed as the only truly customizable consumer tech on the market today. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones are all in consistent rotation, and few DIY options exist, if any. The Framework Laptop could change that though, by providing a customizable and sustainable option for users around the world. 2256×1504 resolution1080p 60fps webcam55Wh battery11th Gen Intel Core Processorup to 64GB of RAM4TB or more storage In addition to all these surprisingly stellar specs, the Framework Laptop will be almost entirely customizable and upgradable, with a wide range of available ports, storage, WiFi, and main board, which can be swapped out as the user sees fit....