More than 600,000 Macs infected with Flashback botnet
Russian antivirus company says half the computers infected with malware designed to steal personal information are in the U.S. — with 274 located in Cupertino. More than half a million Macs are infected with the Flashback Trojan, a malware package designed to steal personal information, according to a Russian antivirus company. The company — Dr. […]
New Yahoo CEO sweeps out 2,000 employees in purge
Yahoo’s turnaround attempt is going to be messy. In his first three months on the job, CEO Scott Thompson has imposed the largest layoffs in the company’s 17-year history, reshaped the board of directors, picked a potentially disruptive fight with a major shareholder and sued Facebook for patent infringement. He says there’s even more upheaval […]
Miami event helps small firms start free websites
Hundreds of small business owners showed up Tuesday for the first of two days of free workshops and tutorials at the Florida Get Your Business Online event organized by search engine Google in Miami. The goal: to help entrepreneurs set up a site; teach them how to grow their business online and show them how […]
RIM launches BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for iOS, Android devices
Research In Motion (RIM) has finally launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for iOS and Android-based devices. The mobile company announced Mobile Fusion last year. The service allows government and business customers to manage devices across BlackBerry OS, iOS, and Android from a Web-based console. According to the company, Mobile Fusion includes support for multiple devices per […]
Pet Supermarket CEO makes stores fashionable
A South Florida businesswoman has landed on top of an annual ranking of Florida’s women-owned companies. Diane Holtz, president of Pet Supermarket, said she redesigned the stores in the Sunrise-based pet store chain to be “what women want in shopping:” clean, colorful and featuring new products each week. When judged by its $213 million in […]
PortMiami eyes commercial development, yacht marina
With three big construction projects underway — a truck tunnel, a deep dredge and a rail link — the Port of Miami is steaming ahead to sharpen its competitive edge. But those pricey upgrades are just the start, as downtown Miami’s little island port dreams big about its future. A new 25-year master plan reveals […]
That didn’t take long: Tim Cook rated top CEO
Apple CEO Tim Cook hasn’t even been in his job for a year, but already he’s the working world’s highest-rated chief executive, according to a new report. Careers site Glassdoor announced today that Cook received a 97 percent approval rating from employees over the past 12 months that ended March 15, beating out Ernst & […]
Hiring improves but pace still slow in Florida
Unemployment drops statewide and holds steady in South Florida, as hiring increases slowly. Florida jobless rate down to a three-year low. The hiring front remains a frustrating place to be in Florida. New numbers show unemployment inching down statewide, and definite signs of life from hiring managers as payrolls continue to expand in South Florida. […]
110,000 PC-strong Kelihos botnet sidelined
Researchers use specially crafted code to direct infected computers to their servers instead of servers run by the criminals who have been using the botnet to distribute spam. A new version of the Kelihos spamming botnet has been sidelined by using the peer-to-peer distribution mechanism to basically hijack it, researchers announced today. The botnet, which […]
South Florida gold dealer accused of false promises
Gold has been among the most lucrative investments in recent years, more than doubling in value since 2007. But a Deerfield Beach-based precious metals dealer apparently never believed the industry’s standard credo, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.” A federal judge has slapped Premier Precious Metals, Inc., and its owner, Anthony J. Columbo, […]
Facebook users beware: Don’t use the word ‘Book’
The social-networking site is updating its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities — if approved, account holders must agree not to use the words “Face,” “Poke,” or “Book.” Individual privacy is a hot topic in the social-networking world right now. But have people thought about privacy of the companies, such as protection of their brand, logo, […]
Savor the flavor at ‘Las Olas Wine & Food Festival’
The “17th Annual Las Olas Wine & Food Festival,” presented by Bombay Sapphire, Martin Codax, elit by Stolichnaya, Las Rocas, Milagro and Premier Beverage Company returns April 20 to Las Olas Boulevard located in Fort Lauderdale. This year’s event features new additions and a variety of pre and post events. Proceeds from the festival benefit […]
Anti-SOPA Internet Society under fire for hiring MPAA executive
The Internet Society is hardly a fan of the Stop Online Piracy Act or the Protect IP Act. The venerable non-profit, which acts as the umbrella organization for the Internet’s key standards bodies, bluntly warns that the pair of copyright laws would end the “viability of the Internet.” Which is why ISOC’s decision this month […]
FPL gets okay to replace Port Everglades power plant
FPL plans to demolish its power plant at Port Everglades and replace it with a modernized one. This is a rendering of what the plant currently looks like. It’s official. Those candy-cane-striped smokestacks at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale are history. They’ll be demolished around June next year — surely an event to watch, like […]
Fort Lauderdale hosts first high-rise certified by the Florida Green Building Coalition
The first residential high-rise certified eco-friendly by the Florida Green Building Coalition is now home to low-income renters in Fort Lauderdale. Green and affordable rentals? There’s no contradiction, say developers from the nonprofit Reliance Housing Foundation of Asheville, N.C., who joined with the Broward County Housing Authority, Facchina Construction and green-building advisers Trifecta Construction Solutions […]
Bringing broadband to the boonies: The odyssey begins
Although my author bio hints at it, you might not guess that I file CNET stories from the edge of the vast wilderness. I’ve lived here five years now, and it’s taken me that long to cross the Digital Divide that still exists in this country between those who take decent broadband for granted and […]
LTE phone shipments to hit record 67 million this year
A record number of smartphones will jump on the LTE bandwagon before the year is over. Eyeing a “breakout year” for 4G technology, Strategy Analytics expects LTE phone shipments to grow 10-fold in 2012, rising to 67 million units from just 6.8 million last year. The push is being driven across the entire industry. “Multiple […]
Wells Fargo Adds Monthly Fees; Florida Excluded For Now
Free checking appears to be going the way of the free lunch at one of the country’s biggest banks, Wells Fargo. New credit card regulations aimed at trimming consumers’ fees are costing many national banks big bucks. Many of the country’s biggest financial institutions say they’ll have to recoup the losses by adding new monthly […]
South Florida home prices rise as inventory falls
Home prices in Miami-Dade and Broward counties jumped for the third consecutive month in February despite flat or declining sales volume, as the inventory of listings dwindles, real estate figures released Wednesday show. Realtors say that heightened demand for bank-owned properties and an improvement in the processing of short sales has resulted in rapid absorption […]
Florida tops in delinquent mortgage loans
Florida has more delinquent mortgage loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae than any other state, according to a new report. The Sunshine State had 292,000 delinquent loans by the government-sponsored agencies as of Dec. 31. Of those,166,000 have been late on payments for at least a year. California, the largest state, in contrast, […]