August 3, 2020 | ISSUE NO. 6
The Roundup is a bit-sized security newsletter designed to be read during boring meetings while providing you with material to share during your next sales lunch.
Hackers Try to Steal COVID-19 Vaccine Research
APT29, also known as CozyBear or The Dukes, is a Russian hacking group under fire for attempting to steal COVID-19 vaccine intelligence from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. As countries like these spend billions to create a vaccine, the information in this creation process has become invaluable. These countries will continue to face the challenge of protecting vaccine intelligence from threat actors while keeping necessary collaboration available. Read More
Can Microsoft Save TikTok?
We wrote about TikTok in our last monthly newsletter. Last month, we were writing about how TikTok was facing intense security scrutinity over their app’s data collection just as ByteDance became the world’s most valuable unicorn ($140B). If you missed it, read here.
Now, just after President Trump declared that he would “ban” TikTok from the US, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadeli has spoken with the Trump Administration about purchasing TikTok in the US. With a massive amount of capital and a lack of competing business, Microsoft is one of the only firms in the US with the ability to enter conversations with ByteDance. Microsoft’s Blog Post
Will the Last Person to Leave California Turn the Lights Off?
At this point, California seems to be asking people to leave. Last year, the Bay Area lost three Fortune 500 HQs to Dallas/Fort Worth, and according to U.S. Census Bureau data, California recorded a loss of 129,386 residents in the year ending July 1, 2019. As work-from-home has permeated the world, especially among high-profile tech companies, many individuals are seeking areas in the country with a significantly lower cost of living. This hurts areas like California, which has attracted tech companies and high-income workers because of it’s access to capital and talent.
Now, a proposal is being considered by California lawmakers to raise the state’s top income tax rate from 13.3% to 16.8%. Something tells us that this tax hike would not help the exodus that is happening in California. Read More About California’s Proposal
Riddle of the Month
Three coworkers would like to know their average salary. However, they are self-conscious and don’t want to tell each other their own salaries, for fear of either being ridiculed or getting their houses robbed.
How can they find their average salary, without disclosing their own salaries?
