Tech Companies Aim to Get Rid of Alphanumeric Passwords in the Near Future

As technology continuously becomes more advanced, and new innovations incorporate such technology, devices require more in-depth security measures. With the massive influx of "smart" devices, which collect a ton of personal information from their users, people find themselves forced to come up with new passwords all the time. Companies suggest that users choose different passwords for all of their different accounts, but an average user has dozens of different accounts, which makes having different passwords pretty infeasible. According to Hayley Tsukayama's L.A. Times article, that problem may be well on its way to being solved.

Several companies, but especially Microsoft Inc., have been pushing to get rid of passwords once and for all. While they do support the careful protection of online accounts from being targeted by cyber-criminals, research has found that passwords don't accomplish that goal well enough. Many people use the same password or some similar variation of it for all of their accounts because they simply can't remember dozens of different passwords. There is an inherent difficulty in choosing passwords that most would rather avoid: a password must be complex enough that a criminal can't easily figure it out, but should be simple enough that the user will be able to remember it easily.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all been making a push in recent years to rely on alternatives to passwords, such as biometric scans or temporary codes sent to the user's mobile device. Those alternatives make the accounts more secure, as a fingerprint scan is harder to hack than an alphanumeric password. At the same time, they make the process much simpler for the user and don't force the user to have to remember and type in a password every time they want to log in. Already, Apple and other smartphone companies have integrated facial recognition and fingerprint scanning in the unlock feature of their phones: a feature that many users love.

The main issue with changing up the security protocols, says Tsukayama, is that people don't like to adjust to a new routine. Even though having to remember a password all the time is annoying, many users (especially older users) are wary about using fingerprint scanning and other biometric markers to log into their accounts. They worry about sharing that kind of very personal information with a company that they don't necessarily trust to keep the data safe (both from criminals and from the criminal justice system). Getting users to make the switch will likely require slow changes, over a long period of time, to educate users while letting them acclimate to the changes.

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Key Reinstallation Attacks Can Allow Criminals to Hack Your WPA-2 Wireless Communication

Technological advancement, which can be greatly beneficial in many ways, can also make it more difficult for you to protect your personal information. Years ago, before the advent of the internet, rates of identity theft were far lower than they are today. Identification documents and private data were not nearly as available before the era of the internet. However, now that hacking is so prevalent, we must do what we can to improve our cybersecurity and prevent hackers wherever possible. According to Samantha Masunaga's recent L.A. Times article, the latest vulnerability to address lies in WPA-2 protocol, the current industry standard for Wi-Fi protection.

WPA-2 is the fundamental protection built into most wireless communication available around the world. Until recently, it was considered the best way to protect your online information, but researchers in Belgium found a vulnerability in the WPA-2 protocol that can allow a hacker to use "key reinstallation attacks" to intercept wirelessly transmitted information, even over encrypted networks. The hacking technique, also known as "Krack," is able to target systems powered by operating systems including Windows, Apple, Android, and Linux. From computers to modems to Wi-Fi enabled refrigerators; anything on your network could potentially be hackable.

The researchers found that Kracking is most effective against computers running Linux and devices running the latest version of Android OS. The hack could be used to capture information in sent emails, credit card numbers, browsing data, and even photos and videos sent to contacts. The hacking technique, while powerful, may not be as great a cause for worry as might be expected. According to the analysts, the hacker would have to be highly skilled and in close proximity to the targeted device. Therefore, any hacker looking to use Krack would likely target large corporations, where they might find a better payout.

To protect yourself, you should download any patches released by manufacturers as soon as they are released. For Windows devices, leaving "automatic updates" selected will let your computer take care of the threat for you. Many Apple devices have already received fixes for the vulnerability and others will receive software updates within the next couple of weeks. Google is working on releasing patches for Android devices as quickly as possible. Until that's all wrapped up, you can protect yourself by sending encrypted emails, being careful with online transactions from certain devices, and adding passwords to shared files that contain sensitive information.

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Latest Fortune 500 List Contains 53 California Companies

The well-known "Fortune 500" is a list of 500 of the nation's top companies, published each year in a list by Fortune Magazine. The companies are those that bring in the most revenue and show the highest profits, which means they are likely to do well in the coming year. Basically, they are the 500 best companies on the market in a given year. Many, especially in recent years, are tech companies, and some have even been on the list for many years, even decades in some cases. According to Makeda Easter's L.A. Times article, of the 500 companies, 53 are based in California.

While California is not the number one state in regard to their number of Fortune 500 companies, California falls in a close second behind New York's 54 companies. The remaining 400 or so companies have headquarters spread throughout the rest of the country. California has two companies ranking in the top 10 of the Fortune 500 list: Apple is in third and McKesson Corp. is fifth. Trends show that California's biggest earners are technology companies and pharmaceutical/biotech companies.

Even with some companies having difficulties with slowing sales or scandals within their board of directors, California companies still improved quite a bit this year. Chevron came in 19th place on the list and Wells Fargo unexpectedly rose to 25th place, even after recent bad publicity. In Los Angeles specifically, construction company Aecom was in 161st place, real estate firm CBRE Group was in 214th, and Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. placed 320th.

The percentage of companies with women CEOs that make it onto the Fortune 500 list is very small, only about 6.4% of the 500 companies. However, of the 32 companies on the list with women CEOs, 7 of those companies are based in California. Apple Inc., which is based in Cupertino, California, made the largest profit this year, at approximately $46 billion, but Wal-Mart still holds the number one spot on the Fortune 500 list based on revenue alone. Approximately two-thirds of the US's total GDP come from the 500 companies on the list. If trends continue as they have been, California's companies could end up being the most valuable on the list in time.

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Berkshire Hathaway's Investment Boosts Apple Stocks

Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, has been known to avoid investments in technology. So, it came as a huge surprise to many when it was revealed that his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., purchased 9.81 million shares of Apple stock in the first quarter. In his L.A. Times article, James Peltz described the reasoning behind Buffett's investment and how it affected Apple's shares and the stock market as a whole.

It is true that Buffett and his company generally avoid technology investments, mainly because Buffett admittedly doesn't understand technology enough to take the risk. However, they have made one exception in the past: Buffett's company owns a stake in IBM valued at $12.3 billion. Berkshire Hathaway's main investments are in companies like American Express, Coca-Cola, and Wells Fargo. Additionally, Berkshire owns dozens of companies such as See's Candies and Geico Insurance.

Likely because of Buffett's record of success in business and his company's large investment portfolio, Apple's stock prices rose 3.7% after the purchase was revealed on Monday. As of March 31, the end of the first quarter Berkshire Hathaway's stake in Apple was valued at $1.07 billion but is likely worth significantly less now due to declining Apple stocks. According to analysts, Berkshire likely made the purchase due to Apple's low prices in recent months. Apple's top-selling item and source of the majority of their revenue is their iPhone. The iPhone and other Apple devices had lower-than-expected sales this year, which was the main reason for lowered stock values.

Buffett has been quoted saying that the Apple purchase was made by one of his stock-picking lieutenants who did not consult Buffett before making the decision. However, Buffett seems optimistic that the stocks will regain their value and more in future months. Berkshire is always purchasing companies and shares and very rarely makes bad investments, which explains why so many normal people are suddenly investing in Apple, following Berkshire Hathaway's lead. Buffett, however, is known for his shrewd, long-term investments, and will likely drop the tech company, which he would usually avoid, when the investment gets back to its original value. Buffett doesn't understand tech companies, but some of his top advisors do. He may end up changing his stance in the future, though, if it turns out that the investment in Apple pays off as well as is expected.

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Alphabet to Surpass Apple as "World's Most Valuable Company"

For years, Google Inc. was always known for its internet/computer science businesses, including its online search database, maps, advertising platform, YouTube, Android, and more. In recent years, Google began investing more and more time, effort, and money in other kinds of technologies. From healthcare devices to drones to self-driving cars, Google has had its hand in many types of technological innovations. Unfortunately, that led to a somewhat unwieldy business model, in which every product/ technological focus was grouped under the single title of "Google." Paresh Dave and Andrea Chang discuss in their L.A. Times article how Google recently underwent a business shift and created a new corporation, Alphabet Inc., within which several subgroups focus on different realms of Google's technological goals.

Not only has the creation of Alphabet Inc. made the business more structured, it also has generated plenty of investor interest. In fact, according to Dave and Chang, Alphabet Inc. is well on its way toward claiming the position of "world's most valuable company" from competitor Apple Inc. In the fourth quarter, Alphabet showed that profit had grown by double-digits, and proved to investors and the world that projects like self-driving cars and virtual reality glasses were not wasting resources, but instead earning revenue. Where analysts expected Alphabet to earn $16.9 billion, the company surprised everyone by reporting $21.3 billion in revenue, an improvement of 18% over the course of two years.

Last summer, when Google first began changing to the Alphabet structure, the company aimed to separate online ventures from those involving physical technological innovations. Each of the individual units of Alphabet is designed to have flexibility over its own budget and operations, but in the end, Alphabet itself will keep watch over each sub-business and make the major business decisions. Certain ventures labeled as "Other Bets," which include YouTube and smart-thermostat maker Nest, had a loss of over $3 billion in 2015, which was to be expected, according to Alphabet's analysts. Loss is expected during the R&D stage of technological innovation, but executives believe that the loss is at an acceptable level based on predictions of future revenue.

Alphabet's momentum seems almost unstoppable. In the past year alone, Alphabet's stocks have risen more than 40% in total. On the other hand, Alphabet's major competitor, Apple, is having plenty of problems that have led their stock values to fall. As mentioned previously, much of Apple's recent troubles have been closely linked to the company's reliance on a single product: the iPhone. Since iPhone sales have gone down, Apple's stocks have taken a plunge. Alphabet's new business model will help to reduce the chances of a similar situation taking place, since the variety of sub-businesses means that even if one sub-business has trouble, it will have little effect on the company as a whole.

Overall, economic analysts believe that Alphabet will keep improving and that its stock prices will continue to increase. Executives have seen continuous increases in the number of users of Gmail and the Google Play Store. They also expect that advertisements on Google and YouTube will be very important for Alphabet's future revenue. Since Alphabet's creation, revenue rose nearly 14% and profit for the year rose by 16%. In the past year, Alphabet also added over 8,200 new employees. As you can see, Alphabet seems very confident about the company's future growth and is planning accordingly.

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Apple's 1984 Super Bowl Commercial - A Marketing Marvel

Each year, millions of Americans spend their weekends watching football games. Some go to stadiums, where they can experience it first-hand, while many others watch the games on television, from the comfort of their own homes. No matter how they're watching the game, the National Football League (NFL) is making plenty of money from their viewership. Last year alone, the NFL's 34 teams brought in a total of over $7 billion in revenue. Of that total, hundred of millions of dollars came from one game in particular: the Super Bowl. This revenue comes from a combination of ticket sales, merchandise sales, and, most of all, advertisements. Michael Hiltzik discusses, in his L.A. Times article, the Super Bowl and how its advertising goals have changed over time.

Several estimates claim that, depending on several factors, the Super Bowl's host city can gain up to $100 million in extra revenue during the week of the big game. Between money spent on hotels/motels/Airbnb rentals, money spent on tourist attractions, and increased spending at restaurants and other such establishments, the Super Bowl provides a huge amount of income for local businesses. Yet, the largest portion of Super Bowl income has to do with advertisements by big-name companies like Apple and Coca-Cola. At the 1984 Super Bowl, Apple Inc. aired a commercial that was so successful that it set an expectation for all future Super Bowl commercials.

Apple's commercial was a pull-out-the-stops production, directed by Ridley Scott (who had previously directed "Alien" and "Blade Runner") and starring Anya Major, a British actress and discus-thrower. The commercial, which was championed by Steve Jobs, made Apple's CEO, John Scully, doubtful, yet eventually was approved and made its way to the television screen. The commercial itself was greatly influenced by George Orwell's novel, 1984, which depicts a dystopian society. The commercial concludes with Major's disruption of Big Brother's Stalin-like speech and announces: "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'" This appeal to nationalism and patriotism called to many Americans and the commercial came to be known as one of the most successful of all time. You can watch the full commercial here.

Given the millions of people that watch football each year, it makes sense that companies would want to take advantage of the large audience to advertise their products and services. Since the NFL knows how much each time block is worth, they charge a high price to those who want to advertise during the game. Everyone benefits from this relationship: advertising provides companies with a larger consumer base, which creates an opportunity for more sales and greater revenue, and the NFL makes money selling airtime to advertisers. The Super Bowl especially creates this opportunity, as over 100 million people watch the game, many of whom aren't even football fans.

The aforementioned 1984 Apple commercial is considered by many to have been the trigger that got many people interested in the Super Bowl for more than just football. When the game is half over, the Super Bowl has its famous half-time show, in which a popular musician or other artist puts on a performance while the players take a short break and regroup. Even more popular to viewers are the long-awaited Super Bowl commercials, which are expected every year to surpass Apple's amazing 1984 commercial, and yet never quite succeed. In fact, there are viewers that don't care about the game at all, but instead watch it in order to experience the game's half-time.

While no company has yet to produce a commercial with nearly as much fame and success as Apple's 1984 commercial, viewers still watch the Super Bowl every year, in hopes that the half-time commercials will amaze and inspire as they did before. Advertising during the Super Bowl has become a marketing standard, a sign of a successful business. Even though IBM's personal computers eventually took over a large portion of the home and office markets, Apple's success in business is nothing to be scoffed at either. Maybe this year's commercials will be able to emulate Apple's marketing success? There's only one way to find out.

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Apple Stocks Fall, Partly Due to Struggling Chinese Economy

While Apple is a large company with a variety of different products, many investors measure the company's success solely on the sales of a single product: the iPhone. Because of its popularity around the world, analysts tend to use the statistics of iPhone sales to monitor how the company as a whole is doing. Unfortunately, when iPhone sales are down, investors see this as a red flag and look to jump ship, thereby causing Apple stocks as a whole to go down. Paresh Dave and David Pierson write in their article about some of the possible factors contributing to lowered iPhone sales, as well as how this affects the company.

While just over a month ago, Apple stocks closed at $119, the same stocks have recently taken a plunge, going under $100 for the first time since October 2015. That's a decrease of over 15% in a single month, not a good sign for executives and potential investors. The iPhone 6S, this year's iteration of the popular cell phone, hasn't sold as well as predicted, in China as well as throughout the rest of the world. Several rumors have surfaced that assemblers and manufacturers of iPhones have recently been bracing for a slowdown in production, and financial analysts have determined that Apple has reduced supplies to Asian distributors.

While all of this may be coincidental, investors have taken these signs to be harbingers of future turmoil for the company and have decided to pull out for the time being. China's economy, which has doubled in the 7 years since Apple first opened stores and factories in the country, has a large impact on the company's success and failure, whether we like it or not. China's middle class is slowly expanding, opening up the market for iPhones to a much larger group of people, which will be good for sales when the economy gets back on track.

It seems that the first sign of a downturn for iPhone sales appeared in mid-December, when companies like Jabil Circuit and Dialog Semiconductor, which produce casings and internal parts for the iPhone reported lower-than-expected revenue predictions for the coming months. Decreased sales could be due to the fact that the newly released iPhone 6S is not very different from last year's iPhone 6, which would explain reduced demand, or it could be due to more economic factors. Either way, Apple seems confident that sales and stocks will go back up in the near future, especially with the new iPhone 7 in the works. While growth may be slow in 2016, executives believe that revenue will continue to grow at a rate of about 5%.

Where iPhone sales didn't boom as greatly as expected, products like the Apple Watch, iPad Pro, and Apple TV were popular gifts during the holiday season, thus boosting Apple's total revenue over the past couple of months. Apple executives are certain that China will remain a huge market for iPhone sales, but that it will just take a little bit of time for the economy to catch up again. In the long run, China is still one of the biggest markets for Apple products, even with current economic turmoil messing up sales. Eventually, Apple stocks should go back up, but the question is: How soon?

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