PKBLOGS

The moves undertaken by local and global internet players clearly indicate that the strong are getting stronger in the Indian internet ecosystem. When online grocer  Bigbasket  went to market in early 2017 to raise capital just a year after securing $150 million, the list of suitors was very different. In March 2016, it had closed funding from US- and Middle East-based financial investors including Sands Capital, IFC and Abraaj Capital. This time, the interested ones were major corporations—Chinese strategic investors  Tencent , conglomerate Fosun, ecommerce giant  Alibaba  along with Paytm Mall, and, of course, US-based  Amazon . In fact, Amazon had engaged with Bigbasket for an acquisition on multiple occasions since late 2015 but the talks didn’t progress because of valuation and deal structuring issues. Some of Bigbasket’s investors were also worried that Amazon would not follow through with an offer after obtaining the details of the business thr...

Apple will release a patch for the Safari web browser on its iPhones, iPads and Macs within days after major chipmakers disclosed flaws that leave nearly every modern computing device vulnerable to hackers. Apple  will release a patch for the  Safari web browser on its iPhones, iPads and Macs within days, it said on Thursday, after major chipmakers disclosed flaws that leave nearly every modern computing device vulnerable to  hackers . On Wednesday, Alphabet Inc's  Google and other  security  researchers disclosed two major chip flaws, one called Meltdown affecting only Intel Corp chips and one called  Spectre  affecting nearly all computer chips made in the last decade. The news sparked a sell-off in Intel's stock as investors tried to gauge the costs to the chipmaker. In a statement on its website, Apple said all Mac and  iOS  devices are affected by both Meltdown and Spectre. But the most recent operating system updates f...

The most recent proposal by the US is likely to impact thousands of Indian IT workers in the US who would not be able to get their H-1B visas extended. Indian  IT companies  could lessen the impact of tighter  H-1B visa  rules by adopting a twopronged strategy of sprucing up hiring in the US and taking the acqui-hiring route, according to some experts. “With US tightening the  immigration  laws, in my view, acquisitions in the US, which enable acquisition of talent along with clients etc., could go up along with accelerated tweaking of the business model to have cloud, artificial intelligence and robotics,” said Raja Lahiri, partner at Grant Thornton India. The most recent proposal by the US is likely to impact thousands of Indian IT workers in the US who would not be able to get their H-1B visas extended (in case the proposal turns into law) as their green card applications stay pending. As of now, the extension of H-1B visas beyond the allowed two t...

The state government said it is in discussions with as many as 30 IT firms, including multinationals, to convince them to set up their operations in the proposed IT clusters. HYDERABAD: The  Telangana Government said that  it  is in the process of setting up two  Information Technology clusters and was in talks with IT firms in this regard. According to an official release issued last night, the state government said it is in discussions with as many as 30 IT firms, including multinationals, to convince them to set up their operations in the proposed IT clusters. Officials said that the two IT clusters could create employment opportunities for about 1.25 lakh people. Telangana IT and Industries Minister  KT Rama Rao  who visited Budvel and Rajendranagar where the clusters are expected to come up said Chief Minister  K Chandrasekhar Rao  will soon lay foundation stones for the projects. "I cannot reveal the details of the companies which are...

It is vital that users install any available patches without delay. It will take time for attackers to figure out how to exploit the vulnerabilities providing a small but critical window for protection New Delhi, With chip giant  Intel  confirming a potential  security  flaw in its  chips  that is vulnerable to  hacking ,  cyber security experts on Thursday advised enterprises running businesses on  Cloud  to install available security  patches  without delay. Computer security experts have discovered two major security flaws in chips. One is called "Meltdown" that impacts only Intel chips while the other called "Spectre" affects all chips, including ARM and  AMD . It's a fairly major vulnerability and allows a malware to read memory of other processes. "As they are hardware bugs, patching is a significant job. Patches against 'Meltdown' have been issued for Linux, Windows and OS X and work is underway to strengthen ...

According to the researchers, the malware known as "Android.banker.A2f8a" is being distributed through a fake Flash Player app on third-party stores. PUNE: Global IT  security  firm  Quick Heal 's Security Labs on Thursday announced it has spotted an  Android Banking  Trojan  that imitates more than 232 mobile apps, including those offered by Indian banks like  SBI , HDFC, ICICI, IDBI and Axis, among others. According to the researchers, the  malware known as "Android.banker.A2f8a" is being distributed through a fake Flash Player app on third-party stores. After downloading the app, it keeps checking for the installed apps on the victim's device and particularly looks for the 232 banking and  cryptocurrency  apps. Once any of the targeted apps is found on the device, the app shows fake notifications disguised as coming from the targeted app and asks users to log in with their credentials and ultimately tricks them by stealing their...

Parekh with fixed salary of Rs 6.5 cr and variable pay of Rs 9.75 cr — gets a package that is considerably smaller than the Rs 70.4 cr pay package for Sikka. Infosys  has combined prudence and transparency while crafting a compensation package for new CEO  Salil Parekh , in a managerial feat aimed also at warding off criticism of the sort that has dogged the company over exorbitant salaries paid to top executives in the recent past. Parekh — who will be paid a fixed salary of Rs 6.5 crore and be eligible for variable pay of Rs 9.75 crore this fiscal year — gets a package that is considerably smaller than the $11 million ( Rs 70.4 crore) annual compensation for predecessor  Vishal Sikka . “This is a salary package worked out with Parekh, and so obviously it was mutually accepted,” said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a member of the  Infosys  board who chairs the nomination and remuneration committee. Shaw said the two salaries should not be compared as, typically, “s...