“What is a sea monster’s favorite snack? Ships and dip.” That’s one of the jokes Google Inc. claims Google Home users will have at their beck and call as the company added jokes and phone calls to their smart home device Wednesday. The joke service, which has apparently been launched to coincide with National Joke ...

The damage costs of the infamous NotPetya malware attack that crippled computer systems worldwide in June may never be fully known, but one victim of the attack has reported how much it cost it — and the number is staggering. In its interim second-quarter financials released Wednesday, international shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk Group put the cost of ...

Google Inc. today confirmed it has acquired AIMatter OOO, a Belarus startup that makes Fabby, an app that uses artificial intelligence to provide photo editing of selfie photos. Not a huge amount is known about the company. It seemingly has only a Facebook page, but TechCrunch reported that alongside the Fabby app, the company has also developed a neural ...

Qualcomm Technologies Inc. Tuesday announced new Spectra camera technology that delivers advanced image signal processors and improved depth-sensing capabilities in camera phones. The capability could put Android phones on par by next year relative to features such as facial recognition and iris scanning for identification that Apple Inc.’s upcoming iPhone 8 is expected to have. The camera technology ...

Bitcoin traders are fond of referring to the cryptocurrency as going “to the moon” when its price jumps. Now, a new service from blockchain firm Blockstream Inc. will actually take bitcoin partway to the celestial body, via a satellite. Called Blockstream Satellite, the new service broadcasts real-time bitcoin data from satellites to large parts of ...

Amazon Web Services Inc. is taking the good fight on personal information security to competitors with a new security service that provides personal data monitoring to enterprise users in the cloud. Called “Macie” and based on technology Amazon acquired with the purchase of Harvest.ai Inc. in January, the new service recognizes sensitive data such as personally identifiable information and intellectual ...

Marcus Hutchins, the security researcher who was arrested earlier this month on allegations that he was involved in the creation and distribution of Kronos malware, Monday pleaded not guilty at his first formal court hearing. Known online as “MalwareTech,” 23-year-old British national Hutchins, who is best known for being the person behind stopping the spread of the ...

The Russian hacking group believed to be involved in hacking attempts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election is now alleged to be using National Security Agency exploits to target “high-profile” hotel guests in Europe and the Middle East. Security experts say the group, known as “Fancy Bear” or APT28, is using EternalBlue, the NSA exploit exposed in ...

Embattled cloud audio distribution service Soundcloud Ltd. has gotten a reprieve from bankruptcy by managing to raise $169.5 million from Raine Group and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek. As part of the Series F round, Chief Executive Officer Alex Ljung is being replaced by Kerry Trainor, the former head of the IAC/InterActiveCorp-owned online video streaming service Vimeo. Founded ...

The price of bitcoin surged through $4,000 for the first time over the weekend thanks to increased demand stemming from tensions on the Korean peninsula. Bitcoin hit $4,224.80 in trading early Sunday morning as demand surged from Japan, along with South Korea and China. Investors apparently were looking to park their money in perceived safe ...