Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Facebook hack exposes personal data of 50 million users

facebook inc hack exposes personal data of 50 million usersfacebook inc hack exposes personal data of 50 million usersMaybe you were like me and woke up to your Facebook account forcibly logged out this Friday. Now we know mora about why. On Friday, Facebook announced that a cyber attack earlier this week exposed the personal information of up to 50 million users, and as a safety measure, around 90 million users were being logged out and asked to re-enter their passwords. Fifty million people were definitely impacted and 40 million accounts were logged out as a precautionary step, the company said.Facebooks said the hack exploited the companys code introduced in July 2017 to let users upload Happy Birthday videos. The code was associated with theView Asfeature that lets people see what their profiles look like to other people. This allowed them to steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over peoples accounts, Guy Rosen, Facebooks vice president of product manag ement, said in a statement. Access tokens are the equivalent of digital keys that keep people logged in to Facebook so they dont need to re-enter their password every time they use the app. The data vulnerability allowed users to gain control of a Facebook account directly without needing a password.Following the cyber attack, Facebook said it fixed the vulnerability in its code, temporarily suspended the View As feature, and has informed law enforcement.Facebook data breach is the latest scandal for the embattled companyFacebook said there is no need to change your password, but you may as well log out if you have not been asked to already to be safe. So far, there are many troubling unknowns about what exactly happened. Facebook said it does not know the identity of the hackers or the origin of where it took place, and it does not know the full scope of what information the hackers accessed or misused. This is not comforting news Through a Facebook account, you can potentially lea rn a lot about a persons friends, posts, contact information, and other private information you do not want to be made public to a hacker.The data breach occurs at a particularly tumultuous time for the social media giant.Facebook is already facing user trust issues after 87 million Facebook users had their personal information exposed by political firm Cambridge Analytica. The scandal was a final break for many, resulting in a DeleteFacebook campaign.Nevertheless, Facebook is still enormously popular. More than two billion people entrust their data to the social network each month. After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised that Facebook would do better. We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we cant then we dont deserve to serve you, hesaid earlier this year. I know it takes longer to fix all these issues than wed like, but I promise you well work through this and build a better service over the long term.But people may not want to wait around for this better service. After each scandal, users become more aware of how vulnerable their information can be to hacks. It remains to be seen how many people still want to stick around to see if Facebook still deserves their trust.

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to stay out of the office politics and do your job

How to stay out of the office politics and do your jobHow to stay out of the office politics and do your jobIs it possible to just go into work, do your job, and stay out of the office politics and cliquey stuff?Yes, Ive made a career out of it. And heres how that goes, including the ups and downs.Work hard, and finish work fast. (This is how you set the table for what Im about to tell you. This reputation helps you get away with a lot of stuff Ill explain below)I tend to avoid, or even find a way to not go to meetings. Because 95% of corporate meetings are puffery to see and be seen. They accomplish little to nothing a good chat or email conversation can get done. Also, they drain energy and always go past the time allotted. If management calls you on it, tell them you need to finish the billable work, you know, the stuff that makes money. By skipping stupid meetings, you may issue behind in the corporate trail to be promoted, but youll get to keep doing the doer work without being bothered.Lets pause here to combine the two points above into what I like to call, The Mexican Standoff. Management will pass you over for promotions based on silly face time. But, the benefit is, you smashing deadlines makes you necessary. So youll probably get average to above average raises. But, you get left alone and get to avoid social events, see or be seen meetings, and other corporate events. You get known as the doer of sh-t quickly.Say hello to people onceIf they ignore you or just look right through you, you avoid them going forward. Youll gain a reputation of quiet and keeps to himself. While this hurts you for large promotions, you get to skip all the, Will they say hi, do they want to talk today? garbage many people worry about in Corporate Cubefarms. If management ever asks you about it, tell them how you tried to say hello in the hallways, but corporate zombies looked right through you or ignored you. This gains you automatic favor, because corporations get the spot light turned back on them. Why arent people saying hello? Why are they walking around like zombies? Plus, you are justified in not bothering in trying to be social anymore. You tried once, and if they want to be social, now its the other guys turn to try. I have more important things to do.When I walk in the building every day, I have a list of people who Ill say hello to, and a list of people I walk right by to ignore. Unless they reach out and say hello first. I walk straight to my desk and get work done. No stopping by cubes to ask how peoples fake weekend went. No coffee and chit-chat. I march to my desk, open the energy drink, fire up the computer, work, and go home. Thats it.Never, ever, ever talk about social life with these people99% of them will use these details against you. Be boring, ON PURPOSE. Mention boring family trips if asked, keep your social life discussions boring. Why? To avoid resentment and jealousy. And, you remain invisible, so you can just do your work and leave early.Avoiding drama means avoiding HRNever talk about religion, politics, or anything sexual. Ever. Couple this with your deadline smashing reputation, you get to do what you want. Your broadcasted social graces should remain boring at all times. You may go home and be a superstar, go on exotic vacations, and have a great life outside the work. Never broadcast thisEver. It invites jealousy and envy. Remain invisible.Sometimes, leave work early, or come in lateRemember my first bullet point above? Smashing deadlines grants you exclusions youll appreciate down the road. EI might leave two hours early to go work on a side business. I might leave two hours early to go spend time with my daughter. Are the other zombies upset? Maybe. But, remember, I smashed deadlines. Also, changing up your schedule a bit keeps the zombies off your back. theyll sit wondering, why is he late today? or Wow, he left early today. More importantly, they learn less about you. When you come in and leave the same time every day, zombies start to think they know you, and want to chit-chat. This is a no-no. Because chit-chat leads to HR complaints, hurt feelings, and hour-long gabfests about nothing. Your job is to be invisible. Smash deadlines, and get out to go do other things you enjoy.The goal is to get things done, but avoid taking on a huge workload. Because if they arent going to promote you, then whats the point? The bonus of this is, you, as the doer and finisher of stuff, get to avoid corporate politics, drama, and other unpleasantries.P.S. But Don, you may ask What if your manager calls you into their office and asks you about being more social and seen? What if they ask you to take on more work?Ah, this is simple. Remind them of all the work youve finished, and remind them how a cost of living raise isnt conducive to taking on even more work, especially compared to what you get done versus your coworkers. You see, if your average coworker in your role gets three things d one, and you get five to six, then you have leverage. Your babo might ask you to do 7, which includes a bunch of drama and a whole lot of headaches. You skip it, or go around it. If they push, remind them you do more than any of your coworkers. They can either pay you more, or leave it at that. I use a line which is helpful for this. This aint a charity, and I sure as hell aint Mother TheresaBe cordial with your boss, but push back when they try to extract additional work out of you, remind them of your non-promotion. Always remind them when necessary. This pushes them back to be happy with the deadline smashing productivity you already do.Its at this point where youve reached the Mexican standoff conclusion. If the boss tries to get you to do even more without promoting you, you have the option to leave. Besides, the boss knows you smash deadlines. Why interrupt that with corporate politics and drama?Don Sevcik is the president of MathCelebrity and author of One Second Math.This ar ticle first appeared on Quora.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Too hot to sleep Heres how to keep cool in bed

Too hot to sleep Heres how to keep cool in bedToo hot to sleep Heres how to keep cool in bedYour body temperature plays a pivotal role in your sleep cycle, but all too often many sleepers wake up feeling hot, sweaty and sticking to the sheets.Does this sound like you? Do you often feel as though your body temperature isnt settling? Does your sleep constantly get disrupted because youre simply too hot?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWell youre not alone. Many things can cause our body temperature to fluctuate, from the weather, to what weve been doing physically throughout the day. When our body temperature persistently rises, restless nights will follow, but luckily there are steps you can take to keep cool, calm and relaxed in bed.Tweak your bedroom temperatureOf course the room youre actually sleeping in can seriously affect your night, especially if you happen to be a hot sle eper. So firstly you should make koranvers your sleep space is as comfortably cool as possible.Leave any windows slightly cracked open throughout the night as this will help to maximize airflow. If possible, leave your attic window slightly open too, as this will give all that hot air somewhere to go.You want to be aya to turn off any of your gadgets and gizmos before bed time. Any electronics give off heat, so shutting them down will help to lower the temperature a little. Also, if its been a particularly warm sunny day, sometimes it helps to keep any blinds in your bedroom shut. The daytime heat will be kept at bay, which will prevent the room temperature from rising.Keep cool before bedEven before you go anywhere near your bed, its important to better regulate your body temperature throughout the day. One of the best things you can do is to avoid eating later in the evening. If you consume some food late in the day, this triggers your metabolism to start working overtime, which i ncreases your body temperature. You can avoid this be opting to eat a lighter meal earlier on if you can.If your body doesnt have enough fluid to sweat, it cant effectively regulate its core temperature. This is why keeping yourself well hydrated is hugely important. Make sure you have a glass of water by your bed just in case. Water is a great cooling agent, so taking a shower or bath before bed can also help, just make sure the water isnt too hot.Many of us like to exercise regularly, and this can actually be really beneficial for your sleep. However, you should stop exercising late in the evening, as this makes it difficult for your body to completely cool down before bed.Your mattress makes a difference, tooAll to often the biggest culprit of hot sleepless nights is your mattress itself. It could be too thick, or filled with synthetic fibers that hold onto heat longer than youd like. Even memory foam mattresses are made with materials that actually heat you up, leaving you feeli ng increasingly uncomfortable if youre already a hot sleeper.In order to grab some soothing shuteye as a hot sleeper, you need to opt for anatural fiber mattress. Youll need materials that allow for a cooler sleep surface by allowing for better air circulation.One of the biggest benefits of natural fibers is their breathability. Fibers such asWool, Bamboo and Alpaca are extremely efficient at allowing air to circulate between you and the mattress, whilst also wicking any moisture away from your body. This all works wonders for keeping your body cool and comforted at night, leaving you to gently drift off into your dreams.This article originally appeared on Your Coffee Break.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 h abits of mentally strong people