Tech Republic

Image: Envato/Weedezign_photo The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that North Korea was behind the theft of $1.5 billion worth of digital tokens from cryptocurrency exchange firm Bybit last week. This is thought to be the biggest crypto heist of all time. The FBI’s PSA about this “TraderTraitor” attack In a Public Service Announcement, the FBI referred to the attack as “TraderTraitor,” a malicious campaign linked to North Korean state-sponsored hackers targeting cryptocurrency firms. “TraderTraitor actors are proceeding rapidly and have converted some of the stolen assets to Bitcoin and other virtual assets dispersed across thousands of addresses on multiple blockchains,” it said. The FBI expected the stolen assets to be laundered and eventually converted to “fiat currency” —  money issued by a government that is not backed by a physical commodity like gold or silver. It also provided a list of Ethereum addresses the threat actors have used or are using to launder the stolen assets, which it recommends crypto organisations block. Must-read security coverage How the crypto was stolen from Bybit and its response to customers The crypto was taken during a routine internal transfer from its Ethereum coin “cold wallet,” a digital wallet typically stored offline and considered more secure, according to Bybit CEO Ben Zhou. The attacker exploited vulnerabilities in the transaction to gain access to the cold wallet, and then transferred about 401,000 ETH to an unidentified address. After the theft, the value of Ethereum fell by around 4% on Friday, leaving it worth $2,641.41 per coin. SEE: Deepfakes Can Fool Facial Recognition on Crypto Exchanges The scale of the Bybit theft surpasses the previous record crypto heist, involving the theft of $615 million of Ethereum and U.S. coins from the Ronin Network in 2022. It also exceeds the largest known non-crypto heist; Saddam Hussein’s 2003 theft of $1 billion in assets from the Iraqi Central Bank. Zhou wrote on X Sunday that Bybit has replenished its reserves since the incident through a mix of emergency loans and large deposits. The company also told clients that their funds were “safe,” and it would refund anyone affected. Bybit was founded in 2018 and reportedly counts President Donald Trump and former PayPal chief Peter Thiel among its early investors. The company says it has more than 60 million users worldwide and offers access to various cryptocurrencies. Lazarus Group suspected as responsible for the theft The Lazarus Group, a hacking organization under North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, has been identified by blockchain security experts. Blockchain analyst ZachXBT provided evidence to the blockchain analytics platform Arkham linking the attack to Lazarus, citing patterns consistent with recent North Korean cyberattacks in a post for TRM Labs. Lazarus has been active since about 2009 and has been responsible for a number of high-profile cyber attacks, including the 2017 Wannacry ransomware outbreak, which infected over 300,000 computers worldwide and caused significant disruption to the U.K.’s NHS. Estimates indicate that it cost the NHS £92 million due to disruptions in patient care. The group continues to develop new forms of malware to help it avoid detection. SEE: Ransomware Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know ZachXBT also linked Lazarus’ Bybit hack to a January attack on another cryptocurrency exchange called Phemex, which lost at least $69 million, according to The Record. North Korea has been accused of multiple hacks of cryptocurrency exchanges to steal digital assets, launder the funds, and use them to finance its nuclear weapons program. In 2024, North Korean hackers stole a record $1.3 billion in digital assets, nearly doubling the $660 million they took in 2023. Cryptocurrency has become a preferred method for money laundering by criminals to cleanse their illicit funds. The authors of this news story are TechnologyAdvice staff writer Fiona Jackson and contributing writer Esther Shein. source

Slack reported an outage on February 26 and 27, with most features back up by Thursday but some issues with messaging still persisting; in particular, some custom apps and bots did not work as expected. In addition, a problem with Slack Connect meant coworkers might not get notified if someone pinged them with the @ command. According to Downdetector, about 3,000 people had reported issues at the peak of the problem. As of Thursday morning, Slack said most features had been restored. Users still experiencing trouble were advised to reload Slack (Command + Shift + R  on Mac or Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Linux). Slack team’s response to the outage, including Slack Connect tips The loss of functionality on Wednesday was “​​related to Events API and is a symptom of an earlier incident about trouble connecting to or loading Slack,” plus an unrelated problem with Slack Connect causing the lack of notifications, Slack said. Our workplace sysadmin team announced problems with Slack at around 1:00 p.m. EST on February 26, with some employees being unable to post messages. (My work was not disrupted.) SEE: Slack added tools for automatically building workflows, including for developers.  By Wednesday evening, Slack’s status site said, “We’re continuing to diligently work on database shard repair and have made progress on restoring affected replicas, though users may still be experiencing impact.” Later that day, Slack personnel were working on “re-processing of the backend job to attempt to serve queued Events API requests.” Slack suggested the following mitigation for users having trouble mentioning others using Slack Connect: Open the Slack desktop app, then click Help in your computer’s top menu bar. (On Windows 10, click the three horizontal lines icon in the top left of the Slack app.) Select Troubleshooting. Click Clear Cache and restart. The Slack team said the cause of the outage was “a symptom of an earlier incident,” and did not specify further. Messages, workflows, threads, and other API-related features were last to come back online. What’s hot at TechRepublic Past outages and Slack’s place in the market Slack hasn’t had a major outage like this since July 2023. Prior to that, the service went down several times in 2022 and in January 2021. Slack is a major partner in Salesforce’s Agentforce generative AI effort. Competitors to Slack include Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Pumble. source

QuickBooks Payroll is a popular pay processing software thanks to its full-service payroll, well-rounded features, and fast syncing with the QuickBooks accounting system. However, it has limited HR tools and can be pricey to use, depending on the plan you get. If you’re looking for a QuickBooks Payroll alternative that costs less, handles global employee payments, or offers more HR features, here are some options you can consider. 1 Paycor Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees) Micro, Small, Medium Features API, Check Printing, Document Management / Sharing, and more 2 Deel Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features 24/7 Customer Support, API, Document Management / Sharing, and more 3 Velocity Global Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Employee Database, Multi-Country Payroll, Onboarding, and more Top QuickBooks Payroll alternatives comparison These alternatives to QuickBooks Payroll, including QuickBooks, offer tax reporting and filing assistance, automatic pay computations, benefits administration, and essential tools to manage employee information. Starting monthly price Separate contractor plan (per month) This is a separate contractor payments plan, and is best for those that only need to pay contract workers. Global payroll tools Time tracking QuickBooks Payroll $50 base fee + $6 per employee $15 for up to 20 workers + $2 per additional worker No Included in higher tiers Gusto $40 base fee + $6 per employee $35 base fee + $6 per worker Yes Included in higher tiers OnPay $40 base fee + $6 per employee No No Via integrations Square Payroll $35 base fee + $6 per employee $6 per worker No Yes Paychex Flex Custom No No Paid add-on RUN Powered by ADP Custom No Yes Paid add-on Gusto: Best overall Image: Gusto As a payroll software, Gusto has many of the same perks as QuickBooks, such as automatic salary and tax computations, wage garnishments, and automated tax filings. However, it has a broader range of HR features to streamline the employee lifecycle. It can post jobs, onboard workers, track attendance, plan work shifts, and monitor performance reviews. Gusto can also pay international contractors in over 120 countries. And with its employer of record (EOR) service, Gusto Global, it can compliantly hire and pay workers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Spain (as of this writing). Pricing QuickBooks Payroll and Gusto offer three plans, but Gusto’s starter tier is slightly cheaper. It only costs $40 plus $6 per employee monthly, whereas QuickBooks Payroll’s starter plan is priced at $50 plus $6 per employee monthly. Plus, Gusto’s starter tier has more HR features, such as basic paid time off (PTO) policies, custom offer letter templates, and onboarding checklists. Here are its pricing plans: Simple: $40 base fee per month plus $6 per employee per month. Plus: $80 base fee per month plus $12 per employee per month. Premium: $180 base fee per month plus $22 per employee per month. It also offers a contractor plan if you only pay contract workers. Contractor only: $35 base fee per month plus $6 per worker monthly. While Gusto’s contractor plan isn’t as affordable as QuickBooks Payroll’s ($15 monthly for up to 20 workers plus $2 per additional worker), Gusto includes new hire reporting in its package. This can save you time, especially if your business is located in California or a state that requires companies to report newly hired contract workers. Gusto pros and cons Pros Cons HR features are more comprehensive than QuickBooks Payroll Offers EOR services and global contractor payment tools Its payroll platform is more intuitive and user-friendly than QuickBooks. Its tarter tier only comes with single-state pay runs. Time tracking, multi-state payroll, expense claims, applicant tracking, and advanced HR tools are included in higher tiers No mobile app When to choose Gusto over QuickBooks Payroll Gusto is my top QuickBooks Payroll alternative mainly because of its feature-rich platform. It’s great if you want a payroll system that can manage hiring to onboarding tasks with ease. QuickBooks doesn’t have an applicant tracking system (ATS) to monitor candidates, and its onboarding features aren’t as extensive. With Gusto, you can track applicants, create virtual welcome cards for new hires, manage email and software access, and run background checks via Checkr directly from its platform. When it comes to payroll taxes and tax filings, both will calculate federal, state, and local taxes, but only Gusto includes tax payment and filing assistance across all levels in its starter tier. With QuickBooks, you must upgrade to at least its Premium plan to get automated local tax filing services. Gusto’s functionalities also extend beyond just processing US and global payroll. It can help with state tax registration and offers an R&D tax credit service that lets you save up to $250,000 in payroll taxes each year. So, between features and pricing, I consider Gusto the top alternative to QuickBooks Payroll for most small businesses. The Gusto payroll dashboard allows you to run payroll, start off-cycle payments, and view pay processing tasks. Image: Gusto Learn more about Gusto OnPay: Best value for money Image: OnPay What sets OnPay apart from QuickBooks Payroll and the others on my list is its flat-rate pricing. You only get one plan, with all its features and services included in that package. So, you never have to worry about whether or not a specific functionality will cost you extra or require a plan upgrade. OnPay’s simple pricing also gives you plenty of bang for your buck. For a monthly fee of $40 plus $6 per employee, you get full-service payroll, access to benefits plans, employee self-service tools, and essential HR and team management features. As an added perk, OnPay provides white-glove setup and data migration support to get you started

hide.me VPN fast facts Our rating: 4.1 stars out of 5Pricing: Starts at $4.57/mo (annual plan)Key features: Generous free version. 10 simultaneous device connections. Affordable subscription options. hide.me VPN is a Malaysian-based VPN service, offering a generous free version with unlimited data and affordable premium plans. It’s available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, Android, and iOS, to name a few. While hide.me can be a good choice for users on a budget, it may not be the best for users needing an extensive server network. Its server fleet only has around 2,600 servers across 91 locations, compared to other VPNs in 2025 that usually provide 3,000+ servers and a larger selection of locations. Continue reading to explore hide.me VPN’s, pricing, features, and performance based on our hands-on review. Semperis Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Advanced Attacks Detection, Advanced Automation, Anywhere Recovery, and more ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more NordLayer Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise hide.me VPN pricing In 2025, hide.me has a monthly, a yearly, and a 26-month premium plan. It also has a dedicated free version, with no credit card required. Across the board, hide.me offers very affordable pricing for its premium plans. In particular, its one year plan at $4.57 per month is a good price compared to other VPN providers, with annual plans from other VPNs averaging around $4 to $7. Duration Price 1 month $9.95 per month 1 year $4.57 per month 26 months $2.69 per month When I first reviewed hide.me in 2023, it did not have a one-year plan available. The closest thing to it was a six-month subscription at $5.82 at the time. In 2025, I’m happy to report that a one year subscription is now being offered at $4.75 per month — a reasonable price when put side by side with other one year subscriptions like NordVPN Basic for $4.99 per month and ExpressVPN’s $6.67 annual subscription. hide.me VPN continues to have their longer 26-month subscription at $2.69, which is a good pick for long-term hide.me users that want a lower monthly fee. hide.me’s monthly subscription priced at $9.95 is also well-below industry average, as other VPN providers charge around $10-17 for a monthly plan. Fortunately, all three hide.me premium tiers come with a consumer-friendly 30-day money-back guarantee. Before making a decision, I highly recommend using hide.me’s free version or purchasing the one year subscription and using the 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied. hide.me free version hide.me offers a full version of its VPN for free. While most free VPNs have a monthly data cap, hide.me’s free version offers unlimited data to its users and possesses the same security protocols and encryption as the premium version. hide.me VPN’s free version on desktop. Image: Luis Millares I personally appreciate how hide.me VPN’s free version doesn’t require any credit card or payment information to access. This allows it to be a fully free, no-strings-attached free plan that doesn’t require users to hand over unnecessary data. However, there are limitations. The free version doesn’t have hide.me VPN’s Smart Guard ad, tracker, and malicious websites blocker and it only allows for one connection and access to seven locations compared to the 10 connections and 91 locations available with the premium plan. The seven available server locations are France, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Two years ago, hide.me VPN’s free plan didn’t allow you to select which free server you connected to and simply chose one automatically. Now, their free plan finally lets users connect to their preferred connection, among the seven free country servers provided. While these are sizable limitations, having unlimited data on a free version is still a huge advantage. hide.me VPN pros Free version with unlimited data. 10 simultaneous device connections. Very affordable pricing. Customizable app experience. Company has a clean privacy reputation. hide.me VPN cons 2,600 server network is lower than average. Free version offers slow speeds. Desktop app looks dated. Security: Is hide.me VPN safe? hide.me comes with the requisite security protocols we want in a modern VPN. It has OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 IPsec, and even SSTP and SoftEther. hide.me also includes AES-256 encryption, a built-in kill switch, and DNS leak protection. hide me has a no-logs policy, which states that they don’t collect personal data or monitor or log browsing behavior from its users. The VPN provider also states that all its usage data is completely anonymous. Back in 2023, hide.me VPN’s most recent independent audit was one conducted by Defense Code Ltd. in 2015. In 2025, hide.me VPN finally has a more recent third-party assessment done by Securitum,  published in July 2024. To me, this is a significant development considering how important it is for VPN audits to be recent and timely — considering how things can change quickly in terms of the security of an application like a VPN. In the Securitum audit, the firm confirmed that hide.me VPN did, in fact, apply its no-logs policy properly and did not have any issues that could compromise overall user privacy. hide.me also continues to provide a publicly accessible Transparency Report (2023) that covers illegal activity usage, copyright data, and law enforcement requests received by the VPN. This shows that hide.me is committed to upholding transparency and trust with its users. hide.me is based in Malaysia and isn’t obligated to store logs by local laws — a plus for privacy enthusiasts concerned about government surveillance. With its release of a more up-to-date third-party audit, hide.me hits all the marks needed to

Threat actors love phishing because it works. It is particularly effective in cloud infrastructure — once they’re inside, they gain access to anything else related to that cloud. According to Hornetsecurity’s Cybersecurity Report 2025, there were more than 471 million emails sent in 2024 that were flagged as “malicious.” In terms of email attacks, phishing remained the top attack method at 33.3%. This makes it by far the most common attack vector, next to malicious URLs. But not all phishing is the same. Highly targeted phishing campaigns against specific individuals or types of individuals are known as spear phishing. It’s important to be able to spot phishing in general. But for targets of spear phishing, it is even more essential to spot the telltale signs, as the damage done in these attacks tends to be greater. Semperis Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Advanced Attacks Detection, Advanced Automation, Anywhere Recovery, and more ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more NordLayer Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise What is phishing? Phishing is basically an online version of fishing — except instead of marine life, the goal is to lure gullible users to reveal passwords and personal information by clicking on a malicious link or opening an attachment. Typical attacks are sent through email. Sometimes, cybercriminals pose as representatives of cloud service providers and send messages related to a variety of online services and applications. Phishing messages are often skillfully written. A common tactic is to impersonate reputable brands like Facebook and Microsoft, as well as banks, internet service providers, the IRS, and law enforcement agencies. These emails contain the appropriate logos to appear legitimate. Anyone following their directions and handing over their login details or clicking on a link is likely to infect their device, download malware, or be locked out of their network and asked to pay a ransom. Phishing email example. Image: TechRepublic Once inside an application running in the cloud, threat actors can expand their attacks across more accounts and services. For example, breaching an organization’s Google or Microsoft cloud gives the attacker access to email accounts, contact lists, and document creation. By targeting a phishing campaign to obtain cloud credentials, the bad guys have a better chance of attracting a larger payload. How can you identify a phishing email or message? While phishing attempts can seem authentic, there are telltale signs which indicate that a message is part of a phishing attack. Here are a few to watch out for: Typographical or spelling errors. Unusual use of symbols or punctuation. Content is incoherent or poorly written. Message or email came from an unknown recipient. Uses generic greetings such as “Dear customer” or “Dear User.” Usually talks about something that’s too good to be true. Has suspicious links or file attachments. What is spear phishing? While phishing is generalized in that one phishing email may be sent to millions of people, spear phishing is highly targeted. The goal is to compromise the credentials of a specific person, such as the CEO or CFO of a company, as we reported on in 2023. In spear phishing, the messaging is carefully crafted. Criminals study social media postings and profiles to obtain as much data as possible on a victim. They may even gain access to the person’s email and remain invisible for months while they evaluate the kind of traffic the person has coming in. Spear phishing messages are designed to be far more believable than generic phishing attempts, as they are based on data taken from the person’s life and work. Reconnaissance makes the phishing email, text, or call very personalized. Spear phishing email example. Image: TechRepublic In the cloud, a high-value target might be someone with administrative privileges for systems spanning thousands of individual accounts. By compromising that one identity, hackers have free rein to infect thousands more users. SEE: Securing Linux Policy (TechRepublic Premium) What is the main difference between phishing and spear phishing? What distinguishes spear phishing from regular phishing is that the message generally has much more detail and adopts a tone of familiarity. The level of surprise and urgency is generally ramped up in spear phishing and often involves transferring money. Phishing Spear Phishing Target Mass or large group of people Individual or group with authority (CEO, CFOs, IT admins) Message’s level of detail Low-to-medium Very high Tone of message Generic or general Portrays familiarity with target; personalized Time frame Done in one instance Done over a long period of time Depth of research required Low Very high Method/medium Text, call, online message, or email Commonly done via business emails End goal Stealing a user’s credentials or obtaining small amounts of money from victim Typically involves transferring large sums of money or confidential data To be clear, many of the red flags for potential phishing emails also apply to spear phishing. They include typos in the text, bad grammar, emails from unknown recipients, suspicious links, a false sense of urgency, or requests via email to enter confidential information. Phishing emails go to large quantities of people rather than to specific individuals. For example, an email might be sent to thousands of people or everyone in one company telling them that IT wants them to verify their credentials by clicking on a link and entering them on a form. Spear phishing is more specific. For example, a CEO’s assistant might be targeted by a criminal who impersonates an email from the CEO. The hacker has been monitoring email messages and social media for months and knows

Wix and Squarespace rank among today’s top website builders, serving startups, growing brands, and creatives wanting a straightforward website solution. Wix shines with its highly flexible editor and app market, suitable for users looking for maximum creative control and customization. On the other hand, Squarespace offers sleek, ready-made designs and integrated marketing tools better suited for users who focus on ease of use and cohesive brand image. While both platforms support e-commerce, content creation, and mobile optimization, they differ in pricing structures, approaches to editing, and overall user experience. Wix vs Squarespace: Comparison table Wix and Squarespace are both prominent website builders, each offering valuable tools to craft a sophisticated website. The table below presents a clear, side-by-side comparison of their key features to help you choose the best fit. Wix Squarespace Best for Maximum creative control and customization Simplicity and structured website building Uptime Good consistency Excellent consistency Website templates Over 800 186 Integrations Extensive Good Starting price $17 $25 For more information Wix vs. Squarespace: Pricing Wix pricing Wix provides a range of pricing plans, including monthly, yearly, and multi-year options. Each plan includes 24/7 customer support, site analytics, dedicated storage, and a free domain for the first year. While Wix promotes its yearly and multi-year plans as offering better value, it does not specify the exact discount amounts. All plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Free trial available Lite: $17 per month Core: $29 per month Business: $36 per month Business Elite: $159 per month Wix has four pricing plans, starting at $17 per month. More expensive plans offer more features for business, e-commerce, and advanced customization. Squarespace pricing Squarespace simplifies pricing with clear monthly and annual pricing plans, with annual plans providing a discount for long-term use. Some benefits, like a free custom domain for the first year, are only available with an annual subscription. Every plan includes professionally designed templates, fully managed cloud hosting, and built-in SEO tools, ensuring a seamless website-building experience. It’s worth noting that Squarespace’s money-back guarantee only applies to annual plans. Free trial available Basic: $25 per month Core: $36 per month Plus: $56 per month Advanced: $139 per month Squarespace pricing starts at $25 per month, with annual plans available at a discounted rate. Wix is the winner in terms of pricing, thanks to its flexible plans and a risk-free trial. While the Squarespace cost structure might appear cheaper at first glance, Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, even on its monthly plans, making it a less risky starting point. Plus, Wix has a free tier, so you can explore the platform without spending any money upfront. Wix vs. Squarespace: Feature comparison Uptime Wix offers a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee, but recent data from December 2024 to February 2025 tells a different story. During this period, Wix experienced multiple incidents, including a major outage in January and a partial outage in February. While these disruptions were temporary, they implicated site availability for users. Wix experienced inconsistent uptimes from December 2024 to February 2025. Like Wix, Squarespace promises 99.9 percent uptime. However, historical uptime data from December 2024 to February 2025 shows the website builder outperformed that guarantee. Throughout this period, Squarespace maintained a perfect 100 percent uptime with no reported outages. Squarespace maintained 100% uptime from December 2024 to February 2025. For uptime, Squarespace wins with its consistency. While Wix had incidents that disrupted availability, Squarespace maintained flawless performance. If reliability is a top priority, Squarespace is the stronger choice. Design Flexibility Wix delivers a high level of design flexibility with over 800 templates and a drag-and-drop editor that lets you tweak almost every element of your site. You can change colors, fonts, layouts, and customize buttons and menus to match your brand. Its versatility is great for creative freedom, but it can feel overwhelming, especially for beginners. Overall, Wix is an excellent choice if you want full control over your site’s design and don’t mind spending time fine-tuning. Wix has a wide variety of design tools to tailor nearly every website element, but the abundance of options can be overwhelming. Squarespace brings design flexibility within a more structured framework compared to Wix. Its selection of over 180 templates is mobile-responsive but less customizable, as it uses a grid-based editor that can be restrictive. Customization options in Squarespace are simpler but allow you to adjust fonts, colors, and layouts while maintaining a professional look. Its editor is less flexible than Wix’s but more user-friendly, making it ideal if you want a guided experience. If you value simplicity over endless customization, Squarespace is what you need. Square has limited design tools, but its clear layout makes customization easy to manage, even for beginners. Wix dominates in design flexibility with its unrestricted editor that gives complete creative control, letting you customize virtually every site element, even without coding knowledge. Unlike Squarespace’s more systematic approach, Wix empowers you to develop truly unique websites by adjusting even the smallest details to match your vision. E-commerce Tools Wix provides a wide range of e-commerce features, including a custom online store where you can upload up to 50,000 products. It also introduces a mobile-optimized storefront and Wix Multilingual for translating site content and expanding global reach. Its support for more than 80 payment gateways enhances payment flexibility, while its abandoned cart recovery and automated email campaigns drive sales. Additionally, Wix’s multichannel selling feature allows you to sell on various platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, and eBay. Wix lets you build captivating e-commerce sites with customizable selling features. Similarly, Squarespace has robust e-commerce functionalities, including marketing tools to boost sales and shipping rules so you can tailor how your products are fulfilled. It also enhances reach through multichannel selling, syncing catalogs across Instagram, Facebook, Google Search, and YouTube from one dashboard. That said, Squarespace has a limit of 10,000 products per site and supports fewer payment options compared to Wix. It also charges transaction fees on some plans, which can impact profitability as sales

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is officially retiring Skype on May 5, ending the app’s two-decade run as a pioneer in video calling. The move signals Microsoft’s full shift toward Teams, its all-in-one messaging and video platform. “At this point, putting all our focus behind Teams will let us give a simpler message and drive faster innovation,” Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms President Jeff Teper told TechCrunch. Skype service will end on May 5 An XDA Developers reader first spotted a string of code inside Skype in Windows preview displaying a message about migration. The message says “Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.” Microsoft confirmed the Skype shutdown in an official blog on Friday. “With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing,” Teper wrote. “Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free.” SEE: A Slack outage this week stemmed from a problem in the Events API and an ongoing issue. What’s hot at TechRepublic Skype struggled to find a place next to Teams Once a dominant force in video communication, Skype has struggled to compete in a market now led by Zoom, Google Meet, and FaceTime. Despite seeing some growth during the 2020 lockdowns, Skype’s user base dwindled to 36 million by 2023, while Microsoft Teams surged to 320 million users. Microsoft offered a Skype for Business tier from 2015 to 2021; after 2021, it prioritized Teams as both a messaging and video solution on Windows 11. How to transition from Skype to Teams In the coming days, Skype users will be able to sign in to Teams using their existing Skype credentials. Members of the Teams and Skype Insider programs can make the switch immediately, with all Skype chats and contacts automatically appearing in Teams. Between now and May, Teams and Skype users will be able to call and chat across platforms. Skype data (chats, contacts, and call history) can be exported manually if the user wants to hang on to it instead of shifting it to Teams. However, Skype Credit and international calling subscriptions are no longer available. Existing Skype subscriptions will remain active until their next renewal date. The Skype Dial Pad will stay online for paid users, residing within the Skype web portal and in Teams. source

Data theft accounted for 94% of all cyber attacks worldwide in 2024, according to new research, as cybercriminals increasingly combine data exfiltration with encryption in ransomware campaigns. Beyond encryption, ransomware attackers now threaten to leak or sell a company’s data on the dark web if victims refuse to pay. Stolen information often includes personally identifiable data and proprietary intellectual property. The findings come from BlackFog’s 2024 Ransomware Trend Report, which analysed ransomware activity across hundreds of publicly disclosed and non-disclosed attacks on global organisations between January and December. The report found the average amount of data stolen in an undisclosed exfiltration attack is 592 GB, and the number of disclosed and undisclosed cyber attacks increased by 25% and 26% year-over-year, respectively. Dr. Darren Williams, founder and chief executive officer of BlackFog, said in a press release: “The report shows 2024 was a landmark year with organizations facing growing financial and reputational damage from ransomware attacks, with high-value sectors particularly pressured to pay ransoms to restore operations.” According to IBM’s Cost of Data Breach report, the average cost of a ransomware attack involving data exfiltration in 2024 was $5.21 million. “As cybercriminals continuously refine their techniques to exploit vulnerabilities and launch large-scale attacks, defending against ransomware is becoming increasingly complex,” Dr. Williams added. “Governments are stepping up efforts to counter this growing threat, introducing new measures such as mandatory ransomware incident reporting. However, the global ransomware crisis continues to escalate at an alarming rate.” Ransomware attackers are increasingly drawn to legitimate enterprise tools In September 2024, security researchers discovered a double-extortion ransomware variant targeting VMware ESXi servers, which both copied and encrypted the target’s data. Ransomware groups have also been exploiting legitimate file transfer technology to secure attacks. SEE: Microsoft Says Ransomware Groups Are Exploiting the Newly-Patched VMware ESXi Flaw BlackFog reported that PowerShell was used in 56% of ransomware cases in 2024, highlighting how attackers are increasingly “leveraging legitimate tools and platforms to infiltrate networks, establish a presence, and exfiltrate data without triggering alarms from many endpoint protection platforms.” Must-read security coverage Top targeted industries face relentless pressure The manufacturing, services, and technology sectors saw the highest number of undisclosed attacks, and are often-cited as highly targeted due to the critical nature of their uptime, high levels of digitisation, and large volumes of sensitive data. For disclosed attacks, healthcare, government, and education were the most targeted, accounting for 47% of all ransomware-related news headlines in 2024. The biggest surge was seen in the retail sector where disclosed attacks spiked by 96% with high-profile victims including Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, London Drugs, and Krispy Kreme. Ransomware groups: Old leaders persist, new players emerge LockBit remained the most active ransomware group, attacking 603 reported victims. This was despite a major law enforcement takedown in February 2024, led by the U.K. National Crime Agency’s Cyber Division, the FBI, and other international partners. The operation temporarily disabled LockBit’s ransomware-as-a-service platform, but the group resumed operations days later on a new dark web domain. Still, payments to LockBit decreased by 79% in the second half of the year, according to separate research from Chainalysis. BlackFog’s report identified RansomHub as the second-most active ransomware group of 2024. A relative newcomer, it emerged in February 2024 and quickly gained notoriety with attacks on global manufacturer Kawasaki and oil and gas services company Halliburton. Medusa and Play ranked third in disclosed and undisclosed incidents, respectively. Surge in new ransomware groups fueled by AI A Cyberint report from October found that Q2 2024 had the highest number of active ransomware groups on record, as smaller, newer groups entered the scene. In January 2024, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre warned that the threat of ransomware was expected to rise due to the new availability of AI technologies decreasing the barrier to entry, enabling even inexperienced criminals to conduct sophisticated attacks. BlackFog’s research reinforced these findings, reporting that 48 new ransomware groups emerged in 2024, marking a 65% increase from the number of new variants from the previous year. More than half of all ransomware attacks in the last two months of 2024 were carried out by these newly formed groups. source

TL;DR: Improve your productivity and comfort with the Tetra Ergonomic Split Keyboard — at home, at the office, or on vacation — for $299.99. If you’ve been looking for  ways to work smarter, have you considered  how a smart ergonomic keyboard could make a big difference to your productivity? Even if you keep up with the latest  computing and consumer electronics trends, you might have missed just how far keyboard technology has advanced. Enter the Tetra Ergonomic Split Keyboard with Touchscreen. Tetra’s most striking feature is its 8-inch Multi-Touch Display, which basically serves as a secondary screen — similar to Apple’s Touch Bar — perfect for displaying chat windows, apps, notes, music controls, and more without adding clutter to your main monitor. The next standout feature is its ergonomic split layout, which was designed specifically to reduce strain and increase comfort by defaulting to a natural wrist position. Your ideal wrist position may vary depending on the task, but the Tetra adapts with multiple typing modes. Splice Mode connects the three components into a straight line with the screen in the center, serving as a secondary display, workspace manager, or shortcut hub. Split Mode allows you to separate the keyboard modules, creating more space between your hands to improve your posture and reduce wrist strain. Stacked Mode keeps the keyboard halves together while the screen remains independent, offering the familiar keyboard layout with added flexibility. When work is done, this keyboard switches into Game Mode, which will improve both precision and comfort even during long gaming sessions by repositioning the right keyboard module, creating extra space for your mouse, and reducing shoulder and wrist strain. Editors, graphic designers, and other professionals can supercharge their productivity with fully customizable hotkeys for launching apps, programming macros, executing commands, and just streamlining workflows in general. Wirelessly connect up to three devices and instantly switch between them to conveniently multitask with multiple systems. The Tetra keyboard is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu. It has a long-lasting battery and a travel-friendly design, making it perfect for work trips and vacations. Get the Tetra Ergonomic Split Keyboard and Touchscreen for only $299.99 — but act fast, as this  limited offer won’t last. Prices and availability are subject to change. source

Choosing the best web hosting provider can make or break your website’s success, affecting everything from loading speeds to reliability and security. Whether you’re launching a small business site or managing a high-traffic platform, the right hosting solution ensures performance, scalability, and protection for your data. With a wide range of options available, comparing key features, pricing, and use cases is important. Some providers focus on affordability, while others offer advanced security, speed, and scalability. Selecting a solution that aligns with your needs lays a strong foundation for your online presence. Best web hosting services comparison Web Hosting Provider Our Rating Web Hosting Services Starting price Money-Back Guarantee DreamHost 4.2 Shared Hosting VPS Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting Managed WordPress Hosting Cloud Hosting First three months at $4.95 per month 97-day period Hostinger 4.1 Shared Hosting Cloud Hosting VPS Hosting WordPress Hosting $11.99 per month for a one-month term 30-day period Wix 4 Website Builder with Hosting $17 per month 14-day period Squarespace 3.9 Website Builder with Hosting $25 per month 14-day period (not applicable to monthly plans) GoDaddy 3.7 Shared Hosting WordPress Hosting VPS Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting Business Hosting Reseller Hosting $5.99 per month for basic websites 30-day period for annual contracts or longer ScalaHosting 3.7 Shared Hosting Managed VPS Hosting Self-Managed Cloud VPS Hosting WordPress Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting $12.95 per month for a one-month term 30-day period for new clients Bluehost 3.6 Shared Hosting VPS Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting Managed WordPress Hosting $2.95 per month for a 12-month term for 10 websites. 30-day period DreamHost: Best overall Image: DreamHost DreamHost is a renowned web hosting provider that offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting services to cater to diverse users’ needs and budgets. This provider has options to support the hosting requirements of SMBs, web developers, eCommerce businesses, and even bloggers. These offerings extend beyond basic hosting to include website creation, management, and security tools. While well-regarded for its WordPress support, DreamHost also delivers flexible hosting environments for other CMS platforms, like Joomla, and custom-built websites. It has a strong uptime guarantee of 100 percent and prioritizes customer data control, something to consider if you want reliable, privacy-focused hosting. DreamHost also provides 24/7 support via email and chat, as well as an extended money-back guarantee of 97 days — so you can try their services risk-free. Why I chose DreamHost DreamHost is my top overall pick for its reliability, versatility, and scalability to fit any business size. Free SSL and seamless integrations keep websites secure and high-performing. With hosting options ranging from shared to dedicated, businesses can scale as needed. While Hostinger is best for startups on a budget, DreamHost stands out with a 100% uptime guarantee, a 97-day money-back period, and broad CMS support. Additionally, it offers excellent performance for WordPress, Joomla, and other CMS solutions. Its 24/7 service brings peace of mind. Pricing DreamHost provides several web hosting plans for Shared Hosting, WordPress Hosting, and VPS Hosting services. You can choose from the plans below based on the type and number of sites you have and your business size. Shared Hosting for Multiple Sites: First three months at $4.95 per month, then $7.99 per month. DreamPress for WordPress: First three months at $19.95 per month, then $23.99 per month. VPS Hosting for Growing Businesses: First month at $15.00 per month, then $37.99 per month. Standout features 1-Click Installer for select webapps, like WordPress. Intuitive custom control panel. Solid State Drives (SSDs) for accelerating website, caching, and database queries. Free SSL certificate. SEO Toolkit. Top integrations DreamHost integrates seamlessly with popular platforms to improve your website’s performance and security. It simplifies WordPress installation and updates and supports WooCommerce for online stores. It also integrates with Cloudflare for faster loading times and protection against cyberattacks. Image: Screenshot DreamHost interface. Source: DreamHost Pros and cons Pros Cons 100 percent uptime guarantee. Free automated WordPress migrations. AI website builder. Generous money-back guarantee period. Lacks phone support. Steep learning curve. Hostinger: Best for startups Image: Hostinger Hostinger is a reputable web hosting service with user-friendly features, making it an ideal choice for startups. With discounted pricing plans, this provider allows new businesses to establish their online presence without any initial investment. It delivers a free domain registration, unlimited bandwidth, and a user-friendly website builder, facilitating quick and effortless website creation. Its intuitive control panel makes management tasks much easier, so you can focus on growing your business rather than dealing with technical matters. Hostinger also offers cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and specialized managed hosting for WordPress and WooCommerce. With a promise of 99.9 percent uptime and daily backups, Hostinger provides the reliability that startups need to build trust with their audience. Why I chose Hostinger Why I chose Hostinger I highly recommend Hostinger for startups seeking feature-packed web hosting without breaking the bank. While DreamHost offers a broader range of advanced services, Hostinger’s lower-cost plans and AI website builder make it perfect for new businesses. Its shared, cloud, and VPS hosting provide flexible options, and the free malware scanner and regular backups keep your data safe. Pricing Hostinger has multiple pricing options with additional features like AI tools, enhanced security, and priority support available on more expensive plans. It also gives a 75 percent discount for longer 12-month and 24-month terms and an 80 percent discount for a 48-month term for the following tiers: Premium: $11.99 per month for a one-month term Business: $13.99 per month for a one-month term Cloud Startup: $27.99 per month for a one-month term Standout features LiteSpeed technology that manages server maintenance, security updates, and backups. AI-powered website building tools available on higher-tier plans. Free malware scanner. Weekly, daily, and on-demand backups. NVMe SSD storage. Top integrations Hostinger’s integrations include Cloudflare for better security and quicker loading times, Elementor for easy website building, and Flock for team collaboration. It also integrates with important platforms, such as Google AdSense, Meta Pixel, and Hotjar. Image: Screenshot Hostinger interface. Source: Hostinger Pros and cons Pros Cons 99.9