Lenovo website breached, hacker group Lizard Squad claims responsibility

People stand under a sign showing the Lenovo company at a computer market in Shanghai January 21, 2014.

Credit: /Aly Song

- China's Lenovo Group Ltd website was hacked, the company said on Wednesday, days after the U.S. government advised Lenovo customers to remove a pre-installed virus-like software, "Superfish", on laptops that makes the devices more vulnerable to attacks.

Hacking group Lizard Squad claimed to be behind the attacks, according to its Twitter page.

Lizard Squad has taken credit for several high-profile outages, including attacks that took down Sony Corp's PlayStation Network and Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live network last month. Members of the group have not been identified.

"The domain name service server hosting Lenovo's website was hacked. We do not have any further information at this time to share. We'll update as soon as possible," Lenovo said in a statement to .

San Francisco-based security firm CloudFlare said hackers transferred the domain to CloudFlare in order to point it to a defacement site.

"As soon as we at CloudFlare noticed, we seized the account and worked with Lenovo to restore service while they worked to recover their domain," Marc Rogers, Principal Security Researcher at CloudFlare, said in an email to .

Starting 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, visitors to the Lenovo website saw a slideshow of young people looking into webcams and the song "Breaking Free" playing in the background, according to The Verge, which first reported the breach.

"We're breaking free! Soarin', flyin', there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach!," Lizard Squad posted on its Twitter page, quoting the song from the movie "High School Musical".

The hackers also posted a couple of screenshots of an email between Lenovo employees regarding the "Superfish" software.

The Department of Homeland Security said in an alert on Friday that the "Superfish" program makes users vulnerable to a type of cyberattack known as SSL spoofing, in which remote attackers can read encrypted web traffic, redirect traffic from official websites to spoofs, and perform other attacks.

Rogers also said CloudFlare was able to restore service before Lenovo recovered the domain, suggesting that the outage was probably "quite small".

However, Lenovo's website was inaccessible at 7:54 p.m. ET. A message said the site was unavailable due to system maintenance.

Google expands push into workplace with Android for Work effort

A Google search page is reflected in sunglasses in this photo illustration taken in Brussels in this file photo taken on May 30, 2014.

Credit: /Francois Lenoir

- Google Inc launched an initiative on Wednesday to make smartphones running its Android software more appealing to corporations, a move that could help extend the Internet company's reach into workplaces.

Google said on its official blog that its Android for Work program will provide improved security and management features for corporations that want to give their employees Android smartphones. Smartphones supported by the new initiative will be able to keep an employee's work and personal apps separate, and a special Android for Work app will allow businesses to oversee key tools such as email, calendar and contacts.

Google said it is partnering with more than two dozen companies including Blackberry Ltd, Citrix Systems Inc, Box Inc.

Google's Android software is the world's most popular mobile operating system, but many corporations, which have significant security and device management requirements, give their employees smartphones made by Blackberry or Apple Inc.

BlackBerry working with Google to secure Android devices

The Blackberry sign is pictured in Waterloo June 19, 2014.

Credit: /Mark Blinch

- BlackBerry Ltd said on Wednesday that it is working with Google Inc to enable its software to manage and secure some of Google's Android devices, a move that builds on BlackBerry's recent partnership with Samsung Electronics Co.

In November, BlackBerry announced partnerships with Samsung and other high-profile technology industry players, broadening the reach of its revamped mobile-device management and security platform.

BlackBerry said it is offering a "highly secure mobility solution" for Samsung's Android devices. The new system weds BlackBerry's security platform with the South Korean company's own security software for its line-up of Galaxy devices that are powered by Google's Android operating system.

On Wednesday, BlackBerry outlined a similar tie-up directly with Google, to manage devices equipped with Android for Work - Google's own solution to securely separate business and personal data and applications.

BlackBerry shares rose 4.3 percent to $10.71 on the Nasdaq following the announcement.

A New York agenda with Hootsuite's night owl

- Ryan Holmes, chief executive officer of Hootsuite, may have grown up on a farm without electricity, but this 40-year-old Canadian went on to found a social media management tool with over 11 million users.

When Holmes travels from his home base in Vancouver, it's New York City that captures his imagination. Forget the stuffy midtown mentality of the business world, though. Holmes prefers to do his work downtown while rubbing elbows with the hipster crowd.

If you have two days and want to make the most of your time in the Big Apple - both personally and professionally - here are his insider tips.

Best way to get to town from the airport: Uber or a cab is my way to go.

Where to stay: The Ace Hotel (20 West 29th St.) is a favorite. They have a mini suite with some furnishings like a turntable and guitar that makes you feel like you're at home. The Gansevoort (18 9th Ave.) and The Standard (848 Washington St.) are also fun and in the Meatpacking District. If I'm in early and my room isn't ready, I'll hang at the Ace.

Caffeinate: Stumptown Coffee Roasters (lobby of the Ace Hotel). It's like having a little piece of the west coast in New York City. I'm also a Blue Bottle fan - they have several digs now.

Where to have a productive business meeting: The Ace lobby is way too busy for a secret meeting. Standard Grill has these amazing booths that you can tuck away into to have a productive business meeting. The atmosphere is elegant, yet laid back - great for talking business or just building relationships over food and drink. Soho House (29-35 Ninth Ave.) is good if you're a member, and Gansevoort Rooftop is also fantastic for poolside meetings.

Ideal place for a team outing: Some of the best places in NYC are the hole-in-the-wall eats and hidden bars. I love taking my team out to the city's speakeasies in Alphabet City - they're great for catching up over unique cocktails and clever spaces. SPiN (48 East 23rd St.) is also pretty cool for some team ping pong.

Preferred power breakfast spot: The Breslin (16 West 29th St.) with some Stumptown is a pretty killer combo and really convenient if you're staying at the Ace.

Eat, drink and be fit: Don't-miss meals at Spice Market (403 West 13th St.) or Momofuku (207 Second Ave.), and, to burn it all off, hit a SoulCycle.

Tourist traps that are worth a visit, if you've got some time to spare: It's usually a (expletive) to navigate, but every so often, I like just sitting around Times Square and getting lost in the crowds. If you want something a bit more chill, the High Line at sunset is great.

Watering hole: The Top of the Standard has some gorgeous views. Sleep No More (532 West 27th St.) has a great bar, but it is a bit more of an investment in the night.

Opera offers new feature for free access to mobile Web apps

- Norway's Opera, whose browser software has helped mobile operators sign up millions of users for free or low-cost Internet access, said on Tuesday it was introducing features that let operators offer subscribers free access to selected apps.

For several years, Opera has been offering users of its Opera Mini browser access to free data on most mobile phones. This meant users could get access to an hour or a day of free time on Facebook or music on Spotify.

What's different with the new feature, called Opera Max with App Pass, is that it is no longer confined solely to Opera browser users. Instead, App Pass works with any browser or mobile app a user may choose to use. The service is only available on Android smartphones for now.

In addition, many of the top handset makers in emerging markets have agreed to pre-load the Opera Max free data feature on their latest phone models, Opera said.

These include Samsung Electronics, Micromax, Mobistel, Evercoss, and Tecno, it said.

"We really believe we can drive millions and millions of users through these pre-loaded deals," Opera Chief Executive Lars Boilesen said in a phone interview.

European and Asian operator Telenor will be the first partner with Opera and launch Opera Max with App Pass, testing it in some of the company’s Asian markets, starting with DiGi, Malaysia's No. 3 operator, Opera said.

Opera Max software takes advantage of the company's video and data compression technologies, which enable more than 20 mobile network operators mainly in emerging markets to offer subsidized App passes to their subscribers.

Opera, maker of a Web browser that is popular among mobile phone users in developing markets, also said the new App Pass feature would soon allow advertisers to offer phone users sponsored or paid passes for using mobile Web apps.

"A lot of advertising brands are looking do something for users rather than just sell ads," Boilesen said. "We basically allow brands to offer free data plans."

Consumers can use Opera Max to manage their data consumption on the Web and inside apps, helping to conserve 50 percent of the data they might otherwise use, the company said.

Because App Pass no longer requires that users be running in the Opera browser, the company sees the new feature as appealing to operators in developed markets as well, who are now free to offer it to all their users, Boilesen said.

New Osram CEO has no plans for further job cuts: paper

- The new boss of Germany's Osram Licht (OSRn.DE) has no plans at present to cut more jobs at the lighting products maker, he was quoted as saying by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday.

Osram, the world's second-biggest lighting firm after Dutch group Philips (PHG.AS), has cut thousands of jobs as it seeks to refocus its business on higher-margin LED lighting, where it is racing to stay ahead of Asian rivals.

"Staff cuts are not at stake, I am not at all thinking about that," Olaf Berlien, who became the company's chief executive last month, told the newspaper in an interview.

"We must try to find new business opportunities and to transfer employees from classic lighting operations to the new world," the newspaper quoted Berlien as saying.

The CEO pledged earlier this month to speed up restructuring at Osram where adjusted core earnings before interest, tax and amortization (EBITA) rose to a more-than-expected 151 million euros ($171 million) in the first quarter.

Cablevision loses video subscribers for 10th straight quarter

- Cablevision Systems Corp reported a drop in the number of video subscribers for the tenth quarter in a row, sending the cable TV provider's shares down more than 5 percent in early trading.

The company also posted a 3.4 percent fall in adjusted operating cash flow, a closely watched metric for the cable TV industry.

Cable and satellite distributors have been under pressure to stop consumers from dumping their cable subscriptions, or "cutting the cord", as subscribers increasingly shift to internet-based services.

Cablevision, which is controlled by New York's Dolan family, said the number of video customers fell 4.7 percent to 2.68 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

Adjusted operating cash flow fell to $440.9 million.

The decline in subscribers overshadowed a better-than-expected profit, which was helped by a 9 percent increase in cable advertising revenue and a 5.3 percent increase in the average monthly cable revenue per customer.

Net revenue rose to $1.63 billion from $1.58 billion.

Net income attributable to Cablevision stockholders rose to $56 million, or 20 cents per share, from $51.8 million, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts were expecting a profit of 19 cents per share on revenue of $1.63 billion, according to Thomson I/B/E/S.

The company's shares were down 3.2 percent at $19.17 in early trading.

Car technology troublesome but important to buyers: J.D. Power

A Lexus F Sport is displayed on pedestals during the second press day of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 13, 2015.

Credit: /Mark Blinch

- Connecting a mobile phone and giving voice commands are still causing drivers problems, but new technology features will be highly desirable to buyers when they make their next new vehicle purchase, according to a study of auto dependability released on Wednesday.

Looks and exterior design are still the top reasons why people avoid buying a certain model, J.D. Power said. But if a car, truck of SUV does not have the latest technology, 15 percent said they would not buy it, up from only 4 percent last year.

The annual J.D. Power study is one of several that taken together show that certain brands -- Lexus, Toyota and of late, General Motors' Buick and Chevrolet brands -- are getting consistently high marks, while others consistently struggle to get above average despite quality control efforts

Lexus, the luxury brand from Toyota Motor Corp, scored the highest for the fourth straight year in the J.D. Power study.

On Tuesday, the influential Consumer Reports magazine rated Lexus the best brand in the U.S. market for the third straight year.

In both studies, General Motors Co’s Buick made big moves upward, finishing second in the J.D. Power survey and becoming the first U.S. brand to be in the top 10 of the Consumer Reports brand report card.

Joining Buick in the top 10 in J.D. Power study were GM’s Cadillac at fourth, with Chevrolet and GMC tied for 10th. There were 31 brands ranked.

“GM has improved relative to the industry average for seven straight years.” said Dave Sargent, vice president of Global Automotive Research at J.D. Power.

He said Buick still has a “relatively older owner profile” of buyers who look after their cars and are more apt to go to dealers, where they can be helped with adapting to new technologies.

Ford Motor Co has been more aggressive introducing technologies such as voice controls, and its namesake brand fell to 25th from 17th last year and 13th in 2013. Ford says its newer systems are easier to use.

The Toyota brand, Honda and Volkswagen AG’s (VOWG_p.DE) Porsche rounded out the top half-dozen brands.

Two consistently low-scoring brands were at the bottom of the J.D. Power study. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Fiat finished last while next-to-last was Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors of India.