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DHL Express to open new US$79m cargo facility at Munich Airport
DHL Express Germany is planning to build a new cargo facility, covering more than 8,000 square metres, at Munich Airport
DHL Express Germany is planning to build a new cargo facility, covering more than 8,000 square metres, at Munich Airport.
Construction of the EUR70 million (US$78.53 million) new facility is scheduled to commence in 2022.
DHL Express said the new facility is being planned and constructed after it saw an increase in import and export volumes at the Munich hub. At present, DHL Express rents hall space at the cargo centre at Munich Airport. With the new agreement, which was signed digitally because of Covid-19 restrictions, DHL Express said it will lease the land from Munich Airport in order to plan, build and operate the new building.
The new gateway 'will obtain the globally recognised TAPA Class A certification' and will have direct airside access and two 'PUD' (pick-up and delivery) fingers, enabling up to 65 delivery vehicles to be dispatched there, the company said.
Markus Reckling, managing director of DHL Express Germany, commented: 'The existing building could not keep up with this growth. After modernising and expanding our service centre in Unterschleibheim for EUR13 million last year already, the construction of our new gateway at the airport is the next step in the infrastructure plan with which we are clearly committing to our presence in the Munich region.
'Even in the currently difficult economic situation, we are continuing to invest systematically in service for our customers, which is our top priority.'
Munich Airport chief executive Jost Lammers welcomed DHL Express's decision to focus systematically on growth at Munich Airport. He said: 'Particularly in these difficult times for the aviation industry, this sends an important signal and is a strong proof of confidence in Munich as a business location. The increased commitment of DHL Express will sharpen our profile as a logistics location and create significant stimulation for air freight traffic.'


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Malaysia’s Hong Seng Consolidated Bhd is said to have put a halt on a RM3 billion project for a nitrile butadiene latex (NBL) plant in Kedah Rubber City, due to what it says is “weak market sentiment” in the industry.
“The group has made a strategic decision to suspend the development of the NBL plant in view of various factors including project requirements, funding requirements and external factors beyond the group’s control, such as the current weak market sentiment regarding the glove industry, capital raising needs and inflows of private and foreign investments,” the company said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia Securities.
Hong Seng bought 42.49 ha of federal land in Kedah Rubber City for RM45.74 million for the set-up of the plant in 2020.
Kedah Rubber City is one of the national projects under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) Strategic Development Plan 2021-2025 (SDP) and the first dedicated rubber industrial park in Kedah, covering an area of 494.5 ha.
Following its decision to suspend the NBL plant, the company said it will renegotiate with NCER on the terms of the agreement in relation to the Kedah Rubber City NBL project and explore alternative use of the land.
With its decision, a plan by its subsidiary, HS Petchem Logistics Sdn Bhd, to build storage tank facilities to store feedstocks such as Butadine (BD) and Acrylonitrile (AN) petrochemicals, and provide logistics services for the supply of feedstocks to the NBL has also been aborted.
BD and AN are the raw materials required for the manufacturing of NBL.
The group has reached an agreement to terminate the sub-lease of 1.2 ha of industrial land from Penang Port Sdn Bhd, where the storage tank facilities were to be built, for a period of 20 years for a total rental payment of RM8.5 million.
When it was launched last year, the plant was expected to attract additional investment of RM5 billion through the support industry and the nitrile rubber industry value chain as well as create more than 1,600 jobs in various fields of expertise, especially for residents around the rubber city, namely in Padang Terap, Kedah.

domain: news


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These are all the posts that have been tagged with packaging.
UK manufacturer of specialist dairy products BV Dairy has begun contract packaging after signing a new long term contract to produce bottled kefir cultured milk drinks.
Plastic, despite the sight of islands of it floating in the Pacific Ocean, has been a great benefit to modern society – it provides us with safe, clean food in a transportable package, among its many other qualities.
Dairy UK is set to get a new chairman in the form of Paul Vernon, the CEO of Glanbia Cheese Ltd. He succeeds the very capable Dr David Dobbin in this important role, as the British dairy industry faces its most challenging years.
After ten years as CEO of Norweigan packaging supplier Elopak, Niels Petter Wright has announced that he will be resigning from the position.
British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has become the first major retailer to source all of its fresh milk from RSPCA Assured dairy farms.
In response to growing demand for nutritious dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa, Arla is setting up a new sales and packaging facility in Accra, Ghana.
Greiner Packaging has increased its shares in Turkish dairy product packaging company Teknik Plastik Greiner Ambalaj from 51% to 100%.
Germany’s biggest dairy group Deutsches Milchkontor (DMK) can now strengthen its market position in the Netherlands, as the cartel authorities in the Netherlands has allowed DOC Dairy Partners, a subsidiary of DMK, to take over Dutch business Uniekaas.
Supplier profiles Packaging Pumps & Valves Process Automation Show Issue: DrinkTec, International Whey Conference, PPMA, PowTech, Process Expo
Mintel research reveals that ice cream consumption is on the rise.
Filling & Packaging Conveying Wastewater Treatment Whey Products
Silvestre Tulumba Investimentos (STI) in Angola has chosen GEA for the building of a turnkey dairy powder packing plant.
In the EU, milk and dairy products have been legally recognised for decades as unique in their nutritional composition, quality and source, being the secretion from a mammal.
The organisers of packaging and processing trade show Interpack have set the dates for the 2020 event, which will take place from 7-13 May.


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Toshiba is close to launching its first commercial direct-methanol fuel-cell device, which promises a faster way to recharge portable electronics products.
Apple boosted its share of the US consumer smart phone market by 55 percent after cutting the price of its iPhone and rolling out a 3G model this summer, a research firm said Monday.
The decision to unify the onset of daylight saving in participating states could cause troubles for some newer mobile phones, according to Telstra.
Finnish phone maker Nokia launched its first touch-screen phone on Thursday, intending to one-up Apple's iPhone on features and be competitively priced.
Nokia will stop developing its enterprise mobile e-mail platform Intellisync: its future enterprise e-mail systems will be based on platforms from Cisco, Microsoft and IBM, among others.
Tired of getting the brush-off from Apple, Israeli researcher Aviv Raff Thursday disclosed technical details about a pair of iPhone security flaws that he first reported more than two months ago.
3 Mobile has unveiled a new set of mobile prepaid cap plans, aimed at giving customers greater control over how to use their credit.
Bending to criticism from iPhone developers, Apple Wednesday announced it is dropping the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for applications that have been released.
SanDisk this week announced the launch of the world’s largest capacity microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards -- the first cards of their kind to offer 16GB of storage.
Facebook updated its iPhone application this week, posting version 2.0 on Apple's App Store for free download.
Toshiba has put a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) inside a mobile phone, but commercial availability of the technology isn't expected soon.
As wireless devices become more numerous within businesses, their convenience will be counterbalanced by an increasing potential for security problems, according to a Gartner analyst.
Imagine asking mobile operators to compete in an auction for the chance to offer you service and then switching from one operator to the next multiple times a day to get the best rate or more bandwidth.
Visa wants to become a part of your mobile phone, working with Nokia on realizing mobile payments and also announcing services for Google's Android platform.
T-Mobile is backpedaling on the limit it placed on the so-called unlimited data plan that will accompany its Android phone, but the operator isn't saying exactly what the new terms will be.
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Rumors had pointed to a spring 2023 reveal for Apple's VR/AR headset, but a new report says it has been pushed back to at or around June's WWDC.
Apple's next product category is expected to be a wearable visor with mixed reality software. It would be an at-home computer capable of transporting the user to different locations for work or play.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is aiming to reveal the new headset during its Worldwide Developer Conference held in June. The information was revealed by people familiar with the matter who wished to remain anonymous.
This is a two-month delay if previous reports of an April reveal were accurate. Analyst and leaker Ming-Chi Kuo previously shared that the headset wouldn't ship until the second half of 2023, which aligns with a June reveal.
Apple's push into virtual reality or a form of mixed reality that adds augmented reality aspects has been rumored for years. Apple CEO Tim Cook has commented on Apple's interest in AR regularly, likely relating to an eventual release of a Google Glass-like product dubbed Apple Glass.
The stepping stone to a wearable AR experience is expected to be a virtual reality headset. It would run its own xrOS operating system and display information via powerful displays that sit over a user's eyes, obscuring the world around them.
The device is expected to launch in 2023 after numerous rumored schedule changes. It could carry a price tag as high as $3,000.


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Facebook has been seeing huge growth in the amount of traffic it sees from mobile devices, but so far making money on that traffic has been a struggle — CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently noted that mobile only makes up 14 percent of ad revenue, despite 60 percent of its users accessing the service from mobile devices . The Wall Street Journal reports on the company’s changing mobile ad strategy, including a Black Friday partnership with Walmart for the biggest mobile ad campaign in its history. The retailer mounted its 50-million-ad offensive by prepurchasing the space ahead of its competitors in an Apple-like move to corner the market.
Read more here:
How Facebook tested new mobile ad tactics with Walmart


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The future of glasses according to Apple? Here is a new patent published in recent hours.
Apple’s idea is to create smart glasses that can automatically adapt to your eyes, based on degrees, tenths and / or diopters. The self-adjusting lenses are presumably intended for the Apple Glasses which the company is expected to release two or three years after the first AR / VR headset expected by the end of 2022.
In the last few days, we’ve also shown you a concept that describes what these Apple-branded eyewear could look like, when the patent we’re talking about today is specifically for the lenses. Their objective ? End the purchase of different lenses over the years, as the glasses will automatically adapt to the condition of the eyes.
The patent in question is very technical, but Apple specifically talks about glasses with adjustable lenses: “Adjustable glasses can include an adjustable fovea liquid crystal glass connected to an adjustable non-liquid crystal glass, a liquid filled glass, or an Alvarez glass. “
These Apple glasses will collect data related to the wearer’s eyes and then adjust the optical power of the lens based on that information. The glasses will continue to monitor the user’s eyes to make sure the lenses are correct, otherwise they will be fitted differently.
If this patent came true, it would be a revolutionary innovation for all eyeglass wearers. What do you think ?


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Women are becoming an increasingly larger part of the National Football League’s fan base, as well as the media that covers the sport. For those women that are just getting into the sport and/or desiring to learn more, Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has just announced an opportunity for them to gain that knowledge.
Rudolph has announced his inaugural Women’s Football Clinic, which will be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine on 2 October. Here is the full release that we received about the event:
The Kyle Rudolph Football 101 Women’s Clinic sponsored by COVERGIRL® will be held on October 2nd from 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM at National Sports Center. Women will learn football basics in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. There will be a cocktail hour prior to the clinic featuring two complimentary drinks and light appetizers.
Rudolph and our event staff will be on-site to offer insight and direct the event. Participants will experience various stations specializing in fundamental football skills and play in touch football games. Guests will be able to interact with the COVERGIRL® brand by getting an exclusive makeover with COVERGIRL® products, creating an end-zone dance GIF, and taking a 360 game-face huddle picture.
Event partners include Walmart and Citi.
Hopefully some of our readers will be able to take advantage of this opportunity.


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Vodacom Tanzania readies to launch LTE
MOBILEBy BiztechAfrica - Feb. 1, 2013, 8:36 a.m.
Vodacom Tanzania is set to launch 4G LTE services after a successful pilot in Dar es Salaam.
The trial was run on Nokia Siemens Networks single radio access network and Liquid Core technology.
Vodacom Tanzania MD Rene Meza said the move would allow the company to provide ultra-fast broadband services.
“Our advanced Flexi Multiradio Base Station was a natural choice for this trial as it is capable of seamlessly supporting multiple technologies on a single platform,” said Pete Beadle, head of Vodacom customer team at Nokia Siemens Networks.
“Our radio and core platforms used in the trial provided extremely reliable network connections for faster throughput that improves customer experience. With our Single RAN multi-technology platform, Vodacom can prepare its network for a smooth launch of LTE services and protect its investments today and tomorrow.”
MORE MOBILE NEWS
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YooMee Côte d’Ivoire launches TD-LTEAfter becoming the market leader of broadband Internet in Cameroon, YooMee Africa continues its expansion by deploying its network in Côte d’Ivoire. Read More
tn mobile 3G now in TsumebTelecom Namibia’s mobile business, tn mobile, has extended its 3G+ and 4G (LTE) based mobile network to Tsumeb in the Oshikoto region. Read More
Vodafone Healthfest train stops at James TownVodafone Ghana, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility through the Vodafone Foundation, has held another ground breaking health initiative dubbed the HealthFest. Read More
Orange to power Nakuru free Wi-FiNakuru is to become the first town in Kenya to have free Wi-Fi access. Read More
Nokia unveils 6 inch smartphones in GhanaNokia has announced the introduction of its first 6 inch Lumia smart phones into the Ghanaian phone market, the Lumia 1520, Nokia’s top of the range Windows Phone and affordable Lumia 1320. Read More
tn mobile 3G now in OshikotoTelecom Namibia’s mobile business, tn mobile, has launched its 3G service at Omuthiya, the regional capital of Oshikoto region. Read More
Orange launches low cost WiFi at KUOrange has launched a low cost wireless Internet solution at the Kenyatta University’s main campus that will provide the varsity’s students with reliable and affordable Internet access. Read More
Telecom Namibia launches Speedlink LiteTelecom Namibia has announced the launch of its first ever Speedlink broadband packages for residential, small office/home (SOHO) customers. Read More
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This is because keeping up with the Jones’s rather than with famous people is the main motivation behind many people’s choice of which product to buy.
Researchers at the University of Bath, UK, and University of St Gallen, Switzerland, showed 298 undergraduates a magazine advertisement for a digital camera which included an endorsement by a fictional student who said the camera was “hot” and his “preferred choice”. Other students were shown the same advert, this time endorsed by an invented testimonial from a German celebrity.
The students were also assessed on how important it was for them that the products they buy made a good impression on others.
When questioned later, the students said that both types of testimonial were beneficial, but those students who said they bought products to impress others were much more likely to be influenced by the student testimonial and less by the celebrity. This applied equally to men as to women.
Professor Brett Martin, of the University of Bath’s School of Management, said that though the research was carried out in Germany, it was applicable generally.
“Our research questions whether celebrities are the best way to sell products. Celebrities can be effective but we found that many people were more convinced by an endorsement from a fictional fellow student.
“This is because many people feel a need to keep up with the Jones’s when they buy.
“They like to make sure their product is fashionable and trendy among people who resemble them, rather than approved by celebrities like David Beckham, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt or Scarlett Johansson. So they are more influenced by an endorsement from an ordinary person like them.
“This could mean that millions spent by the advertising industry on getting top actors and top quality sport stars like Sachin Tendulkar to give their names to products is unnecessary.
“Of course there are key tools to calibrate the match between a celebrity and a product and when these tools are used, it can work very well. But in terms of this research, if people are influenced by peer pressure then it’s the people who offer the social approval who count. We also found that men were as equally swayed by the desire to look good in front of their friends as women.”
The camera advertisement also included technical details of the camera, and another finding of the research was that those who were not interested in what their peers thought of them were influenced only by the technical details of the adverts, and not the endorsements.
“What is also important in our study is that people who aren’t bothered about having the trendiest goods pay more attention to the technical details of a product and ignore endorsements by anyone, celebrity or not, and advertisers should bear that in mind too,” said Professor Martin.
Professor Martin, who is part of the School of Management’s Marketing Group, said that some products like high-tech gadgetry could be advertised using testimonials from a typical member of the target market. Other products which were merely useful and tended to be used at home, like garden tools, could be advertised more successfully by just giving their technical specifications.
In the survey, 56 per cent per cent of those who admitted to buying products that would impress others said they were influenced by the testimonial from the student. Only 20 per cent said they were influenced by the celebrity testimonial. Only 5 per cent of those who did not buy to impress paid attention to the testimonial from the student.
Those who bought to impress others were only 49 per cent influenced by the technical details of the camera, whereas 78 per cent of those who did not buy to impress were influenced by the technical details of the camera.
Professor Martin’s collaborators were Daniel Wentzel and Professor Torsten Tomczak from St Gallen.
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An Android update that Blu shipped to Blu One Life X2 smartphones yesterday, November 28, has locked people out of their phones.
On forums, Reddit, and Blu's official Facebook page, users are complaining that after applying the update and rebooting the device, their phone won't recognize their password, PIN code, or pattern lock, even if users are 100% sure they are entering the correct data. Bleeping Computer has independently verified this bug.
"I updated my BLU Life One X2 around 2 hours ago. It asks for a password in order to access Android," said one of the Blu users facing this problem. "I am completely locked out of my phone. Ever single password used is marked incorrect.
After ten "failed" login attempts, the user's data is wiped from the device, according to the standard Android OS behavior.
"We are currently investigating and trying to fix the issue," a Blu support staffer said. "We apologize for the inconvenience."
In the meantime, the company's advice to ailing customers is to reset the device to factory settings, which is kind of pointless, since this also implies that the user will be losing his data.
Users who performed a factory reset confirmed the issue is resolved afterwards and they can get into their phones.
A user who spoke with Blu tech support said the company is currently exploring an option to perform a remote rollback of the faulty OS update. Another option on the table is to provide the update rollback file as a ZIP that users could install on their phones via other methods, albeit this might be too complicated for some.
Blu also told customers it stopped shipping the faulty update after getting reports of the current issue.


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The mobile commerce sector in Australia is booming, with monthly sales for December growing by a massive 448% in just three years, according to an ACMA report.
Revuudle wants to turn opinions expressed on social media into quantifiable data by letting users share reviews with a five-star rating system.
A Brisbane startup is developing an app which aims to give journalists much easier access to crowdsourced content.
Australian startup Bugcrowd has added social media giant Pinterest to the growing list of companies using its platform.
Kate Klavins, of Adelaide-based Floragram, tells us how her company started as a Facebook page to test the idea of making buying flowers effortless and affordable by delivering a bunch of the day for $25.
As businesses seek to trim the fat and slimline their processes, debate has risen about the value of social media advertising. But is it converting into sales, and how much does it contribute to the bottom line?
Tennis Buddy an app that promises to help users find a tennis partner in less than 10 minutes is billing itself as “Uber for Tennis”.
The Internet of Things movement is really starting to pick up pace in Australia, according Optus Innov8 Seed lead principal Alfred Lo.
To break into the mobile gaming market, you have to understand the science of the medium, says co-founder of Adelaide-based startup Broken Arms Games, Elisa Farinetti.
Google has bought Appetas, which is a website builder for restaurants, and systems infrastructure startup Stackdriver.
A new Australian startup is offering a clean Tinder-like service for adults over 50.
The latest Google Maps app update, released yesterday, has integrated taxi app Uber into its functions and features.
Having some form of anonymity online offers many people a kind of freedom. So how is Facebook dealing with this issue?
Snack food giant Mondelez International is looking for startups to help solve pressing problems faced by some of its major brands.
Location check-in app Foursquare will introduce a new app called Swarm as part of its attempt to reinvent itself after hitting a growth plateau over the past couple of years.
Is Twitter on its death bed as a social media platform? Maybe not quite yet, but some analysts believe it's not long for this social media coil.
With all the advertising dollars spent on direct mail, telemarketing, trade shows and pay-per-click, social media produces double the marketing leads and maintains a higher conversion rate than the average lead conversion.
Facebook has released its first quarter results, announcing its net income has nearly tripled year-on-year to $US642 million ($A690m), up from $US219 million a year earlier.
Cyber-espionage is up again in the 2014 report, representing a more than three-fold increase compared with the 2013 report, with 511 incidents partially due to a bigger dataset.
Growing numbers of Australian businesses are either allowing staff to work from home or hiring workers overseas. Here are six ways to be sure virtual staff are up to scratch.


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Inside Google's quest to shape the rules of the driverless roadFri, 29, Apr 2016
Google is mounting a lobbying and public-relations campaign across America to win acceptance for autonomous vehicles and to shape the rules of the driverless road. And the tech giant, one of the first companies to launch a development effort, has emerged as the most visible and assertive lobbyist, with the most ambitious view of how self-driving vehicles should be deployed.
GM China sees strong growth for luxury models and EVsThu, 28, Apr 2016
Chinese consumers' continued preference for luxury brands could help make that country Cadillac's largest global market in the next five to 10 years, the head of General Motors China said today.
Gen Y more likely than older drivers to trust self-driving tech, study findsThu, 28, Apr 2016
More than half of those born after 1976 say they trust autonomous tech, compared with 41 percent in Generation X, 23 percent of baby boomers and 18 percent of the pre-boomer generation, J.D. Power's annual U.S. Tech Choice Study found.
FCA-Google talks? Marchionne may have dropped a hintThu, 28, Apr 2016
Did Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne tip his hand at ongoing talks with Google earlier this week? During a call with analysts Tuesday as FCA delivered first-quarter results, Marchionne was asked about potential partnerships with nonautomotive companies.
April U.S. sales expected to rise 4% with SAAR of 17.4-17.6 millionWed, 27, Apr 2016
U.S. new-vehicle sales in April are projected to rise about 4 percent from a year ago, according to four forecasts, easing concerns that the market is weakening. After falling short of expectations in March, sales are on pace for one of the industry's best-ever Aprils, analysts said.
Honda to create green Clarity family with EV, plug-in hybrid variantsThu, 21, Apr 2016
Honda, seeking to reassert itself as a dominant player in the world of green cars, plans to broaden the Clarity nameplate to two more alternative-fuel vehicles.
China's GAC looks to Fiat Chrysler to help enter U.S.Thu, 28, Apr 2016
China's Guangzhou Automobile Group, whose partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles enables the Italian-American automaker to manufacture in China, wants Fiat Chrysler to return the favor by helping it launch U.S. sales.
Auto dealers in China, ubiquitous as KFCs, face shakeoutMon, 25, Apr 2016
China has set six straight annual records for the most new vehicles bought by any country in the 150-year history of the automobile. And yet, a troubling trend has emerged among the dealers moving all that metal -- most are just spinning their wheels.
VW open to new partnerships but not talking to Google, AppleThu, 28, Apr 2016
VW will open itself up to more partnerships and strategic investments to help generate a "substantial proportion" of its revenue from new business models, CEO Matthias Mueller said. Discussions are already at an "advanced stage," but Google and Apple are not among tech companies VW is in discussions with, he said.
High warranty costs reflect Tesla's struggle with qualityWed, 27, Apr 2016
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has told investors his electric car company will stop burning cash and turn a profit this year, and corralling costs associated with quality problems will be critical to making good on that pledge.
Germany to introduce $4,500 subsidy for buying an EVWed, 27, Apr 2016
Germany announced a plan today to invest about 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) to promote electric cars, which will include subsidies of 4,000 euros ($4,524) for buyers of EVs and 3,000 euros for those choosing to purchase a plug-in hybrid.
Ford, Volvo, Google, Uber, Lyft form coalition to promote self-driving carsTue, 26, Apr 2016
Ford, Volvo Cars, Google and two ride-hailing companies created a coalition, led by former NHTSA chief David Strickland, to urge federal government action to help advance self-driving vehicles.


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Burger King's Twitter account hacked
Pranksters claim fast food restaurant sold to rival McDonald's
Burger King's Twitter account was apparently hacked Monday.
Pranksters replaced the fast food restaurant's avatar with the McDonald's logo and said the company had been sold to its archrival "because the whopper flopped."
The fast-food restaurant's news feed was filled with references to drugs and links to rap music with profane lyrical content.
Some of the messages claimed Burger King employees snorted prescription medication in the restrooms and advertised bath salts for sale.
The account was apparently hacked just before noon and was suspended by 1:15 p.m.
Burger King's Facebook page had not acknowledged the hack on another social media platform.


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Jump to "What to do if you think you have been affected"
27/04/2017: Two men have admitted their part in a hacking attempt on TalkTalk's website.
Matthew Hanley, 22, and Connor Allsopp, 20, pleaded guilty to charges relating to the massive data breach in October 2015.
The pair admitted their part in a plot to steal the personal details of thousands of customers, the Old Bailey heard. The pair from Tamworth, Staffordshire, will be sentenced in May.
The court heard how Hanley hacked into TalkTalk's website and obtained a spreadsheet containing TalkTalk customers' details.
Hanley also pleaded guilty yesterday to three offences under the Computer Misuse Act, including the hacking of the TalkTalk website, obtaining files that would enable the hacking of websites and supplying files to enable the hacking of websites to others.
Allsopp pleaded guilty on 30 March to assisting fraud and sharing a file that could help other hackers.
The Metropolitan Police identified Hanley as a suspect in their investigations and was arrested last October. Officers seized computers and devices from his address but found they had been wiped or the data encrypted so they couldn't access it.
Police then looked at Hanley's social media accounts and found conversations where Hanley had been discussing his involvement and actions in hacking into TalkTalk's website and discussing how he had deleted incriminating data from his computers and encrypted his devices to cover his tracks.
The online conversations also revealed that having stolen data from the telco, Hanley then got Allsopp to try and sell the personal data of customers so that the pair could profit from it.
Police arrested Allsopp this month and showed him these chat logs. Allsopp admitted that he had unsuccessfully tried to sell customer data that Hanley had stolen, as well as sell details of the vulnerabilities on TalkTalk's website that would enable others to hack into it.
Detective chief inspector Andy Gould, from the Met's Falcon Cyber Crime Unit, said that no matter how hard criminals try to conceal their activity, "they will leave some kind of trail behind".
"This investigation has been painstaking and the work our detectives have done to trace and identify those involved has combined cutting-edge digital forensic techniques, with old-fashioned detective work that has led to the conviction of several of those involved and the investigation continues," he added.
The pair are due to be sentenced on 31 May at the Old Bailey.
15/11/2016: A 17-year-old boy has admitted to seven charges of hacking, two of which relate to the TalkTalk data breach in October 2015.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to all seven offences under the Computer Misuse Act at Norwich Youth Court today.
TalkTalk lost 60 million as a result of the hack, in which 157,000 customers had their details stolen, including bank account numbers, sort codes, and dates of birth.
UK data protection regulator the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) fined the mobile operator a record 400,000 for the incident. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said last month: "TalkTalk's failure to implement the most basic cyber security measures allowed hackers to penetrate TalkTalk's systems with ease."
The teenager will be sentenced on 13 December, after also targeting Manchester University Library and Cambridge University Library, among others. According to Sky News, he told the court: "I didn't really think of the consequences at the time. I was just showing off to my mates."
05/10/2016: TalkTalk has been issued with a record 400,000 fine by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) following the large-scale data breach in October 2015, due to "security failings".
The ICO's in-depth investigation found that the attack on the company last year could have been prevented if TalkTalk had taken basic steps to protect customers' information and that the firm allowed the cyber attacker to access customer data "with ease".
ICO investigators found that the cyber attack took advantage of technical weaknesses in TalkTalk's systems, allowing attackers to access the personal data of 156,959 customers including their names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses. In 15,656 cases, the attacker also had access to bank account details and sort codes.
Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said: "TalkTalk's failure to implement the most basic cybersecurity measures allowed hackers to penetrate TalkTalk's systems with ease.
"Yes hacking is wrong, but that is not an excuse for companies to abdicate their security obligations. TalkTalk should and could have done more to safeguard its customer information. It did not and we have taken action."
The data was taken from an underlying customer database that was part of TalkTalk's acquisition of Tiscali's UK operations in 2009, and was accessed through an attack on three vulnerable webpages within the inherited infrastructure.
The ICO said TalkTalk failed to properly scan this infrastructure for possible threats and so was unaware the vulnerable pages existed or that they enabled access to a database that held customer information.
TalkTalk was also not aware that the installed version of the database software was outdated and was no longer supported by the provider.
A criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police has been running separately to the ICO's investigation.
A TalkTalk spokesperson did not indicate if the telco will appeal the fine.
They said: "TalkTalk has cooperated fully with the ICO at all times and, whilst this is clearly a disappointing decision, we continue to be respectful of the important role the ICO plays in upholding the privacy of consumers.
"During a year in which government data showed nine in ten large UK businesses were successfully breached, the TalkTalk attack was notable for our decision to be open and honest with our customers from the outset. This gave them the best chance of protecting themselves and we remain firm that this was the right approach for them and for our business.
"As the case remains the subject of an ongoing criminal prosecution, we cannot comment further at this time."
20/07/2016: Around 9,000 TalkTalk customers left the provider in its latest quarter, as the operator continues to feel the aftereffects of last year's hack that spilt the data of 157,000 users.
Revenues declined 0.4 per cent year-on-year and TalkTalk also lost 23,000 TV customers.
However, it added 48,000 mobile users to its books and 36,000 fibre customers.
TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding said: "We are very pleased with how the year has begun. Revenue growth was level year on year despite a smaller customer base and churn was down year on year as we drove growth in mobile and fibre, and delivered real improvements in our customers' experience.
22/06/2016: TalkTalk's chief executive, Dido Harding, has earned 2.8 million in the last 12 months, despite the performance of the network being subject to a number of hacks and staff's bonuses being cut substantially.
This is almost triple the amount Harding was paid in the previous 12 months and has caused some controversy within the company.
Around 2 million of the Baroness's pay relates to a long-term incentive scheme linked to the company's performance over the last three years, according to The Financial Times, despite profits having declined by 50 per cent over the course of the year.
However, Harding has said that the 220,000 bonus she was supposed to be paid for the last year's performance will be donated instead to the Ambitious About Autism charity, rather than her receiving it. The reason for this, she said, is because the company caused such strife to those involved in the operator's hack in October.
TalkTalk said it would be cutting bonuses of the company's senior staff from 62 per cent to 40 per cent due to profits reducing as a direct result of the hack. It is estimated the slip up will cost TalkTalk 60 million to rectify.
12/05/2016: Customers have forgiven TalkTalk for last year's devastating cyber attack, CEO Dido Harding claimed today, despite profits halving and 100,000 users jumping ship.
The telecoms provider, which released its annual financial report today, was adamant that customers are positive about the company, despite losing thousands of customers' data last October.
Harding said: "The vast majority of customers believe we looked after them. The business bounced back strongly in the final quarter following the cyber attack in October."
She added that the number of customers leaving has been the lowest ever in the last three months, saying this is "testimony to the speed with which customer sentiment towards TalkTalk has recovered", and that "trust in the brand and brand consideration [are] both higher than they were before the attack".
However, the report also revealed that the company lost more than 100,000 customers and had to spend over 40 million as a direct result of the attack, which slashed its annual profits by more than half.
TalkTalk's customer loss only amounts to around three per cent of its total customer base. While this is a substantial loss for a major business, Cable.co.uk telecoms expert Dan Howdle believes that it should have been substantially higher.
"TalkTalk suffered three major security breaches in 2015, something savvy customers should not easily forgive," he said. "That TalkTalk lost only three per cent of its existing customer base, however, points to problems... with the switching process itself."
He pointed out the fact that while the company dished out unconditional free upgrades to its customers in response to the attack, it did not allow unhappy customers to freely leave their contracts.
"Clearly the situation needs improvement. If a provider fails in its remit to protect its customers and their data there should be a free get-out clause. There isn't, and that has allowed TalkTalk to limit the damage the attack caused it," he concluded.
15/04/2016: Over 125,000 customers have abandoned TalkTalk's broadband services during the first four months of this year.
It is estimated that around 17 per cent of their customers are considering leaving their broadband services as well, according to The Register.
TalkTalk has continued to lose broadband customers, but has gained an overall increase of business partly due to lowered prices and promotional offers.
Thus far TalkTalk has had a strong first quarter, with 40 per cent of their new customers choosing to subscribe to their services due to competitive pricing. The company's "triple play" service also yielded an increase of 3.2 per cent, raising their total market share for the category to 12.2 per cent.
BT remains the most dominant provider, having captured nearly one third of the market (31.5 per cent) in competition with other service providers. Their closest competitor, Sky, having recently lost 5 per cent of their market share, now holds 23.3 per cent of the market.
This progress shows that the company is gaining forward momentum since they were hacked, which compromised personal data of over 150,000 customers. The incident ran up a bill of around 60m and a loss of over 100,000 customers.
17/03/2016: TalkTalk is swapping passwords for voice biometrics following the cyber attack that affected 157,000 of its customers.
The mobile operator will let users access their accounts via voice recognition, rather than requesting their passwords or answers to pre-set questions, which may have been compromised by hackers.
Nuance, the company providing TalkTalk with the voice recognition technology, said its software compares a customer's voice to their unique voiceprint and securely authenticates the customer - or flags the call if fraud is suspected.
TalkTalk claimed it is the first mobile operator to introduce the technology, doing so after the cyber attack it suffered cost the firm an estimated 60 million, as well as 100,000 customers leaving the firm.
The banking industry already uses voice recognition, with HSBC most recently deciding to replace passwords with biometrics, also supplied by Nuance.
02/02/2016: TalkTalk has revealed last year's cyber attack cost the company 60 million, almost double an initial estimate.
A trading update on Tuesday revealed that the hack had cost far more than the estimated 35 million, though TalkTalk also experienced revenue growth of 1.8 per cent in Q3, with earnings expected to reach 255 million - 265 millon by the end of the year.
Dido Harding, TalkTalk CEO, said: "It is encouraging to see the business returning to normal after a challenging quarter that was dominated by the cyber attack. Our customers have responded well, with almost half a million customers choosing to take up our unconditional offer of a free uprade.
"Both churn and new connections recovered during December and January and independent external research has revealed that customers believe that we acted in their best interest. In fact trust in the TalkTalk brand has improved since just after the attack and consideration is higher now than it was before the incident."
28/01/2016: Police have arrested three people at one of TalkTalk's Indian call centres on suspicion of stealing customers' data, sparking further questions about the care with which the telecoms company treats its customer records.
The men were arrested by the Indian authorities in connection with the stolen data, which they allegedly used to make scam calls from a call centre in Kolkata, according to a Channel 4 investigation.
In response, TalkTalk said it is working with international outsourcer Wipro, which runs the call centre, and local police.
The mobile provider said in a statement: "Acting on information supplied by TalkTalk, the local police have arrested three individuals who have breached our policies and the terms of our contract with Wipro. We are also reviewing our relationship with Wipro."
It added: "We are determined to identify and deal effectively with these issues and we will continue to devote significant resource to keeping our customers' data safe. Data theft and scams are a growing issue affecting all businesses and they are notoriously difficult to investigate and prosecute. We are pleased that our investigations have yielded results, and will continue to do everything we can to tackle these crimes."
The incident is only the latest data breach TalkTalk has suffered, and it comes hot on the heels of an attack last October in which 157,000 customers had their details stolen, including bank account numbers, sort codes, and dates of birth.
Information commissioner Christopher Graham told MPs this week that companies needed to strengthen their security to prevent similar data losses, the Financial Times reported.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating the TalkTalk data breach as part of the Cyber security: Protection of personal data online inquiry.
21/01/2016: Customers are leaving TalkTalk in their droves after the mobile operator's data hack last year, research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows.
Seven per cent of TalkTalk's broadband base switched to a different provider in the fourth quarter of 2015, Kantar's figures show.
The research firm said there was "no doubt" that the company lost potential customers as a result of its data hack.
Almost a fifth of those leaving TalkTalk did so as a direct result of poor reliability a four per cent increase on the previous quarter, when fewer than one per cent cited this reason.
Imran Choudhary, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: "TalkTalk continues to offer some of the most attractive promotions across the home services market and almost a third of its new customers did choose it for this reason, but there can be no doubt that it lost potential customers following the major data hack.
"If it's to recover from recent events TalkTalk will need to offer more than just good value."
The telecoms firm's systems were breached last October, and 157,000 customers had their details stolen, which included bank account numbers, sort codes, and dates of birth.
The hack has already cost the company 35 million in one-off costs to resolve the immediate backlash related to 15,600 of those leaked bank details.
TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding talked down the long-term repercussions for the brand at the time, saying: "Customers think we're doing the right things".
BT benefitted from the exodus, with 12 per cent of its new customers saying their primary reason for joining was because they saw it as a trusted supplier. That figure was twice the market average.
16/12/2015: Police recommended that TalkTalk stayed quiet about attacks on its site while detectives carried out their investigations and made arrests.
At a House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee, CEO Dido Harding told MPs that the cyber attack was "one of the most difficult periods for the TalkTalk board and for me personally".
"It was clear by lunchtime on Thursday (22 October) that the sensible thing to do to protect my customers was to warn all of them because I could help make them safer. I could give them free credit monitoring, I could warn them not to accept these scam calls," she told committee members.
"For completely understandable reasons, the advice we received that Thursday afternoon from the Metropolitan Police was not to tell our customers."
She said she opposed the idea of compensation claims being valid and added she was "not aware of anyone who has directly lost money as a direct consequence of the attack. Any who have suffered a direct financial loss should get in direct contact. We wish to deal with on a case-by-case basis."
Harding added that the Telecoms Ombudsman "is there to adjudicate, and customers not getting fair redress from their insurance company, bank, or telco, should go there."
In reply to questions over who was responsible, Harding said that no one individual in the firm was.
"It really does come back to the CEO and board. Was there sufficient oversight in terms of the security policies, the resourcing of the technology team to implement those policies, and the knowledge and understanding of best practice?
"It is a board level issue, not an individual issue below."
25/11/2015: An 18-year-old boy was arrested in Llanelli, Wales, over the TalkTalk data hack yesterday.
The teenager becomes the fifth person detained in relation to the cybercrime incident and was arrested on suspicion of blackmail, and taken into custody at a Dyfed Powys police station.
The four others arrested a 16-year-old boy from Norwich, on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act, a 20-year-old man from Staffordshire, a 16-year-old boy from Feltham and a 15-year-old from County Antrim, Ireland, all subsequently bailed.
A total 157,000 customers had data stolen in October's cyber attack, TalkTalk has confirmed, with cybercriminals making off with 21,000 bank account numbers and sort codes, along with 28,000 obscured credit and debit card details and 15,000 dates of birth.
20/11/2015: A law firm is considering legal action against TalkTalk on behalf of customers whose data was lost in the mobile operator's latest leak.
Hugh James law firm, based in Cardiff, told the Guardian it has been approached by victims of the data breach and is encouraging others to come forward to join a possible group legal action against the company.
Partner Gwen Evans said: "Since the serious security breach occurred last month, we have been approached by a number of TalkTalk customers who are naturally concerned about whether their personal data has been accessed and misused.
"We are considering whether there is a case to take group legal action against TalkTalk because it is highly likely that the Data Protection Act 1998 will have been breached during this time."
A total 157,000 customers had personal data stolen in the October attack, TalkTalk has confirmed.
Cybercriminals also made off with 21,000 bank account numbers and sort codes, along with 28,000 obscured credit and debit card details and 15,000 dates of birth.
Writing in the Guardian, professor of the public understanding of technology, John Naughton, said the mobile operator's board must take more responsibility for customer security, saying that the company's failure to encrypt users' data cannot be blamed solely on engineers.
"Companies like TalkTalk are up against professional criminals," he wrote. "They, therefore, need to up their amateurish game. If a company's business requires it to store customers' sensitive information, then data security has to be a board-level responsibility, up there with health and safety and regulatory compliance. It is not just a matter for techies and boffins."
He added: "There have to be serious criminal and civil penalties for carelessness, complacency or incompetence.
11/11/2015: TalkTalk's cyber attack will cost it between 30 million and 35 million, it has admitted.
Despite just 160,000 customers losing personal data in last month's hack, shares in the mobile operator have dropped by a quarter since news of the incident went public.
But it blamed one-off costs like the loss of online sales for the predicted dip in earnings, and CEO Dido Harding today announced a string of free offers to customers who have stayed with the firm as a way of thanking them.
Customers can choose a selection of free features, including extra TV channels, a mobile SIM with free texts, data and calls, and unlimited landline and mobile calls from 1 December.
Meanwhile, TalkTalk has announced a new bundle of online and telephone security features, such as F-Secure's anti-virus protection, web filter HomeSafe, and the ability to block cold callers.
Harding said: "TalkTalk takes the security of customers' data extremely seriously and we are taking significant further steps to ensure our systems are protected, as well as writing to all our customers outlining what we are doing to keep their data safe. "In recognition of the unavoidable uncertainty, and because we know that doing what is right for our customers will ensure the best possible outcome for the company over the longer term, we are today announcing the offer of a choice of free upgraded services to all our customers."
06/11/2015: Only 156,959 TalkTalk customers had any personal data stolen in the hack on its systems, the mobile network has claimed - far fewer than the 1.2 million originally feared. Of those, roughly 10 per cent had their bank account number and sort code stolen, about 5,000 fewer than stated last week.
"Ongoing forensic analysis of the site confirms that the scale of the attack was much more limited than initially suspected, and we can confirm only four per cent of TalkTalk customers have any sensitive personal data at risk. However, we continue to advise customers to be vigilant, and to take all precautions possible to protect themselves from scam phone calls and emails," the company said in an updated statement.
TalkTalk said it has now contacted all customers whose financial details were accessed and will be contacting all other affected customers over the next few days.
The company also claimed that "the financial information accessed cannot on its own lead to financial loss", however, stories of defrauded customers abound, including one man who was offered just 30 as a "goodwill gesture" after 3,500 was stolen from his bank account in the wake of the hack.
04/11/2015: Police have arrested a fourth person in connection with the TalkTalk data hack, this time a 16-year-old boy from Norwich.
The teenager was detained by police yesterday on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act after the National Crime Agency and the Met's Cyber Crime Unit obtained a warrant to search an address in the city.
The boy has been released on bail until late March 2016, after a 20-year-old man was arrested in Staffordshire in connection with the cybercrime incident, and bailed until early March.
Two other boys a 16-year-old from Feltham and a 15-year-old from County Antrim, Northern Ireland have also been arrested and bailed in connection with the attack.
More than a million customers were affected by the hack, TalkTalk has confirmed, while 21,000 bank account numbers and sort codes were stolen.
03/11/2015: TalkTalk customer data is being sold on the dark web for as little as 20p per record, according to reports.
An LBC investigation claimed it found 2,500 customer accounts on the dark web and used a sample of the data from the criminals selling it to contact victims of the hack, including a woman called Louisa Jenkins.
She told the Nick Ferrari Breakfast show: "I'm quite angry. It feels like your details are never safe."
The news comes days after a Sunday People investigation that found a criminal calling himself Martian claimed to sell TalkTalk data on a dark website called Alpha Bay for 1.62 a time, offering information in bulk.
02/11/2015: Hackers stole 1.2 million customers' email addresses, names and phone numbers in the TalkTalk data breach, the company has confirmed.
However, the cybercriminals only made off with 21,000 bank account numbers and sort codes, along with 28,000 obscured credit and debit card details and 15,000 dates of birth, the mobile operator said in a statement on its website.
With speculation over just how many of its four million customers were affected by the attack last month, TalkTalk said, "the extent of the data accessed is significantly less than originally suspected".
CEO Dido Harding said: "Today we can confirm that the scale of the attack was much smaller than we originally suspected, but this does not take away from how seriously we take what has happened and our investigation is still ongoing.
"On behalf of everyone at TalkTalk, I would like to apologise to all of our customers. We know that we need to work hard to earn back your trust and everyone here is committed to doing that."
Credit and debit card information, which was missing the middle six digits at the time that hackers accessed it, cannot be used to make financial transactions.
TalkTalk has shared the bank details of affected customers with their banks to help prevent fraud and has partnered with credit check company Noddle to offer customers a free year of credit monitoring alerts.
The Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit's criminal investigation is ongoing.
Detective Superintendent Jayne Snelgrove said: "TalkTalk have done everything right in bringing this matter to our attention as soon as possible. Our success relies on businesses being open with us and each other about the threats they encounter."
He was taken into custody by Staffordshire police on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act and is the third person held in connection with the case after one 15-year-old boy from Northern Ireland and one 16-year-old boy from west London were arrested and subsequently bailed last week.
The 16-year-old has been bailed until a date as yet to be revealed by police while the 15-year-old from Northern Ireland is on bail until later this month.
30/10/2015: Police have arrested a second teenage boy in connection with the TalkTalk hack, this time, a 16-year-old from West London.
The boy was arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences, reports BBC News, but has since been bailed. This follows the arrest of a 15-year-old boy from Northern Ireland, who was arrested earlier in the week.
A property in Liverpool has also been searched, according to the Metropolitan Police.
27/10/2015: TalkTalk has announced it will still charge customers affected by the TalkTalk hack a fee if they want to discontinue their service and cancel their contract.
However, it will waive termination charges if a customer can prove they have had money stolen from their bank accounts, although it denies this is a likely scenario because neither bank details nor credit card information was stolen in the attack.
"In the unlikely event that money is stolen from a customer's bank account as a direct result of the cyber-attack [rather than as a result of any other information given out by a customer], then as a gesture of goodwill, on a case-by-case basis, we will waive termination fees," it said in a statement.
Also this morning, the Police Service of Northern Ireland revealed the 15-year-old arrested last night in County Antrim in relation to the hack has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
However, Jonathan Craig, a member of the Policing Board in Northern Ireland, told the Belfast Telegraph that should the boy be found to be implicated in the attack it "raises questions" for TalkTalk as to how a teenager from County Antrim could have breached a major telecoms provider.
26/10/2015: Labour accused the government of chaos and incompetence over its response to the TalkTalk data breach today, as reports emerged of a 15-year-old boy's arrest in connection with the attack.
Shadow minister for culture and the digital economy Chi Onwurah questioned her Tory counterpart Ed Vaizey over Whitehall's data policy, claiming it has failed to keep up with cybercriminals' endeavour.
Speaking in the House of Commons today, Onwurah said: "This government's data policy is chaos illuminated by occasional flashes of incompetence. Will the minister acknowledge that all the innovation has come from the criminals while the government sit on their hands, leaving it to businesses and consumers to suffer the consequences?"
Her comments came hours before Scotland Yard confirmed a 15-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Met's cybercrime unit arrested the teenager in County Antrim at 4.20pm today and have taken him into custody.
The hack has led to victims' bank accounts being emptied by cybercriminals, with millions believed to have had their personal details leaked after TalkTalk admitted it had not encrypted customer data.
Vaizey failed to confirm whether or not police would receive more resources to respond to the hacking case and its victims after Onwurah questioned how the government would help police.
Instead, he replied: "The police have extensive resources with which to combat cybercrime, and we are the government who set up the national cybercrime unit.
"We have invested more than 860 million in cyber-security and we have a number of very effective schemes with which to engage business."
TalkTalk reported the breach to UK data watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office on Thursday, Vaizey added, a day after the breach took place.
However, he refused to reveal how many customers TalkTalk believe have been affected by the breach it is thought to be in the millions, but the figure remains unconfirmed.
25/10/2015: TalkTalk has admitted it did not encrypt customer data such as credit card details and telephone numbers after hackers stole potentially millions of customers' information.
CEO Dido Harding told the Sunday Times today: "It wasn't encrypted, nor are you legally required to encrypt it.
"We have complied with all of our legal obligations in terms of storing of financial information."
The mobile operator has four million users but has not confirmed how many it believes were caught up in the data breach it suffered earlier this week.
However, TalkTalk could face thousands of legal claims from victims, with the total payout rising to around 20 million, according to insurance law firm BLM, including the cost of replacing four million credit cards.
Partner and head of technology Tim Smith told the Financial Times: "[It is] quite probable that customers will sue for a breach of the Data Protection Act and a breach of confidence and privacy rights."
Meanwhile, an 80,000 ransom note received by Harding from someone claiming responsibility for the hack included a table of 400,000 TalkTalk customers who have recently undergone credit checks with the company, KrebsOnSecurity reported.
It comes after the Times claimed yesterday that victims' bank accounts had been emptied by hackers, adding that TalkTalk had ignored criticism of its online security a year ago.
23/10/2015 3pm: TalkTalk's CEO has received a ransom note purportedly from the hackers responsible for a huge data hack that could affect millions of customers.
Dido Harding told BBC News: "It is hard for me to give you very much detail, but yes, we have been contacted by, I don't know whether it is an individual or a group, purporting to be the hacker.
"All I can say is that I had personally received a contact from someone purporting - as I say I don't know whether they are or are not - to be the hacker looking for money."
The email will be examined by the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating the hack.
It is not yet clear how many customers' data has been lost in the leak, but TalkTalk has four million users and the information lost includes names, addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers and credit card details not all of this was encrypted.
The mobile operator lost the data in the middle of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, during which its servers crashed under huge volumes of traffic.
It is believed hackers may have used the DDoS attack to distract TalkTalk's security team while they pinched the data.
The mobile operator has recommended people change their passwords as soon as its site goes back online, and this latest breach is the third in 12 months to hit the company.
What could happen to customers?
Christopher Boyd, malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, said hackers could target customers with phishing attacks now they have their details.
"People should be paying close attention to emails and other communication which appear to be genuine at first glance," said Boyd.
"If those messages are asking for additional information, service sign-ups or providing refund request attachments they should think very carefully before proceeding, lest they fall victim to a malware attack or yet another incident of data theft."
IT security company ESET warned that criminals will also use the data to steal customers' identities.
Security specialist Mark James said: "The data of all their customers will almost certainly be used for potential identity theft along with the obligatory attempts at financial access with any current information they may have attained.
"There was some partial' encryption of credit card numbers, we are led to believe, but businesses need to understand that all our private data has a value, not just the direct financial stuff."
The consequences for TalkTalk
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been notified of the breach and will investigate it, potentially leading to a fine of up to 500,000 for TalkTalk.
But Mahisha Rupan, senior associate at law firm Kemp Little, said TalkTalk's swift notification to customers of the breach could mitigate any such penalty.
"The ICO is likely to take into account TalkTalk's response to the breach and its attempt to limit any losses incurred by the customer," said Rupan.
ESET's James added that TalkTalk should bolster its security following the attack, saying: "Companies should implement proper use of cryptography, encrypting the sensitive data and hashing the passwords in a cryptographically sound way. We are forced to trust companies with our data and so often that trust is lost through no fault of our own."
23/10/2015 10am: TalkTalk has confirmed that hackers have once again infiltrated its website in what the company has called a "sustained" cyber attack that took place on Wednesday this week.
It is not known just how many of the firm's four million customers have been affected but hackers are believed to have been able to gain access to a wide range of sensitive information including names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, telephone numbers and other TalkTalk-specific account data.
Perhaps more concerning for TalkTalk customers is the fact that credit card or bank details have also been exposed as the company confirmed that such information may be among the data hackers had access to during the cyber hack.
Yesterday, the comms giant announced that the Metropolitan Police had launched a full criminal investigation into the issue, in addition to issuing an apology to customers, which started with the words no customer wants to hear: "We're very sorry..."
"We are continuing to work with leading cyber crime specialists and the Metropolitan Police to establish exactly what happened and the extent of any information accessed," TaklTalk's managing director (consumer) Tristia Harrison said in a statement issued online.
TalkTalk said it had taken measures to secure the website after the hack and that it constantly reviews its system security to protect data and prevent subsequent attacks. However, many users will take convincing as this is not the first time TalkTalk has suffered a data breach. Back in February this year (see story below), the company confirmed hackers had stolen personal user information and were targeting customers with scam phone calls.
"We would like to reassure you that we take any threat to the security of our customers' data very seriously," Harrison's statement continued.
"...Unfortunately, cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated and attacks against companies which do business online are becoming more frequent."
The incident has been reported to the ICO and TalkTalk has contained major banks to keep them on high alert for suspicious activity on customer accounts. It has also recommended that customers monitor their own accounts for any unauthorised or unusual activity and to also check their credit reports held with the main agencies Call Credit, Experian and Equifax.
TalkTalk has also addressed frequently asked questions related to the attack online to help customers better understand what has happened and how they might be affected.
In response to the question 'Why were you targeted?' the company has responded: "Unfortunately TalkTalk is by no means an isolated incident. Barely a week goes by now without cybercriminals using increasingly hostile and sophisticated methods to target companies that do business online. It's not just companies like TalkTalk that are being targeted, banks, retailers like Apple and even the US Government have been victims."
27/2/15: TalkTalk has confirmed hackers accessed its systems and stole personal information about its customers, resulting in some receiving follow-up phone calls from scammers.
In a statement issued to IT Pro, TalkTalk confirmed a small number of its four million customers had their account names and numbers compromised.
"We are aware of a small but nonetheless significant, number of customers who have been directly targeted by these criminals and we have been supporting them directly," the firm said in a statement.
"We want to reassure customers that no sensitive information like bank account details has been illegally accessed, and TalkTalk Business customers are not affected."
TalkTalk confirmed the Information Commissioner's Office, which is responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act, has been made aware of the breach.
The data theft came to light following an uptick in reports from customers about receiving suspicious-sounding phone calls from individuals claiming to work for TalkTalk at the end of 2014, TalkTalk said in an email to customers.
"In a small number of cases, customers told us that the criminals were quoting their TalkTalk account number, as well as their phone number," it states.
"Following further investigation into these reports, we have not become aware that some of the information we have about some customers their name, home address, phone number and TalkTalk account number could have been illegally accessed in violation of our security procedure.
"Please rest assured that your sensitive information of date of birth, bank or credit card details have not been illegally accessed," it adds.
The email then goes on to reiterate that TalkTalk will never take its customers banking details over the phone or ask them to download any kind of software onto their computers.
"Preventing all scam and nuisance calls is a high priority for us. We are doing everything possible to prevent this from happening again, and to protect you from all malicious and nuisance calls.
"In some cases we are able to block certain callers, including those from these criminal organisations, from ringing customers on our network, if they've breached a strict set of criteria.
"You can also block your number from receiving unsolicited sales calls by registering with the Telephone Preference Service," the email concludes.
What to do if you have been affected by the TalkTalk hack
Advice from Wim Remes, Rapid7
"We often hear the question "What can users of a compromised service do?" - If you suspect that personal data is compromised, there are several steps you can take. These are actually the same steps you should consider in order to minimise the impact of a compromise:
- If you have used the same password as for the compromised service anywhere else, change the passwords for all those services. Consider configuring two-factor authentication if the service supports it.
- If your bank allows this, restrict the amount of money that can be transferred without additional authorisation to the lowest possible amount that keeps it practical for you.
- Never perform actions in relation to your bank account or customer record based on a phone call you receive from a self-proclaimed representative of your bank or service provider. It is your right to request additional identification and phone calls, while direct, are never used as a last resort before your account is blocked.
- Watch your bank statements closely and do not keep all money in your current account, just enough to cover expenses/bills for the next 30 days or whatever time period works for you.
- Keep track of all your online accounts and manage them as if they constitute the contracts they are related to. If an online account is not strictly necessary, consider to cancel it in order to limit your data footprint as much as possible."
This article was originally published on 27/02/15 and has since been updated numerous times as new facts emerge, most recently on 16/12/2015.
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Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate to address the current shortage of agriculture inspectors at the border.
Michigan Democrats Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow along with Republicans Pat Roberts of Kansas and John Cornyn of Texas introduced the bill to increase the focus on agriculture inspectors at U.S. borders who “prevent the intentional or unintentional entry of harmful plants, food, animals and goods into the United States,” according to a release announcing the bill. The Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act of 2019 would give the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the ability to hire additional inspectors to work at the different ports of entry throughout the nation.
“Ensuring the safety and integrity of goods and products coming across our border is a priority, and this legislation would help alleviate the shortage of agricultural inspectors tasked with this important job,” Cornyn said.
If passed, the act would authorize an annual hiring of 240 CBP agricultural specialists each year until a shortage is filled, and 200 agricultural technicians each year for administration and support. It also supports the training and use of 20 new canine teams each year that are used to detect flaws or hazards not detected on initial inspection.
Barb Glenn, CEO of National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), said, “NASDA strongly supports funding for additional staff and canine units to enhance and maintain a framework designed to protect our nation’s food and agriculture through education, research, prevention, monitoring and control.”
For more news go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.


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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of cardiovascular-focused medical device company Volcano (NAS: VOLC) dropped as much as 13% earlier in the trading session after releasing the company released its third-quarter earnings results.
So what: For the quarter, Volcano recorded a 9% increase in revenue to $93.7 million and a slight drop in net income year-over-year to $0.04. These results were more or less in line with Wall Street's expectations. Growth was led by its fractional flow reserve products, which grew by 54% and were hampered by negative currency translations, which added a negative 300 basis point effect. The real impetus for the drop was Volcano's full-year guidance -- which called for revenue of $380 million-$384 million versus prior expectations of $384 million-$390 million because of the transition to a direct sales model in Spain -- and upping the company's operating expense forecast to 50%-60% of revenue versus its previous projections of 58%-59%.
Now what: Falling revenue forecasts and rising expenses (i.e., lower margins) are definitely not what shareholders of a company valued at more than 50 times forward earnings had in mind. Medical device companies are already facing the uncertainties of the medical device excise tax going into effect next year, and this is probably the last thing shareholders want to see. This is one of those cases where the products show a lot of promise, but a low double-digit growth rate hardly merits its frothy valuation.
Craving more input? Start by adding Volcano to your free and personalized watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news with the company.
The article Why Volcano Shares Dipped originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Volcano. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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August 25, 2015 by Minuteman Trucks
With 2015 providing a powerful combination of positive cash flow and improved market share, Navistar offers its highest quality products in decades with big product announcements determined to keep building on the momentum. This drive to continue moving in the right direction has inspired other companies to give Navistar their vote of confidence.
For example, Navistar’s International Truck has recently reached a three-year supply agreement with Quality Companies (a wholly owned subsidiary of Celadon Group, Inc.) for a 9,000 truck deal. This deal mostly consists of International® ProStar® and LonStar® Class 8 Tractors powered by Cummins® ISX-15 engines. Making such a deal with Quality Companies (a company that pays close attention to cost of ownership including uptime and fuel economy) demonstrates strong support for Navistar.
Navistar will also be the first-to-market with the Eaton Precision™ line of dual clutch transmission for its International® DuraStar® and IC Bus™ CE series school buses. The new 7-speed transmissions feature a dual-clutch design and electronic shifting to deliver superior fuel economy and smooth, continuous delivery of torque. This combination provides an advantage over similarly equipped vehicles, making pickup and delivery work efficient and effective, while still minimizing required maintenance.
In an effort to better service all branches of the trucking industry, Navistar has announced that it will soon launch a new line of premium vocational trucks for the severe service segment beginning early 2016. A strong collaborative relationship between Navistar and Caterpillar has paved the way for the release of a new line of trucks built with new and exciting technologies and product features to better serve the premium vocational market.
International Truck has also released that it has started production of its first International® WorkStar® vocational trucks powered by the Cummins® ISB6.7 engine. The ISB6.7 is an engine option for both the WorkStar and DuraStar® medium-duty truck, giving the best combination of performance and strength for vocational customers.
International® Truck announced the industry’s first telematics credit for OnCommand™ Connection. With a strong commitment to helping customers improve their uptime, the telematics hardware and a two-year data plan will be standard with no additional cost to the customer. This focus on improving uptime has also lead Navistar to build defect-free trucks delivered on-time or ahead of schedule, provide faster service and repairs at dealerships at lower prices and reducing warranty spending year over year.
Navistar is not standing still, it is looking into the future and beyond. By offering customers best in class quality, uptime, and best in class fuel economy, along with continued technology, design and innovation leadership, Navistar has already made a great impression on dealers around the country.
Want to learn more about how Navistar is investing in the future? Read Navistar Challenges Competitors to Fuel Economy Showdown and Improving Vehicle Safety: Collision Mitigation Systems, or read about how Navistar is looking toward 2015 and Beyond.


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Rexam’s Fusion bottle wins innovation award
The event, which was held in Paris, rewards industry professionals for innovative products and concepts.
The new Chamane natural energy drink won the top prize in the ‘alcohol free beverages’ category. Rexam worked closely with Deveurop SAS to develop the Fusion bottle for their new Chamane natural energy drink and help it stand out from its competitors in the energy drinks market.
Composed from 100% natural ingredients, Chamane is targeted at working adults who want a natural alternative to traditional energy drinks. Deveurop SAS chose to package Chamane in Rexam’s 250ml Fusion bottle, with a resealable closure, to represent and enhance the health benefits and qualities of the drink.
Rexam’s Fusion bottle is a breakthrough innovation in the market and uses drawn wall and ironed technology to create a lightweight and sophisticated aluminium bottle that keeps the drink inside fresh and chills faster than other packaging.
The bottle is 100% recyclable with no loss of quality, embodying Chamane’s vision of natural energy and its commitment to a healthier planet.
Stéphane Lacourt, CEO and founder of Deveurop SAS, said: “The Fusion bottle perfectly complements the Chamane drink and the LSA Innovation Awards judges saw it as a key component of our winning product. Rexam’s unique graphic design and printing techniques allowed to us to have fun with the packaging and really put Chamane in a different league from other energy drinks.”
Matthijs Jansen, sales director Benelux and France at Rexam Beverage Can, added: “Companies need to ensure they have unique and eye-catching packaging in order to stand out in the ever-expanding energy drinks market. It has been great working with Deveurop SAS to help them bring this award winning drink to market. We are especially pleased to win such a prestigious innovation award, proving once again that Fusion is a superior packaging format.”
Chamane is currently available in red-berry with pomegranate flavour, with a new coffee flavour launching in 2012.


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Microsoft has released an update to the Groove app for Windows Insiders on the Release Preview ring.
The update adds the equalizer feature which was leaked a while ago, allowing users of the Groove Music player to change their sound settings according to their preference.
The update also adds the option to change the wallpaper and lockscreen of your device to corresponding artist art of the currently playing artist, a feature which was first used in the Windows phone iterations of what used to be called Xbox Music.
Microsoft has brought the design of Groove more in line with the design of the Mail and Calendar app as well, removing the title bar.
You can download Groove’s Music update from the Microsoft Store link below.


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'The red cups are back!': Starbucks debuts annual holiday cups designed by customers this year
- Starbucks turned to its latte-sipping customers to design its latest holiday red cups
- 13 cups designed by customers were selected that focus on traditional holiday themes like snowflakes, Santa Claus and reindeer
- The festive cups return after last year's more subdued designed caused an uproar from critics saying the chain was part of a war on Christmas
- The 13 cups will hit stores around the world on Thursday, with eleven of them available in U.S. locations
Snowflakes, Santa Claus and reindeer are returning to Starbucks' holiday cups today after last year's more subdued red cups caused an uproar from critics who said the chain was part of a so-called war on Christmas.
And instead of looking to its creative team to design this year's holiday red cups, Starbucks has turned to its latte-sipping customers.
A total of the 13 different cups designed by customers will hit stores around the world on Thursday, with eleven of them available in U.S. locations.
Scroll down for video
Snowflakes, Santa Claus and reindeer are returning to Starbucks' holiday cups this year (pictured)
Instead of looking to its creative team, Starbucks turned to its latte-sipping customers to design its latest holiday red cups
Customers took to Twitter on Thursday to share their joy of seeing the holiday cups return
Last December, the company asked people to post their designs on Instagram, and 1,200 ideas came in from customers who have made it clear on social media they care about the holiday cups it has brought out each year for nearly two decades.
Over the next several months, company executives narrowed down the options to their favorites, Starbucks said on Wednesday.
They settled on 13 different designs from six countries overall that focus on traditional holiday themes like snowflakes, Santa Claus and reindeer.
'We hope that this year's red holiday cup designs express the shared spirit of the holidays as told by our customers,' Sharon Rothstein, Starbucks global chief marketing officer, said in a press release.
All the cups for hot drinks are red and have white designs featuring candy canes, ornaments or other holiday symbols.
The one cup for iced drinks has a wreath wrapped around the Starbucks mermaid logo.
Starbucks declined to say if the customers were compensated for the designs.
In all, 13 different cups designed by customers will hit stores around the world Thursday. Eleven of them will be available in U.S. stores
Last year's more subdued red cups (pictured) caused an uproar from critics who said the chain was part of a so-called war on Christmas
Customers were quick to comment on Twitter after the cups debuted on Thursday.
'Starbucks went ALL IN on the holiday cups this year and love it,' Lauren Schlander tweeted.
'The red Cups are back! The Red Cups are back! Probably the best news I've heard all week,' another wrote.
And following Election Day, many said the red cups' return was the best news they've heard all week.
'I know many people are still complaining now about election stuff... but the red holiday cups are back at Starbucks,' Nicole Thompson.
Customers were quick to comment on Twitter after the cups debuted on Thursday
Others seemed to not understand why so many people were flooding Twitter with comments about this year's red cups.
'I wish my life was basic enough to care about #RedCups at Starbucks at Starbucks,' one person tweeted.
Another hilariously wrote: 'Had no clue why #RedCups was trending. Thought only of keg parties...'
The company's return to more overt holiday imagery comes after a tempest last year when a more subdued cup — bright red on top, shading to a darker cranberry below — drew criticism from some who said the chain was part of a so-called war on Christmas.
Others on Twitter seemed not too bothered about the red cups and said others should not get offended this year as they did last holiday over the red cups
Thousands of people sounded off on Twitter and other social networks.
Donald Trump, now president-elect, even suggested perhaps people should boycott the chain.
That controversy came as a surprise to the company, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said at an event in New York on Wednesday where the new designs were displayed.
Last week, the Seattle-based company also unveiled a green cup ahead of Election Day that it said was 'a symbol of unity' (pictured). It features a mosaic of more than 100 people, including a coffee farmer and barista
'It's just a cup,' he joked.
Starbucks Corp. has released holiday cups every year since 1997.
Last week, the Seattle-based company also unveiled a green cup ahead of Election Day that it said was 'a symbol of unity.'
It features a mosaic of more than 100 people, including a coffee farmer and barista.
Once again, though, people took to social media to make it known — they wanted red cups.
MEET THE CUSTOMERS BEHIND THE DESIGNS OF THIS YEAR'S HOLIDAY RED CUPS AT STARBUCKS
Birds & Flowers: Florencia from Bandung, Indonesia
Florencia's nature-inspired design depicts a bird in a field of magnolia flowers and berries.
'The magnolia symbolizes friends and love and the hedge sparrow represents faith and creativity,' Florencia said.
'I hope that my design inspires people to joyfully love life and be creative, even when faced with tough times.'
Holiday Lights: Maria Lauren from New York City, New York, United States
New York-based aspiring artist Maria loves creating bold, graphic patterns.
'I was looking around my home for inspiration and when I looked at my tree I thought about how beautiful the lights were,' Maria said.
Birch Forest: Chloe from Plainfield, Illinois, United States
Chloe, a nurse aide in a Chicago suburb, created a wintery design using acrylic paint.
'It is such a beautiful sight seeing the bare trees covered up in snow,' Chloe said. 'The first thing that comes to mind is home.'
Candy Canes: Jennifer from Seattle, Washington, United States
Jennifer, a professional artist who has illustrated several coloring books, wanted to create a holiday design that people could identify with.
'My goal was to merge the whimsical candy cane elements with the botanical patterns in a cohesive, symmetrical design that would not only capture the spirit of the holiday season but also work with the red ombré, which is why I chose white ink,' Jennifer said.
'It was a great deal of fun to make, and I thank Starbucks for giving artists such a lovely canvas to work with.'
Ornaments: Anz Soza from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
After Anz moved from her home in the Philippines to Dubai, she made a hobby out of drawing on Starbucks cups, collecting more than 75 cup creations.
Last year when her husband brought home a red cup, she was excited to try her first holiday design, with hanging ornaments and feathers reminiscent of dreamcatchers.
'I love the Christmas season so I was really inspired. To me, the color red symbolizes the celebration of love and life,' Anz said.
Woodland Deer: Samantha from Broomall, Pennsylvania, United States
Samantha, a hair stylist, was on maternity leave when she created her wintery design featuring the silhouette of a deer against an evergreen wreath and snowflakes.
When Starbucks put out a call for cup designs, 'My daughter was three weeks old and I was doodling during nap times,' Samantha said.
Now she's looking forward to creating new holiday traditions with her daughter.
Love and Joy: Anna from Toronto, Canada
In Anna's design, Santa Claus's sleigh and reindeer take flight above a snow-covered village.
Born in the Soviet Union, Anna was trained in an ancient Ukrainian decorative folk art, which influenced her design's intricate line work and details.
Poinsettia: Christina from Bakersfield, California, United States
Christina, a student of landscape architecture, created a design featuring the festive poinsettia plant.
She is currently working on a public art installation in Germany, and said, 'Part of the job of a landscape architect is to connect people to the environment by creating a sense of place.
'I decided to evoke the Christmas spirit by creating a design with a plant that is symbolic of the season.'
Graphic Swirls: Erica from Markham, Ontario, Canada
Erica, a recent paralegal graduate, was helping her sister recover from knee surgery when she decorated her holiday cup with playful swirls.
'My sister was stuck on the couch for a month, so we spent a lot of time coloring together,' Erica said.
'When I wanted to change it up, I switched to doodling on Starbucks cups.'
Snowflake Sweater: Alisa from St. Petersburg, Russia
Alisa's inspiration for her design came while she was drinking a gingerbread latte.
'The holiday mood made me try to draw on the Starbucks cup for the first time,' Alisa said.
Her design features snowflakes and reindeer patterned after a cozy sweater.
Evergreen Forest: Bronwyn from Moscow, Idaho, United States
Brownyn's inspiration for her design was a December hike along a favorite mountain trail.
'Everything was still and snow-covered. The contrast was beautiful – it was almost like a black and white photo all around us,' the college student said.
'The simplicity of the image transferred easily into a wintery design.'
Sleigh Ride: Eun Joo from Daejeon, South Korea
Eun Joo's whimsical design depicts Santa's sleigh on a starry night with tiny snowmen adorning overlapping circles.
'There are many people – like different patterns of overlapping circles – but everyone can have happy memories with a cup of coffee at Starbucks, Eun Joo said.
Wooden Wreath: Tracy from Los Angeles, California, United States
Tracy, a professional artist from Los Angeles, created a wreath that encircled the Starbucks logo – a design featured on Starbucks cold beverage cups.
'I love the nature and the woods, so I decided to illustrate a wooden wreath with ornaments of various shapes and patterns,' Tracy said.
'Topping it all off is some snow, a bow and a dash of holiday spirit.'
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