No masks required: An international band of cybercrooks that worked its way into dozens of banks has experts warning of a “new era” of cybercrime where criminals steal directly from banks instead of their customers. And the problem could soon spread to other industries, experts warn. As USA Today reports, Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky Lab released a report Monday showing that a gang of international hackers have stolen as much as $1 billion from 100 banks across 30 countries by installing malware that allowed them to take control of the banks’ internal operations. While such hacks have been attempted before, the scale and sophistication of the attacks, which spanned several nations over several years, has experts worried that this represents a new trend. Read the full story.
Up in the air: Entrepreneurs in the fledgling drone industry breathed a sigh of relief Monday after federal regulators finally issued proposed rules for flying the small robotic flying machines—a plan not as tough on commercial users as many had feared. The Los Angeles Times reports the rules proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration could ultimately put thousands more drones in the sky, with some of the most promising uses in spraying crops and inspecting hard-to-reach structures like cell towers, pipelines and bridges. But not all companies are pleased with the plan’s specifics, however. Internet giant Amazon, for example, would not be allowed to deliver merchandise by drone—a highly touted plan that the company proposed last year. The rules would prohibit the aerial deliveries by requiring operators to keep their drones within sight and bar them from dropping objects. Read the full story.
Rough estimates: Most energy industry executives say their projects fail to come in on budget, according to a new survey compiled by consulting firm AlixPartners. The report comes at a time when many executives from exploration and production companies have renewed calls for more capital discipline as falling oil prices are adding to preserve profit margins. The survey found that just 29% of respondents—including 19% of North American firms—said their companies finish projects within their budget. Moreover, only 12% of respondents said their companies are better than the competition at project execution. And only 30% said they had specific targets for their return on capital for projects launched prior to the oil price decline. FuelFix.com has the full story.
