How Holiday Shoppers Can Protect Their Information Against Cyberattacks
*By Tracey Cheek*
The holiday season is here again ー and as consumers buy and spend, more personal information is being exposed online.
The number and severity of cyberattacks are on the rise, and both consumers and businesses need protection. Shane Wall, chief technology officer at HP and global head of HP Labs sat down with Cheddar on Monday to discuss the state of cybersecurity heading into the new year.
“It continues to be dynamic,” said Wall on cyberattacks. “The number of attacks we’ve seen are accelerating. Keeping up with that continues to be a big challenge for us tech providers.”
Hackers are getting smarter, and attacks could come from a variety of sources, said Wall.
“It could be nation-state hackers, it could be individual hackers,” said Wall.
As for the motivations behind the attacks, he said they vary.
“We’ve seen a lot of extortion pieces that go on, or it could just be fame," he said. "They just want to be known.”
In this environment, consumers need to protect themselves, and that starts with selecting a secure device. “When you make a device choice, you’re making a security choice,” Wall told Cheddar. “So choose carefully the device that you use. Make sure you look underneath to make sure they actually have all the right security pieces in place."
He said consumers online should always make sure they are shopping at trusted websites, and advised against opening any emails that aren't from a known sender.
Tech giants have to get into the mind of a hacker to prevent attacks, especially at a moment when the nature of cyberattacks is constantly changing.
“Now we’re seeing very dynamic attacks that are actually using artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to find and probe capabilities," Wall said. “As a result, on our end, we need to turn to things like artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to combat the bad guys.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/hps-chief-technology-officer-on-the-state-of-cybersecurity).
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
