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Canon confirms August ransomware attack, notes past and current employees affected

01 Dec

In August, we reported that Canon suffered a ransomware attack that, allegedly, saw more than 10TB of data taken from Canon’s servers. At the time, a Canon representative told us the company was ‘investigating the situation,’ but the company never confirmed the attack took place. Now, three months later, Canon has confirmed in a statement that an attack did take place as well as details on exactly what information was taken from its servers.

The notice, first spotted by Canon Watch, states information of past and current employees ‘who were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. and certain subsidiaries, predecessors and affiliates from 2005 to 2020’ was taken. This data, which also includes employees’ beneficiaries and dependents when applicable, includes ‘Social Security number, driver’s license number or government-issued identification number, financial account number provided to Canon for direct deposit, electronic signature, and date of birth.’

A notice originally sent to Canon employees notifying them of the cyberattack.

Canon says it immediately opened an investigation, hired a cybersecurity firm and contacted law enforcement, who helped to support the investigation.

To assist with those whose information was taken in the attack, Canon is offering a free membership to a credit monitoring service to help ‘detect possible misuse of an individual’s information and provides the individual with identity protection services.’

Canon statement:

Canon statement about the ransomware attack:

Notice of Data Security Incident

Canon understands the importance of protecting information. We are informing current and former employees who were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. and certain subsidiaries, predecessors, and affiliates¹ from 2005 to 2020 and those employees’ beneficiaries and dependents of an incident that involved some of their information. This notice explains the incident, measures we have taken, and steps you can take in response.

We identified a security incident involving ransomware on August 4, 2020. We immediately began to investigate, a cybersecurity firm was engaged, and measures were taken to address the incident and restore operations. We notified law enforcement and worked to support the investigation. We also implemented additional security measures to further enhance the security of our network.

We determined that there was unauthorized activity on our network between July 20, 2020 and August 6, 2020. During that time, there was unauthorized access to files on our file servers. We completed a careful review of the file servers on November 2, 2020 and determined that there were files that contained information about current and former employees from 2005 to 2020 and their beneficiaries and dependents. The information in the files included the individuals’ names and one or more of the following data elements: Social Security number, driver’s license number or government-issued identification number, financial account number provided to Canon for direct deposit, electronic signature, and date of birth.

We wanted to notify our current and former employees and their beneficiaries and dependents of this incident and to assure them that we take it seriously. As a precaution, we have arranged for them to receive a complimentary membership to Experian’s® IdentityWorks^SM credit monitoring service. This product helps detect possible misuse of an individual’s information and provides the individual with identity protection services. IdentityWorks^SM is completely free to the individual, and enrolling in this program will not hurt the individual’s credit score. If you are a current or former employee, or the beneficiary or dependent of a current or former employee, and would like more information on IdentityWorks^SM, including instructions on how to activate your complimentary membership, please call our dedicated call center for this incident at 1-833-960-3574. For information on additional steps you can take in response, please see the additional information provided below.

We regret that this occurred and apologize for any inconvenience. If you have additional questions, please call 1-833-960-3574, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Eastern Time.

¹This notice is being provided by or on behalf of Canon U.S.A., Inc. and the following subsidiaries, predecessors, and affiliates: Canon BioMedical, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Central, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Mountain West, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-NewCal, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Tereck, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-West, Inc., Canon Development Americas, Inc., Canon Financial Services, Inc., Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc., Canon Information Technology Systems, Inc., Canon Latin America, Inc., Canon Medical Components U.S.A., Inc., Canon Software America, Inc., Canon Solutions America, Inc., Canon Technology Solutions, Inc., Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc., NT-ware USA, Inc., Océ Imaging Supplies, Inc., Océ Imagistics Inc., Océ North America, Inc., Océ Reprographic Technologies Corporation, and Virtual Imaging, Inc.

ADDITIONAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE

We remind you it is always advisable to be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, please visit?www.annualcreditreport.com?or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies is as follows:

Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374,?www.equifax.com, 1-800-685-1111
Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013,?www.experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016,?www.transunion.com, 1-800-916-8800

If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in your state. You can obtain information from these sources about steps an individual can take to avoid identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors to correct your records. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:

Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338),?www.ftc.gov/idtheft

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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GoPro and VSCO lay off employees, change business models over COVID-19 pandemic

18 Apr

Amid ongoing social distancing efforts, both VSCO and GoPro have announced major business changes resulting from the economic downturn. In a post on his LinkedIn account, VSCO CEO Joel Flory revealed that his company had to lay off 45 employees this week. The announcement was followed by a similar message from GoPro, which revealed that it will be reducing its number of employees by 20%.

Many companies are struggling to stay above water as a number of states and countries implement lockdown measures. Many businesses have been forced to temporarily close down, and while others remain in business, a drop in consumer purchasing has left some companies struggling to keep their revenue up.

In a post on his LinkedIn account, Flory said that VSCO had expected 2020 to be ‘a year where we would continue to forward invest into our business.’ However, things didn’t go as planned and Flory said, ‘Overnight our environment changed. We realize that we would need to shift towards running a self-sustaining business.’

The company is giving its laid-off employees a minimum of two months of healthcare coverage and seven weeks of severance pay, according to Flory, who says that the company is also assisting them in other ways. VSCO plans to continue releasing new features this year, though details on what the company has planned weren’t revealed.

GoPro, meanwhile, published its preliminary Q1 financial requests on April 15 and withdrew its 2020 guidance in light of the pandemic. The company said that it is restructuring its business model to focus on direct-to-consumer sales and that as part of its global restructuring, it plans to lay off more than 20% of its workforce.

These layoffs will contribute to a $ 100 million reduction in operating expenses for the year, according to GoPro, which plans to shed another $ 250 million in operating expenses next year.

Company CEO Nicholas Woodman said that GoPro’s distribution network has been hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic and that as a result, the company must expedite its shift to a ‘more efficient and profitable direct-to-consumer-centric business’ model this year, something GoPro had already been pursuing. ‘We are crushed that this forces us to let go of many talented members of our team,’ Woodman said, ‘and we are forever grateful for their contributions.’

Though GoPro will primarily sell directly to consumers, the company says it will continue to make its products available through ‘select leading retailers’ in only ‘key regions’ for consumers who prefer to buy items indirectly and at physical stores. Other planned changes include reducing office space in five different locations, reducing its sales and marketing throughout this year ‘and beyond,’ as well as cutting spending in other unspecified ways.

Despite the changes, GoPro said that it still plans to move ahead with its 2020 product roadmap, which will include releasing new software, subscriptions and hardware targeted at action camera and smartphone owners. Woodman has voluntarily decided to skip the remainder of his 2020 salary, according to the company, which says its Board of Directors has also made the decision to avoid any additional cash compensation throughout the remainder of the year.

Via: PetaPixel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Former Facebook employees claim Instagram hid ‘likes’ to increase post frequency

12 Dec

A new report claims on behalf of three former Facebook employees that Instagram is hiding ‘likes’ as an experiment to determine whether doing so will get users to post more content. The theory, according to CNBC, is that users who receive few likes on their content may not post as often out of a sense of embarrassment. By hiding likes, Instagram may remove the psychological barrier preventing many users from frequently posting.

Over the course of its test this year, Instagram repeatedly presented its decision to hide likes as an effort to ‘depressurize’ the platform, reduce cyberbullying, and help users focus on the subjects and people who interest them. By hiding likes, the company has said, Instagram will feel less like a popularity contest.

The anonymous sources speaking to CNBC claim that it was parent company Facebook’s research that spurred the hidden likes test. The social media company allegedly found that removing public like counts resulted in Instagram users posting more often.

One source claims that Facebook’s research showed users were deleting or hiding posts that didn’t receive many likes, among other things. Whereas the lack of publicly visible likes helps users feel less self-conscious when their content doesn’t get much attention, the delivery of like and comment notifications to these same users may provide an incentive for them to post more often.

Instagram is allegedly aware of the fact that hidden ‘likes’ may have a negative impact on influencers by reducing the amount of engagement on their posts, but the sources claim that Facebook isn’t terribly concerned due to the lack of adequate competing services these influencers have available to them. This may not matter for the company in the long run if enough users start posting often enough to noticeably boost ad revenue, potentially making up for any negative effects on influencers.

The question remains over whether the ‘depressurized’ nature of a publicly like-free Instagram will lead to the more habitual use of the platform among some users, potentially paving the way for an uptick in ‘Instagram addiction’ cases. If a sense of peer pressure is causing many users to inherently moderate their use of the platform, removing that psychological barrier may have some unwanted consequences.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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California will debate a bill amendment changing how photo shoot employees are paid

06 Jun

Last month, the California Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 671, which proposes an amendment to the state’s labor law related to ‘print shoot employees.’ Under the change, California would fix a ‘discrepancy in payment timelines’ between crew hired for short-term photo shoot work and employees working on a TV or movie production.

The bill was sponsored by California State Senator Robert Hertzberg, whose office was alerted to the payment timeline discrepancy, according to his press secretary Katie Hanzlik speaking to PDN.

The proposed amendment revolves around existing California labor law, which requires the majority of short-term workers be classified as employees and receive their full wages on the last day of the job. There’s an exception for employees working on a movie or TV production, however, who receive the wages for their work on the next regularly scheduled payday.

Under the proposal, the definition of ‘print shoot employee’ is changed from a short-term worker involved with a print shoot to a short-term worker involved with a ‘still image shoot, including film or digital photography, for use in print, digital, or Internet media.’

The proposed amendment would allow photographers, directors, and other to pay ‘print shoot employees’ their wages on that same timeline, meaning photo shoot crew members will receive their checks on the next regularly scheduled payday like everyone else.

Under the proposal, the definition of ‘print shoot employee’ is changed from a short-term worker involved with a print shoot to a short-term worker involved with a ‘still image shoot, including film or digital photography, for use in print, digital, or Internet media.’ Photo assistants, stylists, and other crew members involved in a photo shoot would be covered by the change.

Now that it has passed the California Senate, the bill will be debated by the State Assembly’s Committee on Labor and Employment on June 12. The bill may then be passed on to the Assembly for a vote, potentially being passed into law.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Camera Store employees were attacked with bear spray during robbery

20 May

The Camera Store, located in Calgary, Alberta, has reported a camera theft incident that involved an attack on staff using bear (capsaicin) spray. The incident took place on May 16 at around 5PM local time, according to the company, which says the thief took off with a Sony A7R III camera and Sony 16-35mm F2.8 G Master lens.

The thief is described as a middle-aged man wearing a grey jacket, dark pants, sunglasses, and light running shoes. The Camera Store’s Evelyn Drake said in a post on the company’s blog, ‘We knew there was something ‘off’ about him since the moment he walked in, and our team was on high alert.’

As the security footage shared on YouTube shows, the man attempted to run away with the camera and the store’s employees took off after him. To evade them, the thief sprayed two of the employees with bear spray before fleeing in a black pickup truck.

‘Although it is not our policy to chase down thieves, the loyalty and bravery of the staff who risked their safety are commendable,’ Drake said.

The stolen Sony A7R III camera body has the serial number 3372445 and the stolen lens has the serial number 1803243. The Camera Store is seeking reports from anyone who finds the products for sale or who has knowledge about the theft.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Kodak will lay off 425 employees after reporting millions in losses

14 Nov

Kodak recently disclosed its third quarter fiscal results, revealing that it had a GAAP net loss of $ 46 million on $ 379 million in revenues during its Q3 2017. This marks a sharp downturn of fortunes for Kodak, which saw $ 12 million in net earnings during the same quarter last year. “An overall print market slowdown and rising aluminum costs have impacted our commercial print business,” explained Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke in a release.

Clarke went on to explain that Kodak is, “taking immediate actions to accelerate cost reduction and reduce investments to sharpen our focus as we continue to actively pursue changes to the Kodak product and divisional portfolio.” According to New York Upstate, “accelerate cost reduction” translates to the Eastman Kodak Company cutting 425 jobs.

The quarter had its upsides for Kodak, however, which reports that its Kodak Sonora Plates saw a 24% growth in Q3 and its Flexcel NX revenue grew 2% year-on-year. Overall, Kodak’s CFO David Bullwinkle said the company anticipates generating cash during Q4 2017. “We plan to improve our cash balance through reducing working capital and through cost actions,” Bullwinkle explained, “including focusing investments in technologies most likely to deliver near-term returns.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Nokia pulls the plug on the Ozo VR camera, will lay off up to 310 employees

12 Oct

Nokia Technologies has announced that it will be reducing its investments in VR due to “slower-than-expected development of the VR market,” and this means putting an end to its Ozo VR camera. While Nokia will fulfill its commitments to customers who have already purchased the camera, the company explains that it will not develop future versions of Ozo.

Nokia revealed the change of plans in a statement yesterday, in which the company also detailed a business restructuring plan that includes laying off up to 310 employees—a significant percentage of Nokia Technologies’ 1,090 worker base. These layoffs will primarily happen in the US, UK and Finland, and are part of a shift towards “digital health and brand and technology licensing.”

Presently, the Ozo+ camera is still listed as available in Nokia’s online store for $ 25,000 USD.

Press Release

Nokia focuses on patent, brand and technology licensing and targets faster growth in digital health with sharpened strategy for Nokia Technologies

Press Release

Increased focus on digital health and brand and technology licensing balanced with optimized investments in virtual reality
Planned changes expected to impact Nokia Technologies employees mainly in Finland, the US and the UK
Nokia’s successful patent licensing business is not in scope of planned changes

October 10, 2017

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced plans to sharpen the focus of Nokia Technologies on digital health, and accelerate growth in that market, while optimizing investments in virtual reality (VR). Nokia Technologies will also focus on growing brand and technology licensing while leaving its successful patent licensing business untouched.

The shift deepens Nokia’s commitment to fully leverage its digital health portfolio acquired through the purchase of Withings in 2016. Through a more focused, more agile digital health business, Nokia aims to have larger impact with consumers and the medical community.

In digital media, the slower-than-expected development of the VR market means that Nokia Technologies plans to reduce investments and focus more on technology licensing opportunities. The unit aims to halt development of further versions of the OZO VR camera and hardware, while maintaining commitments to existing customers.

The potential reductions are expected to affect up to 310 of the roughly 1090 employees in Nokia Technologies, mainly in Finland, the US and the UK. To start the process, Nokia today has invited employee representatives of Nokia Technologies in Finland to cooperation negotiations.

“Nokia Technologies is at a point where, with the right focus and investments, we can meaningfully grow our footprint in the digital health market, and we must seize that opportunity,” said Gregory Lee, president of Nokia Technologies. “While necessary, the changes will also affect our employees, and as a responsible company we are committed to providing the needed support to those affected.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Report: Bowens employees not paid for July, told they must continue to work unpaid

04 Aug

A bombshell of a report on PetaPixel reveals just how sudden last month’s closure of 94-year-old UK photographic lighting company Bowens has been, especially for its employees. An infuriated UK employee reached out to the photography blog to share their story, and the whole workforce of Bowens China has sent an email to the company to complain about how the process is being handled.

The UK employee, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed anger at how the liquidation has been handled, specifically citing issues with pay. According to them, “26 of the most hard working members in the UK […] were in complete shock [on July 14th] to be informed that they will be unpaid for the previous month, and will have to continue to work through a consultation process unpaid.”

The employee claims the UK crew was told they would have to continue working because they are bound by contract. Staff are reportedly considering legal action.

These claims are backed up by an email sent to Bowens and Calumet distributors by the workforce of Bowens China, and acquired by PetaPixel.

The letter claims employees of Bowens Suzhou were “suddenly abandoned” with “no July wages, no social insurance, [and] no updated information since Germany let us stop work [on the] 17th July.” The employees took to the streets and the German embassy to protest what they’re describing as “dishonest betrayal” and “bloody exploitations” by Aurelius and Calumet.

For their part, Calumet did respond to PetaPixel’s request for comment. The company sent a statement in which it re-states the reasons for closing Bowens (“the result of far reaching changes affecting its market”) before addressing the concerns in China, saying:

“As part of the decision to discontinue its operations Bowens consequently also decided to discontinue the manufacturing operations in China […] The liquidation process is handled according to all local laws and requirements and the employees will be informed in due course on next steps.”

You can read Calumet’s full statement on PetaPixel. However, DPReview has reached out to Calumet for comment as well, specifically asking Calumet to address the claim that employees were not paid for July and are contractually bound to continue working without pay.

We will update this post if and when we hear back.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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GoPro ‘restructuring’ effort will layoff 200 full-time employees

01 Dec

GoPro has announced plans to restructure the company, saying it will layoff 200 full-time workers, close its entertainment division, reduce its facilities, and cancel open positions. By doing these things, GoPro will reduce its workforce by 15% and will, it anticipates, reduce its non-GAAP operating expenses next year.

GoPro announced the news today as part of its quarterly earnings report. According to the company, GoPro camera sales in the U.S. were up more than 35% this past Black Friday in comparison to the same time period last year. However, its turbulent financial state over the past year has spurred the company to make some big changes.

In addition to shedding 15% of its workforce, GoPro President Tony Bates will step down from his position at the end of 2016. GoPro didn’t provide a reason for his departure. Assuming all goes as planned, GoPro expects to reach non-GAAP profitability next year, with its full 2017 non-GAAP operating expenses dropping to about $ 650 million.

Press release

Solid Holiday Demand In The U.S. For GoPro HERO5

Nov 30, 2016

Week of Black Friday Camera Unit Sales Up 35% YoY in U.S.
Company Restructuring to Reduce Operating Expenses and Improve Efficiency

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — GoPro Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO) today announced solid holiday quarter sell-thru in the U.S. for its new HERO5 cameras.

Based on internal data, GoPro’s week of Black Friday camera unit sales were up more than 35% year-over-year at leading U.S. retailers. Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday sales of camera units at GoPro.com were up approximately 33% year-over-year. According to the NPD Group, since the launch on October 2, HERO5 Black has been the best-selling Digital Imaging device in the United States.

HERO5 cameras are available at major US retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.

“We have a lot of work to do to finish the quarter and our fiscal year, however our HERO5 cameras have been very well-received by critics and consumers alike,” said Nicholas Woodman, Founder & CEO of GoPro. “Both HERO5 cameras can now auto-offload new content to the cloud and our Quik mobile app makes accessing and editing your footage fun. Its clear consumers are excited about these new features.”

GoPro also announced a company-wide restructuring that will reduce full-year 2017 non-GAAP operating expenses to approximately $ 650 million (GAAP: $ 735 million) and achieve its goal of returning to non-GAAP profitability in 2017. The restructuring includes the closure of its entertainment division, facilities reductions, and the elimination of more than 200 full-time positions plus the cancelation of open positions for a reduction in force of approximately 15 percent.

Additionally, Tony Bates will depart his position as president of the Company at the end of the year. “My time at GoPro has been an incredible experience,” said Tony Bates. “In the past three years, GoPro has seen enormous progress in camera technology, software and international growth. Today GoPro has a solid leadership team deeply focused on its core business and profitability.”

GoPro estimates that it will incur total aggregate charges of approximately $ 24 million to $ 33 million for the restructuring, including approximately $ 13 million to $ 18 million of cash expenditures as a result of the workforce restructuring, substantially all of which are severance costs, and approximately $ 11 million to $ 15 million of non-cash expenditures, consisting primarily of stock-based compensation expense and accelerated depreciation associated with office consolidations. The company expects to recognize most of the restructuring charges in Q4 2016.

“Consumer demand for GoPro is solid and we’ve sharply narrowed our focus to concentrate on our core business,” said Nicholas Woodman. “We are headed into 2017 with a powerful global brand, our best ever products, and a clear roadmap for restored growth and profitability in 2017.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sweet Dreams: Nightmare Robots Replace Hotel Employees

11 Aug

[ By Steph in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

robot hotel 2

In this edition of ‘Androids Are After Our Jobs,’ a Japanese hotel replaces all of its front desk clerks, porters and other employees with robots, including a hairy nightmare dinosaur wearing a bellboy cap. In fact, should you choose to stay the night here and approach the desk furthest to the right in the lobby, you might question for a moment whether you accidentally ingested some LSD and are mentally recreating a scene from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

robot hotel 1

robot hotel fear and loathing

Don’t want to face this guy when you check in? Too bad, because he’s the only one who speaks English. “If you want to check in, push one,” he says, and you type your information into the touch screen and let it snap your photo. The porter robot accompanies you to your room with all of your luggage onboard, and you’re allowed entrance once your identity is verified with facial recognition software. Is that cute little bedside concierge watching you as you sleep, or evaluating your performance in other activities? You’ll never know.

robot hotel 3

robot hotel 6

robot hotel 4

The Henn Na hotel is a real place in Nagasaki, Japan, that aims to slash costs by automating nearly all services with a whole lot of help from technology. Owner Hideo Sawada runs the hotel as part of an amusement park, and says that while the robots may be a tourist draw, they’re not purely gimmicks. Cutting down on staff enables the hotel to rent rooms for as low as $ 80 a night, a rarity in the country.

robot hotel 5

robot hotel 7

robot hotel 8

The technology that makes this actually work is still in progress, so naturally, the robots can’t do nearly as many things as human employees, like calling cabs or giving you directions. You’ll have to figure that stuff out yourself. Mentioned almost as an aside is the creepy fact that the few human employees who are present in the hotel are hidden, watching you silently through a series of security cameras as you pass through the hallways and common rooms. Please enjoy your stay!