The transition to remote working brought about by the ongoing pandemic has blurred the boundaries between private and professional lives in more ways than one.

According to a report from security firm Kaspersky, over half (51%) of remote workers that concede to watching more “inappropriate content” since lockdown measures were introduced admit to doing so on the same device they use to work from home.

Meanwhile, nearly a fifth (18%) confirmed they have accessed such content on devices provided to them by their employer.

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Although the report does not offer an explicit definition of the types of content it classifies as “inappropriate”, the implication is clear.

Remote working threats

While “inappropriate content” in itself does not necessarily pose a threat to cybersecurity, Kaspersky believes the overlap between personal and professional activities could amplify risks associated with shadow IT, including the disclosure of sensitive information.

For example, 42% of respondents admitted using personal email accounts for work-related matters, jeopardising the security of business data. Almost four in ten (38%) also use personal messaging services that have not been vetted by IT teams - with 60% of them doing so more often under the new regime.

According to Kaspersky, workers are also consuming a far greater quantity of news than before the pandemic. While this might appear an innocuous activity, 60% is performed on devices used for work, which could lead to malware infections if employees are not careful about the resources they access.

“Organizations cannot just fulfill all user requests, such as allowing staff to use any services as they want to. It is necessary to find a balance between user convenience, business necessity and security,” said Andrey Evdokimov, Chief Information Security Officer at Kaspersky.

“To achieve this, a company should provide access to services based on the principle of only supplying minimal, necessary privileges and use secure and approved corporate systems. These types of software may have certain restrictions that slightly reduce usability, but offer greater assurances in providing security measures,” he added.

Meanwhile, users looking to preserve their privacy while accessing personal (or inappropriate) content are advised to use devices that are unconnected with their profession and opt for a leading VPN service.

• Here's our list of the best VPN providers of 2020

Video conferencing giant Zoom has announced its first ever acquisition, as part of its quest to bolster the security facilities of its platform.

The firm has acquired secure messaging and file-sharing service Keybase, brought in to help Zoom build end-to-end encryption capable of scaling to the level made necessary by the platform's recent surge in popularity.

In a blog post, Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan described the acquisition as “a key step” in the company’s attempt to “accomplish the creation of a truly private video communications platform”. 

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In line with social distancing policies, the deal was hashed out over a Zoom video call - although the financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Zoom acquisition

The Keybase acquisition marks the latest step in Zoom’s 90-day plan to strengthen the security of its video conferencing platform, introduced amid intense scrutiny brought about by the recent explosion in users.

Researchers uncovered a litany of vulnerabilities in the service - from the opportunity for credential theft to app hijacking, malicious code injection and more - forcing the company to suspend product development to focus on eliminating security flaws.

Zoom believes the acquisition of Keybase will help the company allay any potential concerns over its commitment to the security and privacy of its users.

“There are end-to-end encrypted communications platforms. There are communications platforms with easily deployable security. There are enterprise-scale communications platforms. We believe that no current platform offers all these. This is what Zoom plans to build,” said Yuan.

“Keybase brings deep encryption and security expertise to Zoom....Bringing on a cohesive group of security engineers like this significantly advances our 90-day plan to enhance our security efforts,” he added.

Once the new feature has been implemented, paying users will be able to activate an end-to-end encryption mode, which will see unique per-meeting encryption keys controlled by the host (and not held on Zoom servers). End-to-end encrypted meetings will not support telephone dial-in or cloud recording.

The firm believes the facility will “provide equivalent or better security than existing consumer end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms, but with the video quality and scale that has made Zoom the choice of over 300 million daily meeting participants.”

In the name of transparency, Zoom has pledged to publish an in-depth draft of its cryptographic design on May 22. It will then solicit feedback from a host of experts, before finalising the final design and deploying the feature.

• Here's our list of the best video conferencing services on the market

In his first keynote since taking the reins last month, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna doubled down on the firm’s commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) as a foundational technology for the future.

At the company’s virtual Think Digital event, Krishna declared that “the importance of both hybrid cloud and AI has accelerated as a result of the pandemic. AI is the only way to scale innovation, insight and expertise.”

“More than 20 years ago, experts predicted every company would become an internet company. I am predicting today that every company will become an AI company - not because they can, but because they must,” he said.

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IBM artificial intelligence

Krishna has spent the best part of the last three decades at IBM, most recently heading up the firm’s cloud business as SVP, Cloud and Cognitive Software.

He took over last month from previous chief Ginni Rometty, who leaves behind a mixed legacy, having presided over 22 consecutive quarters of declining revenue. Krishna will hope his company’s centrality to helping businesses navigate the coronavirus crisis will help him avoid a similar fate.

In his keynote, he reiterated views first expressed in an open letter to staff back in April, that hybrid cloud and AI are the two most dominant market forces today - both of which he intends to pursue with vigor.

“The pandemic is a powerful force for disruption and an unprecedented tragedy, but it also represents an opportunity,” he said.

“We will look back on this moment as the point at which digital transformation truly accelerated. Transformation journeys that would have lasted years are now being forced through in a matter of months.”

Krishna also unveiled the firm’s new AI toolset, Watson AIOps, which is designed to bring AI to hybrid cloud environments and help businesses automate the management of IT infrastructure.

“The problem is that many businesses are consumed with fixing problems after they occur, instead of preventing them before they happen. Watson AIOps relies on AI to solve and automate how enterprises self-detect, diagnose and respond to anomalies in real time,” he explained.

The new chief believes his company has made “big, bold bets” to allow its clients to capitalise on the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, but his vision does not stop there.

“AI and cloud are among the most powerful core technologies - but to these we can add blockchain and quantum, which will have a pivotal role to play in digital platforms of the future,” he concluded.

• Here's our list of the best cloud computing services on the market

At its virtual Think Digital conference, IBM has unveiled a new toolset designed to bring artificial intelligence (AI) to hybrid cloud environments and help businesses refire operations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Watson AIOps examines log data held across a business’ IT infrastructure, uses AI and machine learning models to assess systems and applies those learnings to anticipate potential problem areas and rectify issues before they arise.

Harnessing technology developed by the celebrated IBM Research department, the new AI service is infrastructure agnostic - and therefore flexible to rapidly changing business circumstances in the current climate.

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With hybrid cloud models made essential by the mandated transition to remote working, the firm hopes Watson AIOps can help businesses automate IT infrastructure and better insulate themselves from future disruption.

IBM Watson AIOps

According to Hillery Hunter, CTO IBM Cloud, the ongoing pandemic has served to accelerate the plodding transition to the cloud, which has become fundamental to business continuity as organisations are forced to embrace remote working.

“Transitioning to the cloud two months ago was in essence a strategic question, where now it’s an existential one,” she said in a pre-event press conference.

With security perimeters having expanded by magnitudes overnight as a result of coronavirus lockdown measures, the ability of a company to conduct business has come down to the extent to which it is able to lean on the cloud - and to do so securely.

According to IBM, working an IT anomaly takes on average five hours and costs a business $135,000. With Watson AIOps, however, issues are rooted out and remedied within 14 minutes and cost is reduced to circa $5,000.

“We want to arm every CIO in the world with the ability to detect problems before they occur,” declared Rob Thomas, IBM’s SVP Cloud and Data Platform.

“Able to monitor everything happening in the business’ infrastructure in real time, CIOs are able to act instead of react.”

• Check out our list of the best cloud computing services of 2020

Security researchers have uncovered a vulnerability in video conferencing service Microsoft Teams that could allow hackers to scrape data and hijack accounts using malicious GIFs.

According to the report, the subdomain takeover vulnerability allows hackers to steal login credentials, take over accounts and further sow infected images - and eventually seize control of an organization’s entire account roster.

Discovered by US-based security firm CyberArk, the Microsoft Teams flaw affects both desktop and web browser clients. Reportedly, users do not have to share or interact with the GIF to be infected - only receive it.

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Microsoft Teams security flaw

In line with similar growth seen by its video conferencing rivals, Microsoft Teams surged to 44 million daily active users in mid-March as a result of coronavirus lockdown measures - a figure that is likely even higher at the time of writing.

Meteoric growth among video conferencing services has also attracted heightened attention from cybercriminals looking to take advantage of remote workers. As a result, market leading services such as Zoom have been left scrambling to shore up any potential chinks in their security armor. 

The Microsoft Teams exploit discovered by CyberArk makes use of a quirk in the way the application handles image resources, such as GIFs. Each infected user can be converted into a “spreading point” and the malicious image can also be delivered to group channels, accelerating the rate of infection.

The capacity for a stealth-based attack makes this variety of attack especially potent - by the time the incident is detected, many (if not all) accounts could have been compromised.

According to Geraint Williams, CISO at risk management firm GRCI, effective identity and access management can go a long way towards mitigating against attacks of this kind.

“With tools like Teams, it is so important to ensure that only approved and regulated users can access the platform and post in collaboration activities - it all boils down to having robust user access controls and strong authentication processes in place,” he told TechRadar Pro.

“It’s also crucial that you regularly attack these defences yourself so you can assess them for weak points...so you can simulate malicious insiders and identify the extent of the damage attackers can cause.”

Thankfully, it appears the Microsoft Teams flaw has not been actively abused by cybercriminals. In a written statement, Microsoft confirmed it had been alerted to the account takeover vulnerability and has since issued a patch.

"We addressed the issue and worked with the researcher under Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure. While we have not seen any use of this technique in the wild, we have taken steps to keep our customers safe," said the firm.

• Here's our list of the best video conferencing software on the market

Apple has denied claims that zero-day vulnerabilities in its Mail application for iOS have been actively used to target iPhone and iPad users.

This followed a report that outlined two critical flaws in the software suite's mail client, which could have allowed hackers to scrape information from the target device.

The report from security firm ZecOps stated, “with high confidence”, that the newly discovered flaws have been widely exploited in the wild. However, while Apple has acknowledged the existence of the bugs, it says it has found “no evidence they were used against customers.”

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Apple security flaws

Apple is widely praised for its excellent digital security standards and watertight code, and is understandably eager to preserve its reputation.

The company disputes ZecOps’ assertion that the flaws have been used to attack multiple high-profile targets, including employees of a Fortune 500 company and an executive at a Japanese telecoms firm.

In its written riposte, Apple claims to have conducted a full enquiry, which unearthed no evidence to suggest the vulnerabilities have been exploited in the wild.

“We have thoroughly investigated the researcher’s report and, based on the information provided, have concluded these issues do not pose an immediate risk to our users,” said Apple.

“The researcher identified three issues in Mail, but alone they are insufficient to bypass iPhone and iPad security protections, and we have found no evidence they were used against customers.”

ZecOps, meanwhile, is sticking firmly to its resolve. The company says it has access to evidence the bugs were used to assault “a few organizations” and has promised to share intelligence with Apple once a full software update has been made publicly available.

• Here's our list of the best antivirus services on the market

Via Reuters

More than half (52%) of all business data exists in a dormant and unused state and the resources expended in storing this information could have an enormous impact on the environment.

According to data management firm Veritas Technologies, the energy used to store ‘dark’ data will see 5.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide enter the atmosphere this year alone - the equivalent of driving a car around the earth 575,000 times over.

The company also expects the issue to be compounded by a rapid increase in data production over the next few years, which will drive a proportionate rise in the volume of dark data in storage.

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Dark data

Sitting dormant on servers and made up primarily of unnecessary duplicates, this unclassified data leaks both resources and value. Those responsible for its management are unaware of its content - and in some cases even its existence.

In theory, businesses are highly incentivised to tackle the problem, which drives unnecessary expenditure as well as emissions, and could also land companies in hot water with data protection watchdogs.

But the problem is only set to become more acute, with analyst firm IDC predicting the volume of data stored worldwide will grow to 175ZB by 2025, which equates to over 91ZB of dark data - over four times the volume in circulation today.

Veritas believes businesses have a responsibility to ensure the issue does not escalate to this extreme point.

“Around the world, individuals and companies are working to reduce their carbon footprints, but dark data doesn’t often feature on action lists,” said Phil Brace, Chief Sustainability Officer at Veritas.

“However, dark data is producing more carbon dioxide than 80 different countries do individually, so it’s clear this is an issue everyone needs to start taking really seriously. Filtering dark data, and deleting the information that’s not needed, should become a moral imperative for businesses everywhere,” he added.

To help businesses tackle the dark dark problem, Veritas has defined a set of best practices. It begins with a thorough audit of data held in storage, who has access to it and how long it is retained.

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While VPN users across the globe might assume their internet activity is safe from prying eyes, the privacy of millions could be jeopardised by little-known information sharing treaties, designed to sidestep surveillance law.

According to data collated and analysed by TechRadar Pro, almost half (46.6%) of all VPN services are headquartered in countries known to participate in the Fourteen Eyes intelligence sharing pact.

Members of this agreement - including the UK, USA, Canada and more - could reportedly use its terms to circumvent laws that prohibit the surveillance of citizens, which poses a significant threat to privacy-focused VPN users.

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As per the intelligence sharing pact, a VPN provider could be forced into sharing information about its users with its government, which could in turn distribute that information to fellow members - all without the knowledge of the end user.

Fourteen Eyes intelligence pact

The genesis of the Fourteen Eyes pact can be found in the Five Eyes alliance (FVEY) - an agreement between the US and UK established in the 1940s, and expanded to include Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The intelligence sharing agreement was originally military in nature, designed to give participating nations an advantage in the Cold War, but now also encompasses information relating to internet activity.

According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the group later swelled to include Denmark, Norway, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands, creating the Fourteen Eyes pact (also referred to as SIGINT Seniors Europe).

While not quite as intimate as the FVEY nations, members of the less official Fourteen Eyes syndicate participate in similar intelligence collaboration activities, outside the legal jurisdiction of any single state.

VPN privacy

The existence of the Fourteen Eyes agreement could have significant ramifications for VPN users, whose primary objectives relate to information privacy and cybersecurity.

If our calculation is expanded to countries suspected of collaborating with Fourteen Eyes (such as Israel and Singapore), the proportion of VPN services based in affected localities rises to 48.4%.

Our data also shows that Windows and MacOS users are equally at risk, with 86.8% of VPN services based in member nations compatible with Windows and 86.0% with Mac. 

iOS users are least likely to use an affected VPN, with only 65.9% of Fourteen Eyes-based VPNs operating on Apple’s mobile OS, compared to 70.5% on Android.

The potential privacy issues are amplified by the widespread use of free VPNs, which are more likely to keep activity logs than their paid counterparts, despite claims surrounding zero-log or logless policies. 

Information collected could include websites visited, connection timestamps, bandwidth usage, server location and even original IP address - all of which could be shared among members of the intelligence pact.

To avoid privacy issues attached to this agreement, users are advised to opt for a paid VPN with an audited no-logging policy, based in a country that does not fall under the Fourteen Eyes alliance.

For example, popular services such as Express VPN and Nord VPN are headquartered  in the British Virgin Islands and Panama respectively, and so avoid any association with the problematic and privacy-compromising alliance.

• Here's our list of the best VPN services on the market

Google has announced the introduction of new Play Store policies designed to prevent in-app subscription scams on Android.

The new policies demand app developers offer clear information about the obligations associated with subscription models and free trials, and provide a simple avenue through which users can cancel subscriptions.

Google has also pledged to provide Android users with direct assistance in the form of notifications when a trial is about to spill over into a paid subscription, or a subscription is about to renew automatically.

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Android subscription scams

These latest measures are part of a wider Google campaign, aimed at protecting the privacy and security of Android users. 

The company took the opportunity to remind developers that its new evaluation process will take effect in August, which will require developers to gain approval from Google before requesting location data from the end user.

Further Play Store tweaks are also in the pipeline, which will reportedly address issues associated with deceptive content and applications.

The newly announced policies take aim specifically at fleeceware, a form of application that manipulates trial periods and subscription models to defraud victims. This type of application often buries the user in complex terms and conditions, obscuring unfair subscription commitments.

As part of the new requirements, developers must distinguish clearly between features available for free and those available only to paying subscribers.

In turn, Google will deliver a warning to users when a free trial is set to end or a subscription longer than three months is due to roll over. The firm will also issue notifications if a user attempts to uninstall an app attached to an ongoing subscription.

The new measures will come into effect on June 16, so users should take particular care when handling in-app subscriptions on Android in the interim.

• Here's our list of the best Android antivirus apps of 2020

Via The Verge

Executives from UK-based Imagination Technologies have been summoned by MPs to face questioning over concerns the firm could become a puppet of the Chinese government.

The company was acquired by China-owned Canyon Bridge in 2017, which was then based in the US, but is now headquartered in the Cayman Islands - a notorious tax haven.

MPs are concerned technology produced by Imagination Technologies - which is designed to identify network vulnerabilities - could be used to create backdoors into critical digital infrastructure, compromising the security of UK networks.

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The call for evidence was also prompted by fears the Chinese owners intend to relocate the company’s technology patents to China.

China security concerns

The acquisition of Imagination Technologies by Canyon Bridge was originally approved on the grounds the investment firm operated under US legal jurisdiction. However, the relocation to the Cayman Islands means this is no longer the case, leading to concerns the influence of the Chinese state could expand within Imagination Technologies unchecked.

The company has also seen its board decimated, with several high-profile executives heading for the exit over concerns about the association with China.

Departures include CEO Ron Black, CTO John Rayfield and Chief Product Officer Steve Evans, who stated in his resignation letter: “I will not be part of a company that is effectively controlled by the Chinese government.”

The summons follows a warning from Margrethe Vestager, EU Commissioner for Competition, that European businesses - many of which are struggling to weather a period of turbulence brought about by the coronavirus pandemic - are vulnerable to foreign takeover bids.

The EU is set to release proposals in June for legislation that will eliminate advantages held by corporations owned or backed by non-EU states. The measure will also act as a deterrent to foreign powers hoping to seize control of companies whose share price has plummeted in recent weeks as a result of the pandemic.

Vestager also suggested European governments should consider buying stakes in struggling business, to stave off the threat of foreign acquisition.

“We don’t have any issues of (sic) states acting as market participants if need be - if they provide shares in a company, if they want to prevent a takeover of this kind,” she said.

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Via BBC

E-commerce giant Amazon has temporarily closed its doors to new online grocery customers to ensure it is able to meet demand among existing clients.

Until recently, Amazon’s grocery delivery offering has been characterised by extreme promptness and the ability to select precise time-slots for delivery, but a surge in online food shopping has caused a scarcity of available slots.

To alleviate this issue, new grocery customers will now join a waiting list while Amazon endeavours to increase its capacity over the coming weeks.

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The company has also introduced limited shopping hours at select Whole Foods stores, allowing additional staff hours to be diverted towards the fulfilment of online purchases.

Amazon shopping restrictions

These latest restrictions follow the earlier withdrawal of Amazon Prime next-day delivery for some non-essential items, designed to ensure the timely delivery of high-priority products such as medical supplies.

The e-commerce behemoth has also curtailed its Amazon Shipping courier service and frozen shipments of Fulfilled-by-Amazon (FBA) products to prioritise its own essential inventory - a move that reportedly affects at least 53% of third-party marketplaces.

The extension of the FBA freeze beyond the original April 5 deadline infuriated sellers across the US and EU, adding fuel to existing protests over the company’s handling of the pandemic, sparked originally by the lack of protective measures in place for warehouse staff.

While delivery limitations may afford Amazon breathing room in its fight to rediscover equilibrium, the firm does not expect grocery delivery issues to evaporate overnight.

“We still expect the combination of restricted capacity due to social distancing and customer demand will continue to make finding available delivery windows challenging for customers,” conceded Amazon’s Vice President of Grocery, Stephenie Landry.

“If you are able to do so safely, we kindly encourage our customers who can to shop in person,” she added.

• Here's our list of the best e-commerce platforms of 2020

Via Reuters

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has agreed Google can be allowed to operate a portion of an undersea internet cable running between the US and Taiwan.

Funded in part by Google and Facebook, the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) connects Los Angeles to Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan. Until now, US regulators have blocked its activation over fears the project could jeopardise national security.

Approaching capacity in the APAC region, Google submitted an appeal on the grounds it would face significant premiums if required to route traffic through other systems, which would diminish the value of recent capital investments in the US.

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The tech giant claims it has, “an immediate need to meet internal demand for capacity between the US and Taiwan, in particular to connect Google’s Taiwan data center to Google data centers in the United States and to serve users throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”

Pacific Light Cable Network

Announced in 2016, PLCN was originally billed as the first undersea web cable to connect the US and Hong Kong. The fibre optic cable network boasts 12,800km of cabling and an estimated capacity of 120TB per second, which would make it the highest capacity trans-Pacific route.

In response to Google’s appeal, the FCC has granted the company permission to run the US to Taiwan portion of the submarine cable for six months, while it awaits a final decision on the activation of the PLCN.

However, sections running to Hong Kong will remain inactive amidst security fears and ongoing conflict between Washington and Beijing. Regulators also harbour concerns about the involvement of Dr Peng Telecom & Media Group in the project - a company with strong links to embattled Chinese tech firm Huawei.

Google celebrated the FCC’s decision and added that its “dedicated global network deployment and operations team is continually increasing capacity to meet the needs of our users.”

According to the FCC, Google will also “pursue diversification of interconnection points in Asia” as part of the temporary agreement.

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Via Reuters

Google has removed a popular Android VPN from the Play Store after vulnerabilities were discovered in the service that could allow hackers to redirect users to malicious servers.

SuperVPN - the offending service - has more than 100 million installs and featured among the top five VPN search results in Google’s app store before it was withdrawn.

The VPN contains vulnerabilities that open to door to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, which can expose messages sent between the user and provider and - most critically - redirect users away from bonafide VPN servers.

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Rigorous testing also revealed the app allows sensitive data to be delivered over insecure HTTP. While the information passed between the user and the backend is encrypted, the decryption keys are stored within the app itself, making them an easy target for hackers.

SuperVPN privacy concerns

SuperVPN has drawn criticism on multiple occasions over its suspicious practices, and the precise origin of the application remains unclear.

Its publisher SuperSoftTech is listed as Singapore-based, but an investigation into the app’s lineage reveals it is owned by Jinrong Zheng, an independent developer likely based in Beijing.

Zheng is also responsible for LinkVPN - which is ostensibly based in Hong Kong - and is connected with Shenyang Yiyuansu Network Technology, the app developer listed against SuperVPN on the Apple App Store.

SuperVPN was first identified as a security threat in 2016, when Australian researchers ranked it third in an analysis of the most malware-rigged VPN apps, suggesting the app has posed risks since it arrived on Google Play Store. At this point in time, it had been installed only 10,000 times.

The app’s user base has doubled from 50 to 100 million since January, in line with the significant uptick in worldwide VPN usage prompted by the ongoing pandemic, placing vast numbers of users at risk.

The surge in installs can also be attributed in part to manipulation of Google Play Store search rankings. The publisher reportedly flooded its page with a high volume of fake reviews from hidden users and generated illegitimate backlinks to secure an optimal position in the rankings.

The millions of SuperVPN users are advised to delete the application immediately.

• Here's our list of the best VPN services on the market

Via VPNPro

Co-working real estate firm WeWork is suing SoftBank and its Vision Fund for breach of contract, after the Japanese conglomerate withdrew from a deal that would have seen it become majority shareholder.

SoftBank announced last week it would retract its $3 billion tender offer, agreed as part of a rescue package designed to prevent WeWork becoming insolvent after a catastrophic IPO saw the firm’s valuation plummet by over 75%.

According to WeWork, none of the conditions listed by SoftBank give it legitimate grounds to withdraw from the agreement, and SoftBank has instead “engaged in a purposeful campaign to avoid completion of the tender offer.”

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WeWork, which has been hit hard by unpaid rent and broken leases amid the coronavirus pandemic, has also been forced to forgo $1.1bn of debt financing that hinged on the successful completion of the tender.

WeWork crisis

The lawsuit is emblematic of the increasingly frayed relationship between WeWork and its investor SoftBank, which played an intrinsic role in the meteoric rise of the co-working company, valued at $47 billion at its peak.

SoftBank’s legal argument is propped up by a clause in the rescue package that permits the group to withdraw should any party involved in the transaction face “material liability” following an enquiry into WeWork and its enigmatic co-founder Adam Neumann.

However, WeWork disputes the line of argument, which it claims is unfounded.

“SoftBank’s failure to consummate the tender offer is a clear breach of its contractual obligations...as well as a breach of SoftBank’s fiduciary obligations to WeWork’s minority stockholders, including hundreds of current and former employees,” said WeWork in a statement.

SoftBank, meanwhile, has referred to the lawsuit as a “desperate and misguided attempt” to redefine the original agreement, and claims it will “vigorously” defend itself.

“Nothing in the special committee’s filing today credibly refutes SoftBank’s decision to terminate the tender offer,” the group added.

The verdict will ultimately be determined by the judge's interpretation of the tender offer's language and the analysis of material liability.

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Via Financial Times

Zoom Meetings is a popular cloud-based video conferencing application, used primarily by businesses to host meetings with remote or international colleagues and clients - the basic version is also completely free of charge.

Zoom video conferencing is celebrated for its ease of use, high quality HD video and audio, and collaboration facilities such as text chat and screen sharing. Attendees can also join a Zoom meeting without signing into the app, but must sign up for an account to host a video conference.

Premium versions support Zoom meetings with up to 1,000 participants, call recording, unlimited phone calls and more.

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With the ongoing pandemic forcing many of us inside, Zoom video conferencing has also become the new means of keeping in touch with friends and family - a select few have even held their weddings over Zoom.

The Zoom app is available on all major desktop and mobile operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.

For more information, visit our how to use Zoom guide.

Free Zoom or paid?

Zoom is available free of charge to anyone that might like to use it, and the basic free version offers all the facilities most people will need. However, as with anything, you get what you pay for, because the free version has its limitations.

Free Zoom offers video conferencing for up to 100 participants, provided the meeting runs for no longer than 40 minutes, at which point attendees are ejected from the conference. If you don’t mind the hassle of dialling back in, though, the host can simply start another call.

It also supports unlimited one-on-one meetings, screen sharing, chat, virtual backgrounds, whiteboard and more.

The paid version, meanwhile, effectively removes time limits for group video conferences (pushing the cap to 24 hours), and also allows the host to record meetings to cloud or on-device storage and schedule repeat meetings.  

The most basic paid version costs $149.90/£119.90/AU$209.90 per year when billed annually or $14.99/£11.99/AU$20.99 per month, which is a little more expensive in the long-run.

Quoted prices do not cover additional add-ons - such as webinar facilities, large meetings (up to 1000 participants) and additional cloud recording storage - which will bump up the price.

Zoom for mobile or desktop?

It’s worth bearing in mind not all Zoom meetings are equal - the desktop version is kitted out with a number of features unavailable on mobile.

Beyond the most obvious downside to video conferencing on mobile - the comparatively small screen - Zoom for iOS and Android contains watered down and less intuitive versions of the chat and screen sharing facilities.

The mobile version also only allows four participants to appear on screen at once (as opposed to a maximum of 49 on desktop in gallery mode) and presenting complex charts and documents is made challenging by the small screen.

It’s also worth noting that iOS and Android versions of Zoom differ slightly. Zoom for Android, for instance, does not support everyone’s favourite virtual backgrounds feature - sorry Android fans.

For large scale business meetings with colleagues or calls with multiple friends, Zoom for desktop is the only sensible choice.

Zoom alternatives

While the word Zoom is used by some as a byword for video conference, there are many Zoom alternatives on the market capable of rivalling the big name brand.

Here are a few alternatives to Zoom that make an equally good choice for businesses looking for the best video conferencing services around:

- Microsoft Teams
- Google Hangouts
- RingCentral
- Skype for Business
- Cisco WebEx

Zoom - latest news and guides

06/04/2020 - ‘Zoom-bombing’ is now a federal offence in the US

06/04/2020 - Schools ban Zoom citing security and privacy concerns

04/04/2020 - Zoom is buckling under the strain of remote working

03/04/2020 - Zoom apologies for major security vulnerabilities, promises fixes

03/04/2020 - Zoom-related domains grow significantly as malware threat rises

01/04/2020 - Concerned about Zoom security? Here’s how a VPN can help

01/04/2020 - Zoom calls are not end-to-end encrypted

31/03/2020 - Zoom app hijackers disrupting calls with pornographic imagery

30/03/2020 - SEC steps in to prevent investors from buying the from Zoom

30/03/2020 - Zoom ditches snooping Facebook code from iOS app

27/03/2020 - Zoom’s iOS version is sharing user data with Facebook

26/03/2020 - Zoom video calls get a new background tools courtesy of Canva

22/03/2022 - How to use Zoom video conferencing 

The best webcams

If you're after a new webcam for Zoom video conferencing - or indeed any other kind of video conferencing - these are our top recommendations right now.

• Here's our list of the best online collaboration tools on the market