Global Tech: Military's Twitter Account Hacked, Apple Changes App Pricing, Behind the Giant Credit Card Hack

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GLOBALTECH TODAY Covering the 57 million square miles outside Silicon Valley.

January 13, 2015 For more, visit Bloomberg.com/global-tech >>

U.S. Military Says Twitter Hacking Amounts to Prank, Not Threat By Roxana Tiron, David Lerman and Chris Strohm The Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. Central Command were compromised with messages supporting Islamic State, in a hacking attack the Pentagon dismissed as a prank. The attack was confirmed by Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East including the fight against Islamic State extremists. Both accounts were suspended Monday after about 30 minutes, according to a statement, and the command's own website wasn't affected. Read the rest of this story.

BEST OF BWEST SpaceX's Latest Mission: Giant Step but 'No Cigar'  Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station, discusses SpaceX's latest reusable rocket test. Watch the video >>

GET SMART Apple Changes App Pricing Worldwide After Currency Swings Apple changed the prices of software applications from Canada to Europe last week, in one of the company's broadest global responses to currency fluctuations in recent years.  Obama Cybersecurity Plan Seen Needing Company Incentives President Barack Obama's renewed push this week to protect U.S. computer networks from hacking was welcomed by industry leaders, though it lacks the financial incentives companies have been seeking. Accused 'Dread Pirate' May Face Life for Bitcoin-Drug BazaarThe former Eagle Scout accused of running the $1.2 billion online drug bazaar "Silk Road" may face life in prison if convicted in a trial where jurors will hear allegations he tried to arrange the murders of six people. Cree Sees How Many Suits It Takes to Block Rival LED Lightbulbs Cree is seeking to keep rival light-emitting diodes bulbs out of the U.S., as growing popularity for the energy-efficient lighting means increased competition in the market and in courts. Behind Giant Credit Card Hack: Young Russians With Bad Job Prospects Vladimir Drinkman says he met Dmitriy Smilianets online playing Counter-Strike, a shooter game in which cyber-combatants assume the roles of either terrorists or counter-terrorists: bad guys or good guys. Read more news at Bloomberg Global Tech >>

BIG DATUM 22 How many years in a row IBM captured the top spot in U.S. patents granted.

INSIDE THE VALLEY Global PC Shipments Fall Worldwide personal-computer shipments dropped 2.4 percent in the fourth quarter as demand from businesses for new machines waned, market researcher IDC said. Read the full story >>

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