I’ve got that Friday feeling! Remember that 2011 viral hit “Friday” by Rebecca Black? What do you think she’s doing now? Is she … a single mom of four, running an e-commerce website or trying to land another hit single? The answer’s at the end.

🛑 Today’s top story is an important one, folks. For some reason, the mainstream news doesn’t seem to care about this massive data breach. It pretty much affects everyone in the U.S. Give it a read, then be sure to share this with your family and friends. — Kim

The companies you trust your data with aren’t the only ones who handle it. Vendors, subcontractors, advertisers and others are often in the mix. And when one falls down on the job, everyone is screwed.

That's precisely what happened when bad guys took advantage of a security flaw in the super-popular MOVEit file transfer system.

MOVEit and lose it

Thousands of organizations worldwide use Progress Software's MOVEit to encrypt and send files. One estimate puts the total number of breach victims for this incident at 513 organizations and 34,682,156 individuals. Yes, you read that last number right, and, yes, you’re probably one of them.

Who’s behind it?

A Russian-speaking (and likely Russian-based) hacking organization known as Cl0p. They snuck into MOVEit through a flaw Progress Software didn't know existed. Progress didn't take long to patch the vulnerability, but not every client updated.

Cl0p pounced and launched ransomware attacks, taking files from companies that hadn't yet fixed the flaw. Officials are still investigating just how deep this goes.

The hit list

Criminals got their hands on data from a ton of big-name organizations and government agencies, including:

• 3.5 million Oregon driver’s license holders
• 6 million Louisiana residents
• Gen (formerly Symantec Corp. and NortonLifeLock)
• Hotel chain Radisson
• U.S. Department of Energy
• The BBC, Aer Lingus and British Airways

There are too many companies breached to list in this email, so head to this link for the full list. Prepare to be shocked. I still am!

Rage against the breach

This is a huge cause for concern, given how many companies relied on this software. Luckily, there are steps you can take ASAP to help protect your most private information:

• Change your passwords and PINs. This is a no-brainer. Don’t reuse any passwords, please!
• Add a fraud alert to your credit report. This flags you as a potential victim of fraud to anyone processing a credit application. You only need to contact one of the three credit bureaus.
• Watch your financial accounts. Monitor your accounts daily for anything out of the ordinary. It's worth setting up alerts with your bank and credit cards to notify you of suspicious activity.
• Check your credit. You get one freebie a year.

Companies are legally obligated to tell you if a data breach has impacted you, so be on the lookout via email and snail mail.

🛑 Want to get more alerts like this? I have a new newsletter coming soon that I’ll only send when something major happens that puts your cybersecurity at risk. Get on the list now.

🦸 Scam hero: A woman in the state of Georgia was targeted by a phone scammer pretending to be a police officer asking for bail money. He almost cleaned out her bank account — nearly $50,000. Luckily, a sharp bank teller intervened after sensing something was off when the woman attempted to withdraw that much cash at once. 

Cash in: If you used Facebook between 2007 and 2022 (yeah, you have), you’re entitled to a payout in a $725 million privacy lawsuit. The company agreed to settle a case saying it improperly shared user data. No kidding. Want your slice of the pie? Fill in your info here.

💰 Nice ride: A 2018 Bugatti Chiron is listed for sale on eBay for nearly $4 million, making it the most expensive car listed on the site. It's got the classic Bugatti orange interior, forest green paint and a W16 engine. Money can't buy happiness, but I'd rather have my tears hit designer Bugatti leather than the composite foam in my car.

Don’t call us bookies: Apple, Meta and Google are fighting a claim they're acting like bookies because of the casino apps in their stores. Apple's catching the most heat, with folks saying they've been hyping up and cashing in on online gambling since 2020. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila says it's a close call and has invited the companies to appeal.

No surprises here: Tesla is overwhelmed with complaints it created a secret division just to purposefully cancel service appointments, an inside source told Reuters. They’d often get rid of hundreds of cases in just one week. Yikes, glad I got rid of my Tesla.

Are you a robot? Thankfully, you won’t have to be asked that in the future — the CAPTCHA is dying. Turns out they’re not great at spotting bots. Womp, womp. Some sites are using random text challenges or puzzles or scanning fonts to spot automated software. Hey, as long as I don’t have to find all the bicycles.

🧑‍⚕️ Doctor’s AI notes: The next time you say something embarrassing to your doc, it could be transcribed by AI. Amazon’s AWS division just released a new AI tool that jots down everything you say during your appointments. Speaking of which, what kind of doctor was Dr Pepper? A fizzician.

😁 Smile for the camera: Imagine having some private time with your spouse in the bathroom of an Airbnb, only to find cameras recording you. That’s what happened to a Texas couple on a trip to Maryland. They did the right thing — they took the cameras to the local police. Too bad they didn’t read my guide to spotting hidden cams.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

👉 Get my podcasts today!

New content is dropping on Netflix starting Tuesday. Yeah, there's a lot to pass on, but there are some potential winners, too.

August 1 - "Untold: Volume 3." Sports docuseries, this time focused on boxing promoter Jake Paul, younger brother of uber-famous YouTuber Logan Paul.

Plus: "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Bee Movie," "Coming to America," "Despicable Me” and “Despicable Me 2," "Eat Pray Love," "Fast & Furious," "Fast Five," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "The Jerk" (a classic!), "Lost in Translation," "Pawn Stars: Season 14," "Terminator Genisys" and "Ugly Betty: Seasons 1-4."

August 2 - "Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food." A documentary about deadly foodborne illnesses. I want to watch this!

August 3 - "The Last Hours of Mario Biondo." A true-crime series about the death of Mario Biondo, husband of Spanish TV host Raquel Sánchez Silva.

August 4 - "The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge." Inexperienced bakers get all the best tools and coaching from world-renowned pastry chefs. 

August 8 - "Untold: Johnny Football." Another sports doc, this time focused on star Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who blew his big chance after being a first-round draft pick.

August 11 - "Down for Love." Feel-good dating show that follows people with Down syndrome. Never seen it, but people love this one!

August 16 - "DEPP V HEARD." Three-part series that examines the "trial by TikTok." This might get messy. Yup, Heard has to pay so much money, she’s forever in Depp.

I bet it’s all the tabs you have open! Really, take a look at them right now. You can have as many tabs open as you want on your Safari browser or Google Chrome. Chances are, you have hundreds open. No wonder it’s taking forever to play the YouTube vids your friends send.

It’s easy to clear them out:

• On iPhone: Open Safari, then press the two overlapping squares icon. When the pop-up appears, select Close All Tabs.
• On Android: If you're a Chrome user, just say, "Hey, Google, close all tabs.”

⚡ Bingo, your phone is now lightning fast … hopefully. Speaking of, how rare is it for cows to be struck by lightning? Medium-rare.

If your phone is blowing up with junk texts and calls, enlist some help. Robokiller blocks up to 99% of unwanted calls and texts.

Screen your calls to stop spammers who change their numbers all the time, ban political texts and easily block numbers so you only get the calls you really want.

Stop the wasted time and protect yourself with Robokiller. I have a special deal for my readers. Right now, get 20% off your first year of spam protection.

I like Alice — but not the pet snake.

🎤 The answer: Rebecca Black recorded “Friday” when she was 13, and it cost her parents $4,000 to produce the song and video. I read she made about $20,000 off it. Today, she’s trying to launch a singing and acting career without much success.

Speaking of Friday … Two fleas are on Robinson Crusoe's back.One turns to the other and says, "Well, so long, I'll see you on Friday." (You have to know the story to get the joke. Hey, if you have any better jokes to share, reply to this email.)

Thanks for being here. Have a beautiful weekend, catch my national radio show, and I’ll be back in your inbox Sunday! Be sure to use your referral link below. I need more readers and you need a cool, sweet prize! — Kim

Your friends deserve to be as tech smart as you! Use the custom link below to share this newsletter and earn great prizes along the way.