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A number of iPhone and iPad users have fallen foul of a particularly nasty hack, in which they find themselves locked out of their devices unless they pay to have them unlocked.

The extortionist leaves a message claiming to be from the well-known software engineer Oleg Pliss. A message on the screen reads "Device hacked by Oleg Pliss", and encourages the user to pay $100.

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Having been born in the 80s, I've seen a lot changes in technology. Believe it or not, our first VCR was a hand-me-down with a wired remote -- yes, wired. We also did not have a cordless phone for quite a while. Instead, we had a phone with a 50-foot cord. My first Walkman, a non-Sony portable cassette player (they were all called "Walkman" back then), had crappy corded headphones. Are you seeing a trend yet? Cords, cables and wires were a necessary evil.

Luckily, nowadays we have wireless everything. The coolest technology for me is Bluetooth headphones. The fact that I do not need to strategically run a cable down my shirt or jacket is a godsend. Unfortunately, the quality of Bluetooth devices vary wildly. It is easy to buy a wireless set of cans that sound terrible. So, are the VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones terrible or great?

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Postbox, Inc has updated its cross-platform, commercial email client with a minor update. Postbox 3.0.10 comes with added support for Retina displays in OS X.

The new release also now automatically resizes images to fit in the message pane window for readability purposes, plus allows users to whitelist an entire domain for loading remote images.

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So you've decided to take the plunge with Windows 8.1 (following the changes with the latest update, maybe), and you want to know how to jazz up the old desktop? You know, the mouse-and-keyboard (non-Metro/new-style) bit of the OS where most of us still live. Or indeed, maybe you've had Windows 8 for ages, and just haven't been bothered to do anything when it comes to tinkering in Desktop mode. Well, read on, because in this article we're going to show you the basics of customizing the desktop.

Okay, so if you've done nothing with the place, the first thing you want to do is ditch that yellow wallpaper (it's almost as passé as an avocado bathroom suite). Right click on the desktop, select Personalize, and click on Desktop Background at the bottom of the window which pops up. You can then select an image from the set pics on offer, or click Browse to select a folder where one of your own preferred images resides. Note that you can hold the Ctrl key down and select multiple images for a desktop slideshow -- at the bottom, under "Change picture every", you can use the drop-down menu to specify a time interval in which a new image will be brought to the fore. Click the Save Changes button when you're done.

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One of the greatest threats faced by online businesses is the DDoS attack. Recent research by application delivery service Incapsula shows that DDoS attacks are up 240 percent and DNS attacks are also on the rise.

In response to this the company is launching significant updates to its DDoS Protection Services to stop the onslaught of attacks and protect even the largest enterprise customer.

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Coast, from Norwegian developer Opera, is a browser designed specifically for iPhones and iPads. Unlike other browsers it’s been built for simplicity. Instead of buttons, the app uses swipes for navigation. Gestures have replaced the typical functions. Despite this ease, Coast offers most of the features you could want, including a powerful, intuitive search and address bar that suggests keywords and site thumbnails as you type.

I spoke to Coast's creator, Huib Kleinhout, about the browser and his plans for the future.

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It's easy to assume that security threats hit all industry sectors equally. However, a new report by security data analysis specialists BitSight shows big differences in effectiveness and performance across four key industries.

The report looks at S&P 500 companies in the finance, utilities, retail, and healthcare sectors from April 2013 to March 2014. It includes data on the average number of security incidents, the most prevalent types of malware, and how long they take to fix.

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Yesterday, South Korean maker LG unveiled its much-awaited and much-leaked G3 Android flagship. My colleague Brian Fagioli, who was in New York at the press event, is impressed by the new smartphone, saying "the experience is greater than the sum of its (awesome) parts".

Less than a day after its unveiling, the G3 is already available to pre-order at UK retailer Clove. And, if you want to get your hands on the smartphone as soon as it is available on the market, you have to shell out £499. That is about €615 for those who live in other countries on the old continent. Those who live outside of Europe can forgo paying VAT, and get the G3 for £415.83, that equates to roughly $698.

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LulzSec is an infamous, famous and notorious name in the technology world. The small collective made a name for itself by attacking high-profile websites such as Fox.com and government sites, but all of this was interrupted when founding member Sabu (or Hector Xavier Monsegur to his mother) was arrested three years ago. Originally facing a jail sentence of more than 26 years for his hacking work, Sabu is now a (relatively) free man having earned himself a get-out-of-jail-free card by working with the FBI since his arrest to help identify other hackers.

Although a judge in New York passed a sentence of seven months, Sabu had already spent this length of time incarcerated so all that is left is one year's supervision. The leniency comes thanks to the fact that Monsegur agreed to continue to work undercover in the hacking community, supplying the FBI with information about activities and individuals. Among those he helped authorities to prosecute were Jeremy Hammond -- one of the most-wanted cybercriminals in the sights of the FBI -- who was jailed for leaking emails to WikiLeaks.

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Acronis International has announced the release of Acronis Disk Director 12, its popular all-in-one partition and drive management product.

There are no major changes this time, with Acronis concentrating on compatibility, for example ensuring that the new build now runs properly with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

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Wireless charging is a convenient alternative to the old-fashioned way of topping up the battery in a mobile device, the latter of which entails a cable connection to a PC or wall charger. Lay the device on a compatible charging plate, that is plugged in obviously, and it will start charging. It is not as fast as some would like it to be, as the amperage is not as high as what wall adapters deliver, but is considerably faster than what a USB connection outputs. And have I mentioned it is extremely convenient?

With a Nokia-branded wireless charging plate -- which is based on the popular Qi standard -- I can charge both my Lumia 920 and Google Nexus 7, without having to deal with wires laying around, worrying that I might trip over one at night. Even though the benefits are obvious, not many smartphone manufacturers have fully embraced the technology, only offering the feature through optional (read: expensive) accessories. Take Sony, for instance, which just now offers a way for Xperia Z2 owners to get their wireless charging fix.

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Backup is something that all businesses need to take seriously, but for smaller enterprises the cost and complexity of professional backup tools can be daunting.

The problem gets even more acute with the use of virtual machines. Backup and recovery specialist Paragon Software has the answer in the shape of a new product that will be available free until the end of June.

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LG is shouting about its new G3 smartphone in a pretty big way. With events across the globe to ring in the new handset, expectations were running high for the Korean company's new flagship phone, since its predecessor the G2 was awarded the ITPP "Best Buy" accolade.

Read on to see how the G3 compares to the HTC One M8.

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When Google's self-driving car program first came to light, I was excited, yet dubious. You see, as much as I love the concept, it is hard to imagine widespread adoption; Americans love to drive -- the USA is the home of the Mustang and GTO. While self-driving cars can have a positive impact on society, such as eliminating DUI, it would destroy a huge part of the USA's identity.

Now, Google shocks the world by announcing that it is building its own self-driving automobiles. Yes, Mountain View is stepping on the toes of automakers by building prototype cars. Rather than continue to retrofit its technology on existing cars, it is making vehicles without unneeded extras, such as break-pedals and steering wheels.

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When you build or buy a computer, some things are sexy and some are just necessary. While processors, RAM and power supplies are some of the fun components, there are underlying things like controllers that do not get the fanfare they deserve. If you go to Best Buy and look at the computers, the display cards do not advertise the controllers -- a shame.

The average user is probably unaware of which controller something like their SSD is utilizing. For the most part, that is OK. As long as the hardware works, they don't really need to know. For enthusiasts however, it can make a big difference in performance. One such unsung company whose products are used by many is Marvell. Today, that company announces the 88SS1074 SATA SSD controller.

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