Apple CEO Tim Cook earned ₹654 crore in 2017

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook received a 74 percent increase in his annual bonus for fiscal 2017 as the iPhone maker posted higher revenue and net income, after a rare decline a year earlier.

Cook’s incentive pay totaled $9.33 million for the year ended Sept. 30, the Cupertino, California-based company said Wednesday in a regulatory filing. He also took home $3.06 million in salary and a previously disclosed equity award of $89.2 million, bringing his total payout for the year to about $102 million.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will now fly on private aircraft even for personal travel for "security and safety reasons", a regulatory filing with the SEC reveals. Separately, his received a massive increase in his annual bonus, thanks to earnings rebound for the company.

According to a new shareholder proxy statement from Apple, the board of directors has approved that Cook must fly on private aircraft whenever he travels, be it for business or personal purpose.

"This policy was implemented in 2017 in the interests of security and efficiency based on our global profile and the highly visible nature of Cook's role as CEO," Apple said in the shareholder proxy statement filed late on Wednesday. "Any time Cook uses an Apple private jet for personal travel, the costs are considered extra compensation, on which he will have to pay taxes," the statement further said.

His top five lieutenants each got bonuses of $3.11 million, bringing their total compensation to about $24.2 million each, including salaries and stock awards. The equity compensation is composed of shares that vest solely based on the executives’ continued employment and others tied to the performance of Apple’s stock compared with other S&P 500 companies.

Apple has increased the proportion of performance shares in its equity awards, which boosts potential future earnings for the executives if the company outperforms its S&P 500 peers. History suggests that could be a good deal for them.

In 2014, executives including Dan Riccio, chief of hardware engineering, and former General Counsel Bruce Sewell received performance awards that paid out three years later at almost twice as many target shares as planned after Apple’s stock returned 69 percent over that span, including reinvested dividends. In August, Cook collected 560,000 shares when part of his 2011 mega-award vested because Apple outshined more than two-thirds of the S&P 500 over three years.

For the first time, Cook ran up a $93,109 bill for traveling on private aircraft on non-business-related trips. The Apple board stipulated this year that for security reasons the CEO should use private planes for business and personal travel, citing the risk given his high profile. Personal security costs were calculated at $224,216.

Apple shares returned 39 percent in fiscal 2017, more than double that of the S&P 500. In November, shortly after the start of the current fiscal year, the company released iPhone X, a long-awaited upgrade to its flagship product. Analysts said they expect the new handset to help accelerate revenue growth.

Cash bonuses for the executives paid out above their target as the company beat net sales and operating income goals.

Uber reveals 1.2 million customers affected by hack in one country alone

Uber's once secret data breach affected 57 million customers globally, but it's only recently we've seen how the hack is affecting specific markets.

In Australia, the company's local arm revealed 1.2 million customers were affected by the data breach, as per a report by the Australian Financial Review.

An Uber spokesperson confirmed the number to Mashable. The number was given to the Australian Privacy Commissioner, and was "an approximate figure because the app does not always record the country code where a customer lives," according to the newspaper.

"We take this matter very seriously and we are happy to answer any questions regulators may have. We are committed to changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make, and working hard to regain the trust of consumers," an Uber spokesperson added.

In the UK, the number of Uber accounts affected by the breach has been quoted at 2.7 million.

As Uber stated in relation to the breach, outside forensic experts have not seen an indication that trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth were downloaded.

However, some names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of the 57 million Uber users affected were downloaded by two people outside the company.

"We are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection," the statement reads.

China spying via 42 Apps, delete urgently

The Intelligence Bureau has warned in its latest advisory that  China could be collecting pivotal information from soldiers deployed at international border via its mobile phone application and devices.

As per reports, the advisory floated by DIG (Intelligence)  has asked the troops deployed Line of Actual Control(LAC) to either remove the applications form their smart devices or reboot them altogether to protect against cyber intrusion attempts from across the border.

The IB advisory incorporates a list of about 42 Chinese popular applications like UC browser, UC News, WeChat, Truecaller etc. which come as a threat to India's security.

It is also likely that these applications are sending confidential data to Chinese authorities which can come as a major security issue states the advisory.

The new advisory comes when the troops stationed across the both the sides are on high alert, particularly after the Doklam standoff.

Based on inputs garnered from the intelligence authorities , the armed forces has regularly warned officers against using Chinese applications.

The Army as well as the central police forces like Indo Tibetan Border Police are stationed across LAC, spreading across Ladakh to Arunanchal Pradesh.

The advisory read,''As per reliable inputs, a number of Android/IOS apps developed by Chinese developers or having Chinese links are reportedly either spyware or other malicious ware. Use of these apps by our force personnel can be detrimental to data security having implications on the force and national security.''

“Therefore it is requested that all officers and men under your command may be advised to not use these apps in office or on personal mobile phones. If some of them are already using any of these apps then they should be asked to immediately uninstall the app and format their cellphones for strict compliance. You are requested to issue comprehensive guidelines on this matter,'' added the order.

The Indian Air Force earlier asked its officers and airmen along with their family members to stop using Xiaomi smartphones and notebooks which could beam crucial data to Chinese Authorities.

The warning also comes after Indian cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the  cyber intrusions in India by Chinese Hackers and numerous defence intelligence agencies in China.

Microsoft to offer highest package of Rs 1.39 crore at IITs this year

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: US technology giant Microsoft is likely to offer the highest pay package at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), where final placements starting today will see companies slugging it out for the cream of engineering talent from the Class of 2018.

According to campus sources across top IITs, the company is likely to offer about a package of Rs 1.39 crore for jobs at its Redmond headquarters. The total package of $214,600 will comprise a base salary of $108,000, performance bonus of $21,600, joining bonus of $15,000 and restricted stock units worth $70,000. This marks a sharp increase from last year when Microsoft offered a total package of $136,000 inclusive of base pay ($106,000) and other variables and stock options to students at IITs for roles in Redmond.

US-based cab aggregator Uber Technologies, another big-ticket recruiter, is offering a base pay of around $110,000, but lower bonuses and stock options compared with Microsoft, which puts its total package at about $155,000 (Rs 99.87 lakh).

These packages may be offered at the Kanpur, Bombay, Madras, BHU (Banaras Hindu University) and Roorkee campuses at least, said placement sources. However, final packages may be higher in some cases, based on the keenness of companies to get certain students on board.

Microsoft did not reply to questions from us.

Uber declined to comment on compensation details. Besides international offers, the company, which is participating in the first slot on Day 1 at IIT placements, told us that it is looking to increase the number of hires from last year for various functions within the country.

“As we strengthen our footprint in India, our focus on bringing the best minds on board becomes more important than ever before,” said Vishpala Reddy, chief people office at Uber for India and South Asia in an email. “This year we are visiting eight IIT campuses--Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, BHU, Bombay, Kanpur.”

Samsung Korea, which recruited through the pre-placement offer route at certain campuses, is offering around $150,000 (Rs 96.8 lakh), said placement team members.

US-based cloud data management company Rubrik is paying around $115,000 (Rs 74 lakh).

Apart from them, other companies offering high domestic packages include Tower Research (Rs 32-42 lakh), depending on the profile.

Oracle, which has traditionally figured among the companies paying top dollar for international roles, has focused on local jobs this time around because of visa issues, said an IIT placement source. “They are paying around Rs 23 lakh,” he said.

While pre-placement offers have seen a rise across IITs this year spelling good news for the institutes even before they went into placements, most have invited a number of new recruiters to ensure that hiring momentum is maintained.