Cybersecurity consultant eSentire highlights the latest phishing lures in its "Threat Intelligence Spotlight: Legal Industry" report in collaboration with the International Legal Technology Association. Scams involving Adobe's cloud service and American Express credit cards turn up more in the legal industry than in others, the report states.

Ransomware attacks against cities and towns in recent months have forced police departments, libraries and other public entities to resort to manual operations until systems are restored. More than 40 municipalities across the country have been hit with cyberattacks this year, including 22 simultaneously in Texas.

Google Chrome developers are working on a tool called Password Leak Detection, which is intended to keep passwords safer. The tool compares users' passwords to a database of passwords known to have been compromised in breaches and prompts users to change them if a duplication is detected.

Build the groundwork for cybersecurity by informing every staff member of policies regarding protection of data, recommends IT consultant Jeffery Lauria. "Not having an in-house IT specialist is no excuse for compromising client security," he writes.

Schools are opening for the fall term on the alert for cyberattacks, such as the ones that hobbled three Louisiana school systems and delayed the start of classes by four days in an Alabama district. A study of 17 industries' cybersecurity practices ranked the education sector last in terms of preparedness, but states are beginning to establish school cybersecurity policies and are offering more resources.

The CenturyLink Private Cloud for VMware Cloud on AWS, which launched Thursday, comes as the company also is enhancing its Private Cloud on VMware Cloud Foundation. The latter is part of the company's edge-focused strategy and enables deployment to more than 2,200 private and public data centers and more than 100 edge locations.

Deloitte's newly unveiled computing platform for testing blockchain applications is intended to help clients better understand the technology through live demonstrations of its capabilities. The Blockchain in a Box demonstrations have been well-received by early users, the company says.

The Pentagon is being called out by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., for buying electronics that could be used for hacking, such as laptops, cameras and printers, that do not fall under strict purchasing regulations. The devices were purchased despite government warnings that companies such as Lexmark and Lenovo have connections to the Chinese military.

Skills in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and big data are among the most sought-after, a LinkedIn executive says. Technical skill-set demands are changing about every six years, but soft skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and creativity will always be in demand.

VMware's announcement that it is acquiring both Carbon Black and Pivotal Software shows that the company is prioritizing the cloud and security, tech industry analyst Charlotte Dunlap says. The deals, worth a combined $4.8 billion, "strengthen VMware's Kubernetes and broader cloud-native vision through their open, lightweight approach to app development," she says.