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Enlarge / An FBI "Flash" memorandum on state Board of Elections site warns of attacks on two states so far and asks for other states to check their logs.

Someone using servers in the US, England, Scotland, and the Netherlands stole voter registration from one state's Board of Elections website in June and unsuccessfully attacked another state's elections website in August, according to a restricted "Flash" memorandum sent out by the FBI's Cyber Division. The bureau issued the alert requesting other states check for signs of the same intrusion.

The "Flash" memo, obtained by Yahoo News, was published three days after Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson offered state officials assistance in securing election systems during a conference call. According to Yahoo's Michael Isikoff, government officials told him that the attacks were on voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona. The Illinois system had to be shut down in July for two weeks after the discovery of an attack; the registration information of as many as 200,000 voters may have been exposed.

While saying the Department of Homeland Security was unaware of any specific threat to election systems, Johnson offered states assistance from the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) "to conduct vulnerability scans, provide actionable information and access to other tools and resources for improving cybersecurity," a DHS spokesperson said, describing the conference call. "The Election Assistance Commission, NIST, and DOJ are available to offer support and assistance in protecting against cyber attacks."

Volvo is on somewhat of a roll right now. Under Chinese ownership since 2010, the Swedish car maker has invested $11 billion in all-new vehicle and engine architectures, and the results have been impressive. First out of the gate was the XC90 SUV, one of the best in class, complete with an extremely good infotainment system and plenty of semi-autonomous driver assists. Now, Volvo has followed it up with the S90, a low-slung sedan built on the same Scalable Product Architecture. After spending some time with the S90 on the traffic-filled lanes of Long Island, we can report that the Swedes offer an intriguing alternative to the mid-range luxury offerings from BMW or Mercedes.

Under the skin, the S90 shares a lot with its high-riding SUV sibling. The chassis makes use of lots of high-strength boron steel. The four-cylinder engines are carried over, from the 250hp (187kW) turbocharged T5 to the 316hp (236kW) turbo- and supercharged T6, with a plug-in hybrid T8 version due later this year. You get the same (excellent) Sensus infotainment system and an interior that shares a lot with the SUV, but for a few welcome improvements.

As befits a company investing heavily in autonomous and semi-autonomous driving, the 2017 S90 comes with Volvo's very latest consumer-ready system, called Pilot Assist II. It's installed as standard across the range, and it's extremely good, even compared to the version found in the 2016 XC90s we drove earlier this year. The limitations of the previous iteration are gone—you no longer need a car in front of you for the system to work, and it no longer shuts off at 37mph (60km/h). Combined with a lane keeping assist that no longer bounces you from one side of your lane to the other, this is a Volvo that drives with you.

(credit: T-Mobile)

The new $70-per-month "unlimited data" plans announced by T-Mobile USA this month came with some big limits. Mobile hotspot speeds were to be throttled to 128kbps unless customers paid more, and online video resolution reduced to 480p unless customers paid extra to unlock high-definition video.

But after a wave of criticism from those who think T-Mobile is violating net neutrality and others who think the new deal just isn't that good, the carrier today announced some changes. It's a mixed bag, though, as there is apparently no way to permanently enable high-definition video, and T-Mobile is killing an option that would have let customers buy high-speed hotspot data in 5GB increments.

"The best way to run your company is to shut up, listen to your customers, and then do what they say!" T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in the announcement.

Enlarge / Heather Bresch, chief executive officer of Mylan. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)

Facing public and political wrath for steep price hikes on life-saving EpiPens, the devices’ manufacturer, Mylan, announced Monday that it will offer a cheap generic. But the generic isn’t that cheap.

Since Mylan bought EpiPens in 2007, the company has increased the price from around $50 for a single pen to a little more than $600 for a two pack—a more than 400 percent increase in costs. The new generic option, which the company said will be identical to EpiPens and available in a few weeks, is a two-pack with a list price of $300. That’s half of the current list price for a two pack, but still triple the 2007 cost of the devices.

EpiPens—auto-injectors that deliver a dose of epinephrine to reverse deadly allergic reactions, namely anaphylaxis shock—cost just a few dollars to make and have not changed considerably since Mylan acquired them. Since the price hikes, Mylan has raked in more than $1 billion in revenue each year. The company's chief executive, Heather Bresch, saw her salary increase by more than 600 percent, topping $18 million last year. She’s one of the highest paid executives in the industry.

Enlarge (credit: Valentina Palladino)

The rumors were true: Fitbit isn't done for the year. The company just announced two new fitness trackers that add second iterations of existing products to its lineup: the Charge 2 and the Flex 2. The Charge 2 is an improved Charge HR, now with new features, a larger display, and interchangeable bands, while the swim-capable Flex 2 is an upgraded Flex with a completely new design that focuses on versatility.

Let's start with the Charge 2: its biggest physical improvement is the 1.5-inch display that replaces the Charge HR's small, narrow screen. It's like a wider version of the Fitbit Alta's display, finally big enough to show the time at the top and tap-to-scroll stats beneath it. Those stats include steps, heart rate, active time, and more. The Charge 2's bands are interchangeable, so you can swap the silicone, active band for more fashionable leather and jewelry-like bands. However, since the Charge 2 is just a wider version of the Alta, its overall attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

The Charge 2 has new software and tracking features that the Charge HR doesn't have. Its connected GPS lets it pair with your smartphone's GPS to map running routes and get better distance calculations, while its interval workout mode lets you to customize routines that alternate bursts of intense exercise with periods of low-intensity activity. The Charge 2 also has reminders to move, while calling, texting, calendar alerts, and activity profiles are accessible from the band's display. These profiles let you quickly track your most-completed exercises, like running, walking, biking, Pilates, and more. You decide which appear on the band and which don't.