Due to COVID-19 pandemic, work-from-home using internet has become a growing way of connecting with associates and clients. This year, internet use has nearly doubled, due to work-from-home and lockdowns. But internet is a risky environment, especially when connecting your mobile devices to a public network. You are at an airport and connect to its public Wi-Fi network. But you are unaware that there is a hacker lurking around the corner, monitoring the internet traffic and ready to hack into your personal account. It is estimated that there are over 450 million public Wi-Fi hotspots globally, offering a rich hunting ground for cyber criminals.
Cyber specialists tell us that currently there are more than 375 malicious threats PER MINUTE and growing. Mobile malware threats grew by a whopping 70% in Q1-2020 over Q3-2019! Cyber criminals have generated 113,000+ malicious URL’s related to COVID-19, targeting healthcare, education and banking in particular. Cybercriminals steal personal and company information by hacking into our susceptible computers and mobile devices. Cyber-attacks are especially devastating for small businesses - industry data shows that a staggering 60% of small companies, which have been hacked by cyber criminals, go out of business within 6 months after the attack.
While business operations, from conceiving an idea to its final delivery to the user, are going digital at breakneck speed, the entire operational areas remain vulnerable to cyber malfunctioning in one form or other. This impact the operations very hard short-term as well as long-term. Cyber security threats can be due to inherent flaws within the system. But the possibility of deliberate cyber-attacks and hacking from one source or the other is abundant. As competition and market battles hot up, this remains a real danger.
The risk covers a large area. One of the biggest threats is the compromising of vital data. This includes important technical details, hard-earned market information, customer information etc. Loss of data can bring the operation to a halt at great financial impact. As hinted, the problem can be due to malfunctioning of the software or external interference to steal the data.
Either way, the cost of recovery is immense, not to talk about the time lost in the process. Hidden or not, these expenses will have a big role in fixing the final profit and loss accounts.
Adding to this is the loss of credibility of the business. The output will be negatively impacted and the company will have to do great degree of explanations to the customer. It is an equal task to recover lost data and to recover lost credibility. Consumers have other options and look elsewhere. But the company cannot afford that luxury.
While the margin for deliberate external intrusion possibilities remains large, many of these security breaches are caused by human error. One needs to realise that however deep an entity goes digital, there is always that unavoidable human touch that makes it run. AND, to err is human!
This underlines the need for proper intense training. There are studies that say employee ignorance is one of the leading contributors. Workers may know the essential basics of an application, but that does not make him or her a cyber security expert. While the IT departments execute a new cloud computing initiative or new application software, they have to ensure that those handle it on a daily basis are equipped to manage a crisis.
Types of cyber threats
Cyber threats are ever-evolving and cybercriminals use different types of malware to get what they want. Malware is an abbreviated form of “malicious software.” This is software that is specifically designed to gain access to or damage a digital device, usually without the knowledge of the owner.
Crypto jacking: Malware that gives cybercriminals access to “mine” cryptocurrency on your computer, at the expense of your resources.
Form jacking: Malware in which cybercriminals inject malicious code into online forms to steal payment card details on legitimate websites.
Ransomware: It is a malicious software that uses encryption to hold data for ransom, the purpose of which is to extort money from the victims with promises of restoring encrypted data. Like other computer viruses, it usually finds its way onto a device by exploiting a security hole in vulnerable software or by tricking somebody into installing it.
Phishing: These are fake emails that can look surprisingly legitimate. If you get tricked into clicking a link or providing information, thieves can get your passwords and account numbers.
Zoom Bombing: Intruders hack into online meetings.
Remote Access Trojans (RAT): Malware that gives a cybercriminal a “back door” to remotely access a compromised computer.
Spyware: It is unwanted software that infiltrates your device, stealing your Internet usage data and sensitive information. Spyware gathers your personal information and relays it to advertisers, data firms, or external users.
Dark web: It is an underground online community where criminals can go to buy and sell your personal information.
Defense
All digital devices need to be protected using a highly-rated, proven anti-virus program. These programs provide a shield for your operating system in the form of a real-time scanner. When your antivirus program detects an infected file or program, it can delete it on the spot or move it to a special "quarantine" folder. When your antivirus quarantines a file, it prevents it from interacting with the rest of the computer.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a private network within a broader network, adding security by using encryption and tunneling mechanisms. There are some free VPN products available, but these may trade your information to help offset their costs, or impose other limitations, such as how much VPN data available per month. A paid subscription service may enable you to deploy a powerful, yet easy-to-use VPN that protects your Wi-Fi connections, bandwidth and privacy with guarantees against any losses. These VPN’s work with all digital devices - PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets.
It goes without saying that users of all digital devices that use Wi-Fi connectivity must become more mindful of cybersecurity needs, and companies must invest in security programs and ongoing employee training.
Tegeta Green Planet And Shine Energy Bring Environmental Education To Tbilisi School
- By TT News
- October 29, 2026
Tegeta Green Planet and Shine Energy brought an environmental education session to seventh-graders at Tbilisi Public School No. 142, aiming to deepen young people's understanding of sustainable development and environmental protection. The meeting was designed to make abstract ecological concepts tangible for early adolescents.
Led by representatives of the two organisations, the session unfolded under the theme ‘A Sustainable Future: Environment, Transport and Energy’. Presentations and discussions covered waste management, responsible resource use, environmental protection and the value of renewable energy, giving students a broad picture of how these issues interconnect.
The interactive format included team activities through which students explored the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, learning what it is for and how it contributes to environmental protection. Participants also considered how ordinary daily choices can curb pollution and conserve resources. An environmental game and a hands-on activity reinforced the lessons, helping students link environmental concerns to their own lives, and each participant received a certificate and a small gift at the close.
Operating since 2022, Tegeta Green Planet ranks among Georgia's first authorised EPR organisations, advancing a circular economy by collecting and recycling waste tyres, waste oils and used batteries while helping reduce environmental harm and meet legal obligations. Environmental education for young people remains a priority for both organisations, which run school sessions on environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainable development.
Dunlop Tyre Europe Takes Premium Partner Role At Erste Bank Open
- By TT News
- October 28, 2026
Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH will hold Premium Partner status at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, running 24 October to 1 November at the Wiener Stadthalle, under a three-year term from 2026 to 2028 with an extension option, and holds exclusive tyre-category rights. DUNLOP Sports separately serves as Official Ball Partner. The event lets Dunlop Tyre Europe spread the ONE DUNLOP message, as trademark rights for DUNLOP tyres across Europe, North America and Oceania now sit once more under Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI). A 25-square-metre stand will occupy the fan zone in the Wiener Stadthalle foyer.
The divisions have already collaborated at B2B events this year, including THE TIRE COLOGNE. At the Mondial de l'Auto in Paris, held 12 to 18 October, the DUNLOP brand joined DUNLOP Sports colleagues to display tyres, motorsport heritage and tennis, padel and squash racquets across 105 square metres. Vienna marks the first time both appear together at a sporting tournament.
Premium Partner status brings strong visibility. Television coverage includes Micro Wings, LED side banners, Close Calls and the ‘New Balls Please’ activation. Dunlop Tyre Europe also features at the ceremonial coin toss, in the tournament magazine, in the fan zone and via ‘Daily Highlights presented by Dunlop’. Hospitality packages at the Wiener Stadthalle and Marx Halle await customers and partners, with invitations to the Pro-Am tournament and official press conference.
At the DUNLOP stand, visitors can guess how many tennis balls sit inside a racing tyre, entering via iPad and a digital landing page, with newsletter sign-up optional. A set of tyres is the prize, and souvenir photos in a DUNLOP-branded frame can be downloaded via QR code. The brand and SRI trace their heritage to 1909, when Dunlop Far East was founded in Kobe. After a partner organisation held passenger car tyre rights in several markets, those rights were reacquired in 2025 and Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH launched in early 2026, reuniting the brand under SRI. The goal is restoring DUNLOP among the world's leading, most innovative tyre makers.
Dennis Wilstermann, Marketing Manager, Dunlop Tyre Europe, said, “Through our Premium Partnership with the Erste Bank Open and with our colleagues from DUNLOP Sports serving as the tournament’s Official Ball Partner, we are appearing together at a sporting event for the first time, following successful collaborations in the B2B sector and at the Paris motor show. The dynamic environment of professional tennis and the world-class performances regularly seen on court provide the ideal stage for combining activation activities for DUNLOP Tyres and DUNLOP Sports. We work closely with DUNLOP Sports and our parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan, to unlock the full potential of the global ONE DUNLOP strategy.”
Indian manufacturer invests in radial tyre capacity and electric vehicle products as it seeks growth in domestic and export markets
JK Tyre and Industries is expanding production capacity and pushing into higher-value tyres as the Indian manufacturer seeks to capitalise on strong vehicle demand, the shift towards premium cars and the growth of electric mobility.
The company plans to invest in additional truck and bus radial and passenger car radial capacity, while broadening its distribution network and developing products for overseas markets. The strategy comes as a sharp increase in raw-material prices threatens to erode the benefits of rising sales.
Nearly 30 percent of JK Tyre’s passenger car tyre volumes in the first half of the financial year came from premium products with wheel sizes of 16 inches and above, Managing Director Anshuman Singhania told analysts on the company’s second-quarter earnings call. The segment has grown at an annual rate of about 20 percent over the past two to three years.
The shift towards larger tyres reflects changing consumer preferences in India’s car market, where manufacturers are increasingly catering to buyers seeking more premium vehicles. JK Tyre is seeking to capture that demand while maintaining its position in commercial vehicle and agricultural tyres.
Electric mobility and premium products
Electric mobility is another area of growth. The company said its electric vehicle tyre volumes rose by more than 24 pe cent quarter on quarter. It also highlighted its position in electric trucks and buses, and said the MG Hector Tomahawk had been launched with its Ranger HPE electric vehicle-specific tyres.
JK Tyre is investing in research and development and using artificial intelligence and machine learning in product design, manufacturing and supply-chain management. The company is also expanding its range of specialist off-the-road tyres, targeting applications where product performance and specifications are important purchasing considerations.
Expanding distribution
The push into premium products is accompanied by an effort to widen the company’s reach among customers. During the second quarter, JK Tyre added more than 250 pit shops and more than 80 dealers and distributors, almost half of the latter in rural markets. It also expanded its fleet accounts.
The replacement market, in which vehicle owners buy tyres independently of new vehicle purchases, accounted for about 60 percent of standalone revenue.
Demand remained strong across several categories. Truck and bus radial tyre volumes supplied to original equipment manufacturers increased 76 percent year on year, while passenger car radial volumes rose 14 percent. Farm tyre demand also grew, although management warned that uneven rainfall in some agricultural regions could weigh on the farming season.
JK Tyre expects demand to remain healthy in the second half of the financial year, supported by infrastructure spending, freight movement and vehicle manufacturers’ year-end purchasing. It expects high-single-digit growth in the truck and bus replacement market and mid-single-digit growth in passenger car tyres over the medium term.
Raw-material inflation
The outlook is less straightforward on costs. Raw-material prices have risen by about 30 percent over the past six months, according to management, amid supply-chain disruption and geopolitical tensions linked to the conflict in West Asia. The company expects a further increase of 4–5 per cent in its raw-material cost basket in the third quarter.
JK Tyre plans to raise selling prices by a similar amount, but acknowledged that passing on higher costs is difficult in the replacement market, where customers are sensitive to price. Price increases under contracts with vehicle manufacturers are partly linked to input-cost indices, but take time to feed through.
The company is relying on higher selling prices, a more favourable product mix and cost efficiencies to protect profitability. Its ability to do so will be tested if commodity inflation persists.
Capacity and export plans
Capacity expansion is central to the growth strategy. JK Tyre said projects worth about INR 13 billion covering truck and bus radial and passenger car radial tyres were under implementation, following the completion of projects worth INR 14 billion. Utilisation at its Indian plants was above 90 percent across key segments, leaving the company looking to add capacity to meet demand.
JK Tyre is also looking overseas for growth. The company is assessing opportunities arising from the India-UK free trade agreement and has developed products specifically for European markets. Management said it was already supplying some European markets, but did not confirm any material increase in UK orders or shipments following the trade agreement.
Exports from India rose 14 percent sequentially in the second quarter.
Mexican subsidiary recovers
Its Mexican subsidiary, JK Tornel, is meanwhile continuing a recovery programme focused on operational efficiency, quality and modernisation. Management expects sales to move towards levels comparable with the previous year in the third and fourth quarters. It also reported triple-digit growth in shipments from Mexico to the US on a quarter-on-quarter basis, against a backdrop of uncertainty over US trade policy and the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Kuraray America Volunteers And Cyclists Unite For Galveston Bay Foundation's Conservation Mission
- By TT News
- October 28, 2026
Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) returned as a sponsor of the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Bike Around the Island, with 21 cyclists completing a 43-mile ride on 17 October 2026. The event coincided with the 20th anniversary celebration of Bike Around the Bay, reinforcing KAI’s support for the Foundation’s conservation mission.
Although the ride spanned a single day, the cause continues year-round through initiatives such as the River, Lakes, Bays ’N Bayous Trash Bash and oyster reef monitoring at Sweetwater Nature Preserve. These programmes protect the Bay’s waters, restore coastal habitats and preserve regional biodiversity. KAI contributed to that mission by mobilising nine volunteers alongside participating employees, family members and friends, collectively raising more than USD 8,300 for GBF’s conservation efforts.
At the second rest stop, KAI volunteers welcomed cyclists with encouragement and a chance to reconnect before the next stretch. For cycling team captain Diana Maya, the stop became a meaningful moment of teamwork and connection, illustrating how employees and volunteers supported both the event and one another. Special recognition went to Maya and Johnny Alvarado, KAI’s volunteer lead, for coordinating this year’s participation, and the company expressed appreciation to every cyclist, volunteer, employee, family member and friend who contributed time, energy and encouragement.
The 20th anniversary marked two decades of bringing cyclists, volunteers, corporate partners and community members together for Galveston Bay. KAI congratulated the Foundation on the milestone and affirmed its commitment to community engagement and environmental stewardship, supporting efforts that protect natural ecosystems surrounding the communities where employees live and work. From cycling 43 miles to volunteering at rest stops and supporting year-round conservation, KAI’s participation reflected a shared commitment to protecting Galveston Bay for future generations.
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