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BNF Bank and The Gift of Phishing

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Disclaimer I have filed a case with the Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services . I am legally not allowed to comment on this case. BNF Bank was responsibly alerted to the security points raised in this article 6 weeks prior to publication. Not yet back to normal In March, BNF Bank (Malta) upgraded their IT system and the process went completely wrong. Even though initially the Bank attempted to minimize how wrong the upgrade had gone, today it admits there are problems as evidenced by their customer support pre-recorded messaging (taken 22 July 2025).   Your browser does not support the audio element. Following the publication of my first story , I've been contacted by several people who described the chaotic period that ensued when everything began to go wrong. Internal communication was in meltdown, with customer-facing employees uncertain about how to handle a situation no one had anticipated. Based on my understanding of events, I speculate that the ba...
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GTL: Calculators, Colour Pickers and 10 minute Emails [Aug 2025]

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In this edition of GTL, we explore a variety of tools to help you and your families produce their best work and avoid being spammed. It’s essential to recognize that sharing data online means these sites store it on their servers. While this may not be a problem for everyone, exercise caution when uploading sensitive media. Some sites use uploaded data to train their AI models, and others may sell it to data brokers. Calculator.net and CalculatorSoup.com Calculators for all occasions URL: https://www.calculator.net   URL: www.calculatorsoup.com     Who needs a standalone calculator today? You can ask Google, Alexa, or open the calculator app on your phone or computer. If you're looking for something beyond standard arithmetic, Calculator.net and CalculatorSoup.com offer a wide range of specialized calculators, grouped by category. In addition to providing results, they explain the underlying concepts, helping you understa...
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The complete guide to installing, configuring, and managing Plex Media Server on an Ubuntu Server

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Introduction This guide covers how to install Plex Media Server (PMS) on a lower-powered Ubuntu Server. As a long-time Plex Pass user, I created a video titled HOWTO Setup a Plex Media Server (PMS) Appliance back in 2020. While that computer (a laptop, actually) had been running flawlessly, I decided to replace it with a virtualised setup. As part of the upgrade process, I chose to start from the very beginning and document each action I performed. I also wanted to make this tutorial beginner-friendly, allowing anyone to follow along and replicate the steps I describe here. 
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BNF Bank's Gone Wrong System Update

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Introduction In March 2025, Maltese BNF Bank plc (€1.28 billion in assets, 40,000 customers) initiated a critical IT modernization project involving its core banking systems, digital channels, a transition from VISA to Mastercard, and an account number change that also modified customers’ IBANs. However, the execution of this digital transformation took a decidedly calamitous turn. What was intended to be a seamless transition devolved into a textbook example of how a major IT upgrade can go spectacularly wrong. It checked all possible boxes in the worst ways: C-Suite handling of a disastrous outcome, Customer Relations, GDPR compliance, Security, Operations and, ultimately, failure to provide an improved solution for customers. The Plan It began with multiple notifications to customers that the Bank’s ATM network would be unavailable between 29th March 2025 and 1st April 2025. The downtime was planned to minimize customer impact since 30/03 was a Saturday and 31/03 was a Malt...
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Location: Malta
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