A California judge has given preliminary approval to a $20 million class-action settlement between investing app Robinhood and customers who say the platform's negligence led to their personal information being leaked.

According to a complaint filed in federal court in February 2021, Robinhood's system "lacks simple and almost universal security measures used by other broker-dealer online systems, such as verifying changes in bank account links."

According to Elizabeth Kramer, an attorney for the plaintiffs, class members in the case are defined as anyone in the US whose Robinhood accounts were accessed by unauthorized users between Jan. 1, 2020, and April 27, 2022.

Robinhood deputy general counsel Lucas Moskowitz said the company takes cybersecurity very seriously.

"[We] are pleased to have resolved this matter," Moskowitz said in a statement shared with CNET. "We continue to take numerous steps to safeguard accounts, including using hashing algorithms, encryption, two-factor authentication and other account security measures." 

Approximately 40,000 customers have claimed unauthorized users accessed their Robinhood accounts, according to court filings.

The payout agreement was submitted on July 1 and received preliminary approval on Aug. 23. A final approval hearing has been slated for next spring.

Here's what you need to know about the Robinhood settlement, including who is eligible for payment and how much money they could receive.

For more on class action settlements, find out if you're eligible for money from Capital One's $190 million payout, T-Mobile's $350 million data breach case or Facebook's $90 million data-tracking payout.

What is Robinhood accused of in this class action case? 

In 2021, San Francisco law firm Erickson, Kramer and Osborne filed a class action lawsuit against Robinhood on behalf of Siddharth Mehta, Kevin Qian, Michael Furtado and other Robinhood customers who claimed their Robinhood accounts were hacked.

According to the motion for settlement filed July 1 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Robinhood "used substandard security practices and lacked security measures used by other broker-dealer online systems," leading to multiple data breaches.  

Who qualifies for a payment in the Robinhood settlement?

Any US resident whose Robinhood accounts were accessed by unauthorized users between Jan. 1, 2020, and April 27, 2022, or who notified Robinhood their accounts were hacked, is considered eligible to file a claim, according to Kramer.

The settlement does not, however, cover claims arising exclusively from a Nov. 3, 2021, data breach that leaked the personal details of more than 7 million customers, including names, birthdates and ZIP codes.

That incident is the subject of a separate lawsuit, according to Kramer.

"To put it more simply, this settlement is based on alleged cybersecurity failures by Robinhood that 'left the door unlocked' for hackers over time," she told CNET. "The specific November 2021 event is carved out."

How much could customers receive in compensation?

According to the terms of the proposed settlement, Robinhood has agreed to pay $19.5 million in damages and $500,000 in fees.

US-based customers whose accounts were hacked between Jan. 1, 2020, and April 27, 2022, can file a claim for up to $260 per person.

According to Barrons, individual payouts break down as follows:
• Up to $100 for out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the breach
• Up to $100 in reimbursement for identity theft protection or credit monitoring services
• Up to $60 for time spent responding to the issue.

Class members are also eligible for two years of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring. 

In addition to the cash payments and protection services, the settlement requires Robinhood to improve security procedures, including:

• Supplemental two-factor authentication
• Prompting users to update passwords
• Proactive monitoring of account takeovers
• Cybersecurity awareness campaigns 
• Real-time voice support for customers

How do I file a claim in the Robinhood settlement?

Notification of the settlement will officially go out on Sept. 13, the same day the settlement website will go live.

According to Kramer, the site will include a simple online form for potential class members to complete, as well as a print-out version to mail in.

When will I receive payment from Robinhood? 

Preliminary approval for the settlement was given on Aug. 23, 2022. A hearing to assess final approval has been scheduled for May 16, 2023.

Class members would receive payment after that. 

Robinhood's rocky road to the present

An investing and stock-trading app launched in 2013, Robinhood is popular among millennials, who make up a majority of its users. The Robinhood app has exploded in popularity since its debut, managing $98 billion in assets by the end of 2021 and reporting 14 million monthly users in June 2022. 

Many of its services are available for no fee and members' accounts are, on average, significantly smaller than its competitors, according to data from Broker Chooser.

App	Average account size
Robinhood	$4,000
E-Trade	$127,000
Charles Schwab	$234,000
Fidelity	$279,000

But Robinhood's rapid rise has come with controversy and a string of litigation: In February 2021, the company was sued by the family of a 20-year-old trader who killed himself after he incorrectly believed he had racked up approximately $730,000 in losses on the app. 

That same year, Robinhood faced several civil suits after it froze GameStop trading following a Reddit campaign to buy up shares of the video-game retailer that caused its stock price to spike.   

In June 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ordered Robinhood to pay more than $70 million in fines and restitution for violating financial regulations and giving customers false and misleading information.

There have also been several high-profile cybersecurity incidents: In October 2020, Bloomberg reported that approximately 2,000 Robinhood customers' accounts were exposed by hackers.

In the November 2021 attack, the company claimed, a hacker "socially engineered a customer support employee by phone and obtained access to certain customer support systems" in order to extort money. Law enforcement was informed of the extortion attempt, the company maintained, and the leak was contained. 

This May, Robinhood agreed to a $9.9 million payout to settle a separate class-action lawsuit filed by users who alleged site outages in March 2020 prevented them from trading just as the market plummeted in the earliest days of the pandemic.

And on Aug. 2, the New York State Department of Financial Services hit Robinhood Crypto, the investing app's cryptocurrency trading wing, with a $30 million fine for "significant" failures to comply with the state's consumer protection, cybersecurity and money laundering statutes.

Also in August, Robinhood laid off nearly a quarter of its employees following a steep decline in trading activity on the app. It was the second round of layoffs this year after Robinhood trimmed its staff by about 9% in April

The two rounds combined have eliminated more than 1,000 jobs from the company,  The Wall Street Journal reported.

"Last year, we staffed many of our operations functions under the assumption that the heightened retail engagement we had been seeing with the stock and crypto markets in the COVID era would persist into 2022," Robinhood chief executive and co-founder Vlad Tenev said in a blog post.

"In this new environment, we are operating with more staffing than appropriate," Tenev added. "As CEO, I approved and took responsibility for our ambitious staffing trajectory -- this is on me."

Pokemon Go is a mobile phenom unlike anything we've ever seen. Players are going out with the augmented reality app on their phones, finding Pokemon all over the real world. They are also finding themselves in shady situations, stumbling across a dead body and (on the positive side of things) making new friends.

There's another troubling thing associated with the game: Android malware.

Security experts Proofpoint discovered the DroidJack malware embedded into a version of Pokemon Go downloaded outside of the Google Play Store. So, if you side-loaded a version of Pokemon Go -- a particular problem in parts of the world where the game isn't yet officially available -- you might have installed some malware with it.

The compromised version of Pokemon Go Proofpoint analyzed looks and acts just like the real app. But it requests extra permissions and has malicious code added to it -- permissions an excited player would likely overlook during the install process. The end result is loading an application on your Android device that has the ability to take control of your phone or tablet.

Some side-loaded versions of Pokemon Go were deemed safe -- such as the one CNET covered -- but, in general, it's better to be safe than sorry.

How can I avoid Pokemon Go malware?

Wait for the app to officially launch in your country. I know, I know, that amounts to torture; I'm sorry 'bout it.

Installing from unofficial channels requires you to turn off security settings designed to keep your information and device secure. For example, to install any app from an APK site you need to allow app installs from untrusted sources (Settings > Security > Unknown Sources). This setting specifically prevents app installations from outside of Google Play, and by turning it off you're potentially exposing your device to malware-laden apps that appear legit.

Granted, there are some APK websites that do everything to cover their bases and ensure the APKs listed on the site are legit copies of the Play Store version, but bad guys like to figure out ways around such processes.

In short: Be patient and just be thankful you don't have to deal with the continuous server errors suffered by Pokemon Go users where the app is available.

How do I know if I installed a malicious version of Pokemon Go?

If you just couldn't wait and installed Pokemon Go from an outside source, Proofpoint suggests checking the app's requested permissions. On your device, open Settings > Apps > Pokemon Go > Permissions. According to the post, the specific version of malware the company examined requested permission for tasks such as record audio, modify contacts, read your web history and run at startup. The complete list is included in Figure 2 and Figure 3 on this post.

If you discover the app you've installed lists extra permissions, uninstall the app right away.

This story is part of Plugged In, CNET's hub for all things EV and the future of electrified mobility. From vehicle reviews to helpful hints and the latest industry news, we've got you covered.

There are plenty of great reasons to consider an electric vehicle. They usually offer stellar performance, they're smooth and quiet to drive, you can do much of your "refueling" at home (meaning you never have to visit a gas station unless you need snacks or a bathroom break) and they have zero tailpipe emissions. But despite their considerable advantages, EVs still aren't for everyone, and they don't always make the most economic sense.

If you tow earth-moving equipment or haul gravel for a living, you're probably going to want a heavy duty diesel-powered pickup, because today's EVs aren't going to cut it. Likewise, if you reside in an apartment and don't have a parking space, much less a garage with a Level 2 charger, an electric vehicle may be a hard sell. But what if you're looking for relief from high fuel prices? EVs cost way less to "refuel," though they are often quite expensive upfront.

Let's say you own a midrange, Lariat-trim, 2022 Ford F-150 with four-wheel drive, the lovely 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6 and a standard 10-speed automatic transmission, a popular pickup configuration in the US. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this big bad truck stickers at up to 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined; frightening figures compared to a Toyota Prius, but everything is relative. For a full-size truck, this rig is actually quite economical.

But what does it cost to fuel this full-size truck each year? Well, let's do a little math to figure it out. (Scary, I know!) According to AAA, at the time of writing the national average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline is about $4.24. This varies wildly from state to state: In California, the per-gallon price is around $5.88; on the opposite coast in Maryland, it's a much more reasonable $3.80. As reported by insurance comparison site The Zebra, Americans drive an average of 14,263 miles each year. To keep things simple, let's round up and say you travel 15,000 miles annually in your F-150 and average 21 mpg doing so (the EPA estimate). Dividing 15,000 by 21 means you're burning about 714 gallons of dinosaur juice per year. There are myriad variables on top of that, but we can simply multiply 714 by 4.24, which works out to an annual fuel bill of about $3,028. Ouch.

Now let's compare that traditional, combustion-powered pickup to the exciting, all-electric F-150 Lightning. In midrange XLT trim with the extended-range battery pack, this truck offers an estimated 320 miles of range. As for efficiency, this version of the Lightning should return 78 mpge city and 63 mpge highway, scores that result in a combined rating of 70 mpge. For reference, mpge is a way of quantifying how much energy is in a gallon of gasoline; it works out to about 33.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Next, according to the Energy Information Administration, the national average residential cost of electricity in the US was 13.72 cents per kWh in January 2022; we'll round up and say 14 cents per kWh. The Lightning's large battery pack clocks in at a husky 131 kilowatt-hours, so multiplying that by 0.14 means it would cost about $18.34 to completely recharge this truck from 0 to 100%. This is not something most people will ever do, because who wants to roll up to a charger with zero range? (Also, if you use public chargers, you'll probably be paying a lot more for the privilege.) Still, this is illustrative of how affordable it is to run an EV.

But now let's calculate how much it costs to run the Lightning for a year. We could base this off the EPA's estimated 48 kWh/100-mile efficiency figure, but let's do it just like we did with the standard F-150 above. Taking 15,000 miles per year and dividing that by 70 mpge, the combined "fuel economy" rating of this vehicle, gets you 214 "gallons" of electricity. Next, multiply 214 by 33.7, the equivalent number of kWh per gallon of gasoline and you get about 7,221 kWh. Multiply that figure by $0.14 and the result is roughly $1,011 in electricity per year. This is very close to the EPA's estimate of $950.

So, if it costs $3,028 to run the conventionally powered F-150 15,000 miles each year and just $1,011 to power the Lightning, the all-electric model is only one-third as expensive. The annual difference is a not insubstantial $2,017. What could you do with an extra two grand each year?

Combustion vs. Electric

	2022 Ford F-150 Lariat	2022 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT	2022 Honda Accord Sport	2022 Kia EV6 Wind
Vehicle Details	4WD, crew-cab body, 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6, 5.5-foot bed	4WD, crew-cab body, 5.5-foot bed, 131-kWh long-range battery	FWD, 1.5-liter turbo-four, continuously variable transmission	RWD, 77.4-kWh long-range battery
Range (miles)	Up to 546	320	Up to 488	310
City Efficiency (mpg or mpge)	19	78	30	134
Highway Efficiency (mpg or mpge)	24	63	38	101
Combined Efficiency (mpg or mpge)	21	70	33	117
EPA kWh/100 miles	N/A	48	N/A	29
As-Tested Price	$56,020	$74,269	$31,085	$48,255
Estimated Annual Fuel/Electricity Cost to Drive 15,000 Miles	$3,028	$1,011	$1,929	$605

What about payback (and I don't mean revenge) time? Well, that XLT-trim Lighting with the big battery and no options starts at $74,269, including $1,795 in destination fees. That's certainly pricey, but the top-shelf Platinum model is far richer, kicking off at nearly 93 grand. As for our old-fashioned Ford F-150 (a midrange, Lariat trim, crew-cab model with a 5.5-foot bed, four-wheel-drive and the standard equipment group), it stickers for around $56,020, also including $1,795 for delivery. Subtracting $56,020 from $74,269 means the Lightning is a whopping $18,249 pricier, more than the cost of a new Nissan Versa sedan.

Next, dividing the price delta between these trucks by the annual fuel/electricity cost difference means you'd have to own the Lightning for about nine years for your "fuel" savings to make up the price difference, though if you get a more expensive model, a higher-trim F-150 or the same variant with more options, the payback period compared to that all-electric Lighting will be shorter.

Not surprisingly, it's the same story with smaller vehicles. Take the lovely Kia EV6, for instance. This stylish and spacious hatchback is a great choice for folks that want to downsize from a truck and save a big chunk of change in the process. A long-range, Wind-trim, rear-drive EV6 offers 310 miles of range and stickers at 134 miles per gallon equivalent city, 101 mpge highway and 117 mpge combined. Calculating the EV6's efficiency like we did with the Lightning above reveals that the electricity needed to run this vehicle for 15,000 miles should cost around $605 per year, which is very close to the EPA's estimate of $550.

Comparing our miserly EV6 to a midrange Honda Accord Sport sedan, which is far more efficient than an F-150, is similarly revealing. With a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a continuously variable transmission and a combined fuel economy rating of 33 mpg, you'd be spending about $1,928 on fuel to drive this Honda for 15,000 miles... nearly 3.2 times more than the Kia. However, including destination and delivery, the Accord is far cheaper at a totally reasonable $31,085 compared to the EV6's $48,255 price tag. It's a difference of $17,170, which is slightly less than the delta between the standard F-150 and the Lightning. 

Dividing that figure by $1,323, the annual price difference of running the Accord compared to the Kia, works out to a payback period of nearly 13 years. In this case, it may make more sense to keep on driving the Accord even if you nearly faint every time you fill the tank.

The entirety of this discussion presupposes you're focused on prioritizing personal finances above all other concerns. But there's a bigger picture to consider: We haven't even discussed the negative environmental impact that burning fossil fuels or digging up rare earth minerals has on climate change, let alone the many and varied downstream costs that come home to roost societally as a result. Those sorts of long-term communal costs are clearly beyond the scope of this article, but they deserve to be considered.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of great reasons to get an electric vehicle, but if you're thinking about swapping your internal combustion-powered car or truck for a new EV just to save money at the pump, make sure to do the math first -- especially if your current ride is paid for -- because plugging in and making a change may not make economic sense for you, even with fuel prices in the stratosphere.

I can't remember exactly when I began to hate Fortnite so much that it made my flesh decay like Emperor Palpatine, but I think it started around 2018. 

2018 was a helluva year for the game.

2018. The year Drake played Fortnite with Twitch streamer Ninja and broke records across the board. 

2018. The year I downloaded Fortnite out of curiosity, played one match, got brutally obliterated by what I assumed were obnoxious children before promptly deleting the game from my PS4, never to be summoned again. 

2018 gave me plenty of reasons to hate Fortnite. There was Antoine Griezmann, the French striker who scored a penalty in the World Cup final before sullying the grandest occasion in sport with a celebration that featured Fortnite's Do the L emote dance. Four years later, I still haven't forgiven him.

I haven't forgiven my son either, who -- also in 2018 -- made the decision, in front of all our friends and family, to get completely naked during a barbecue and streak across the garden while doing The Floss.

Fortnite has a lot to answer for.

Since 2018, my son had been begging to play Fortnite, using language familiar to most parents: "But all my friends are all playing it." "I promise I won't ask for V Bucks." "I definitely won't talk to weird men on voice chat."

But I held back. For years. Fortnite was a forbidden word in my household. Mainly because I didn't think shooters were suitable for children. And I was worried about the online communication element. 

Also because I thought Fortnite sucked. 

I thought Fortnite sucked, especially back in 2018, because it felt like the passing of the guard. The harbinger of a new type of video game. A monogame black hole that absorbs all intellectual property and light. Free-to-play nonsense, with microtransactions and endless skins, felt exploitative -- particularly for kids. So I played it safe: "No. No chance. Didn't you hear me the first time? The answer is no."

But four years later, in 2022 to be exact, I broke. All it took was one surprisingly decent report card. I buckled and told my now 9-year-son he could play Fortnite.

And as I watched to make sure everything was on the up and up, I found myself shocked. Fortnite looked… sort of awesome.

I missed it during my first, ill-fated encounter with Fortnite, but I was surprised by how good Fortnite looked. Its clean, colorful aesthetic. I was admittedly bewildered by the option bloat that occurs when a game is beholden to a zillion, endless updates, but as I watched my son take his first trepidatious steps into a brand new world I thought to myself -- damn, this video game looks fun.

The weapons seemed fun to fire, movement seemed weighty and tactile. It also seemed… appropriate for children. At least for my child, a boy age 9 with limited exposure to video game violence. After watching for around 30 minutes, I wasn't just secure in the fact my son would be safe playing this online video game with his friends, I sorta wanted to play myself.

Which I did. When the kids were asleep, I fired up the Xbox, logged in and started getting some games in. It was great.

Part of the appeal for me was Fortnite's relatively new No Build mode. Normally, Fortnite allows players to frantically build structures during the game -- for defense or traversal. For middle-age folks like me, with deteriorating reflexes and zero capacity for change, building felt overwhelming and terrifying -- a whole new world I had no idea how to navigate. With the No Build mode, I could focus on the stuff I was relatively familiar with: shooting people. 

And make no mistake, Fortnite is a very polished online shooter. 

As someone forged on the battleground of old-school shooters, playing Fortnite No Build was a salve. It was also a great chance to play video games with my son on an even keel. One of the most shocking things about parenthood so far has been how divergent our tastes in video games became. For my children, it's been Minecraft or bust, a game I have no time or patience for. Fortnite has been one of the few times we've been able to connect over video games.

The first time my son and I played together was legendary. Me, still clumsy with the controls and… general understanding of what the hell was going on; him, assured and in control. It was an interesting role reversal: My 9-year-old son was guiding me through an online video game experience. 

Halfway through I got shot; my son revived me and threw me a few spare bandages to heal myself. We stuck together for the remainder, spotting enemies, picking them off one by one. I had eight kills, he had 10. With only three people left on the map, I wasn't sure what would happen next. Would I have to kill my own son? Damn… 

As the third player emerged from a nearby hiding spot, my son whipped round and took him out with a couple of well-timed shotgun blasts. We won! We didn't have to shoot one another, instead we got to share in the spoils of a Victory Royale. Mad high-fives all round. Father-son bonds reinforced.

It was honestly one of the most fulfilling video game experiences I've had in years.

So yes, I am a changed man. Fortnite is good. 

Don't get me wrong. I have residual issues. I still hate Antoine Griezmann. I still think there's a time and place to partake in Do the L dances and the World Cup final is not one of them. 

I still don't understand why my kid stripped naked and did The Floss in my back garden. 

I still have issues with the whole V-Bucks economy and the way folks are encouraged to buy skins and emotes, but I am happy to admit it: I was wrong about Fortnite. 100%. 

And, at the end of the day, at least my kid isn't a Roblox guy. That's a win in my book. 

Netflix is launching its first five mobile games, available to play in its Android app first and then to its app for Apple iOS devices in the coming months, the company said in a blog post and tweet. The games are available immediately for people with an Android phone or tablet: They're listed in the Google Play store by title (see below) as individual downloads starting Tuesday. As of Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT, Netflix will start rolling out games within its Android app proper, so you won't need to leave the Netflix app and can play them all in the same place. 

As they're added to Netflix's main app, games will be accessible in a row on the homepage, in a new games tab or from a drop-down menu for categories. While the initial games require downloads, eventually games will vary in availability -- some will be downloads, some will require an internet connection. But none of Netflix's games have ads, in-app purchases or additional fees. 

The first five games, all casual play fare suited for mobile-only play, are Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game, both previously released games that were developed by BonusXP; Shooting Hoops and Teeter Up, developed by Frosty Pop; and Card Blast, developed by Amuzo and Rogue Games. The last three games were part of Netflix's test of mobile gaming in Poland, Spain and Italy earlier this year. 

The move is the latest, biggest step in Netflix's effort to make video games part of its standard subscriptions. Netflix confirmed in July it would expand into gaming, starting with ad-free games for mobile devices like phones and tablets available on its existing service at no added cost to subscribers. The expansion represents its most meaningful move into a new kind of entertainment since it started streaming in 2007, and since it released its first original show in 2012.

The advent of gaming widens Netflix from its bedrock business of TV shows and movies as the world's biggest subscription video service. As Netflix has grown, it's long pointed out that its competition extends beyond the traditional TV and movie companies that go head-to-head with it now. The company has repeatedly called out gaming phenoms like Fortnite, as well as user-generated-video powerhouse YouTube, as some of its toughest competition because of the massive amount of entertainment hours they command worldwide. 

And the gaming industry is an economic powerhouse. A surge in interest during the pandemic last year bolstered it into a bigger market than movies and North American sports combined. The global market for video games was estimated to be worth nearly $178 billion last year and is expected to eclipse $200 billion in 2023. 

Netflix isn't alone in this gaming expansion. Amazon, which operates Prime Video, has invested in Luna, its cloud gaming service and also has its own gaming studio. Google, parent of YouTube, has put money into its own Stadia game-streaming service. And Apple, which makes its own films and TV shows for Apple TV Plus, also widened into Apple Arcade. 

But Netflix would be unique by making games part of its one and only subscription. Others offer their gaming services as standalone products, typically also in a bundle with a bunch of other memberships.

Netflix has sketched out broad ambitions for gaming, indicating that it ultimately envisions pursuing console games for Xbox and PlayStation too. 

Working from home comes with its own set of challenges -- barking dogs, kids running around and the ever-present lack of separation from work and home life. If working from home wasn't enough to take you off of your A game at work, a worldwide crisis can surely do it. And if your productivity is taking a hit due to mental health struggles like anxiety or depression, you're not alone -- one third of all Americans are coping with depression or anxiety symptoms in the wake of COVID-19.

If you're feeling less productive these days and wondering how to deal and what can help, keep reading below for insights from a licensed mental health therapist. 

Why you feel less productive 

Mental health plays a huge role in how well you feel on a day-to-day basis, and that includes how you feel at work. Even mild anxiety or depression can affect your productivity, according to Ashley McGirt, a licensed mental health therapist. 

"Several studies have shown the connection between low work productivity and even mild forms of depression," McGirt says. "A normal brain thinks about 70,000 thoughts a day; an anxious brain processes two to three times that amount of thoughts and can lean to low productivity from spending time perseverating on numerous thoughts.

"The current state of the world has caused immense grief, depression and anxiety. Many people's normal coping forms have been closed, such as going to the gym, movies or [going] out with friends. As we have had to adapt to a new normal many of us have had to find new coping skills," McGirt says. 

And if rising stress levels paired with less ways to deal isn't enough -- the current crisis has also brought huge issues and tensions to the surface -- like problems in the health care system, racial tensions and systemic inequalities.

"COVID-19 has exposed things that have already been around, from health care disparities to racial tensions, which has caused heightened stress. All of this takes a huge toll on one's overall mental health and well being," McGirt says. 

On top of all of these problems, many people are isolated and away from friends and family. Even if you are near loved ones, your social life definitely looks different these days with more people staying home or limiting contact with others, which can take a toll over time.

Ways to cope with lower productivity 

First of all, it's unrealistic to expect that in a time of unprecedented stress and uncertainty that you will be able to keep up with 100% of the workload or level of productivity you once sustained prepandemic. With that said, here are some things you can try to cope with the problem since oftentimes, not getting things done can create even more stress and overwhelm.

Give yourself permission to slow down and do less

"It is extremely important to give yourself grace during this time," McGirt says. "If all you do is get out of bed and brush your teeth consider it OK. We put too much pressure on ourselves to be productive and constantly working. It is important to slow down and rest and reflect. While we are dealing with many unknowns during this unprecedented time it is important not to add the stress of productivity to your plate."

Reduce your mental load

"Take one thing at a time and work to reduce your mental load," McGirt says. "If you find that daily household tasks are not getting done, find ways to eliminate some of them. From investing in paper plates to avoid washing the dishes and finding other ways to take some of your day-to-day tasks off your list."

Make joy and self-care a priority 

"It sounds selfish on the outside but it is self preservation," McGirt says. "The first rule on the plane is to put on your oxygen mask in the event of an emergency prior to helping others. We are in a global emergency so it's important to find ways to put your mask on first, in more ways than one."

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

A new text message scam has been making its way around the country, trying to trick people into entering their credit card information by purporting they have a package to claim -- taking advantage of this year's surge in online shopping as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past two weeks, people across the US have been receiving text messages with wording similar to this: "[Name], we came across a parcel from [a recent month] pending for you. Kindly claim ownership and confirm for delivery here," along with a link.

This is a scam, and you should avoid opening the link, a spokesperson from the Better Business Bureau told CNET. 

Read more: The best antivirus protection for Windows 10 in 2020

When you click the link, a page tells you that the alleged package is free of charge, but you're still asked to provide your credit card information. 

The best thing to do to avoid falling victim to this scam is to delete the message as soon as you get it. If you've already clicked the link and/or entered your credit card information, you should run antivirus software on your phone and then watch for suspicious credit card charges, the BBB spokesperson said. You can also report the message to the BBB Scam Tracker. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to coronavirus-related scams, which cost consumers about $12 million in just the earliest months of the pandemic, according to the US Federal Trade Commission. You can find out how to protect yourself against scams here.

A common complaint about modern laptops is that they're essentially sealed boxes with no user-serviceable parts inside. A new tech startup, Framework, wants to bring the DIY vibe back to portable PCs with laptops that encourage tinkering and upgrading. 

Laptops used to come with removable batteries at least, and sometimes they'd have upgradable RAM, storage or even GPUs. Today, that's the rare exception to the rule, especially with companies such as Apple integrating batteries tightly into the design -- MacBooks are essentially laptop-shaped batteries with tiny bits of computer wrapped around them. Many manufacturers now also solder RAM and storage directly to the motherboard. 

The Framework Laptop is a 13.5-inch system that the company says was designed to, "empower you with great products you can easily customize, upgrade, and repair, increasing longevity and reducing e-waste in the process." 

In this case, that means an expansion card system, socketed storage and RAM and a (hypothetically) replaceable main board and central processing unit. Also, "high-use parts like the battery, screen, keyboard and color-customizable magnetic-attach bezel are easy to replace, with spares available directly through our web store." 

It sounds like a great idea, at least on paper, and the four accessory bays can choose between housing inserts for USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, MicroSD, extra storage or even a dedicated headphone amp. 

The base system will weigh just under 3 pounds and be 15.9mm thick. Other key specs include: 

• 13.5-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio 2256x1504 display 
• 1080p 60fps webcam
• 57Wh replaceable battery
• 11th Gen Intel Core Processors
• Wi-Fi 6
• Up to 64GB of DDR4 memory and 4TB of storage

The Framework company was founded by Nirav Patel, one of the early members of the Oculus team dating back to its Kickstarter days, and later the company's head of hardware. Pricing, exact specs and availability details for the Framework Laptop line will be forthcoming, with an expected launch this summer. Three base models will ship with Windows 10 Home or Pro, and a DIY edition will let you install your OS of choice -- yes, even Linux.