Browsing the web may be easy, but ensuring your digital safety is not.

That's why there are hundreds of companies around providing numerous products to safeguard consumers and companies from malicious actors. While many of these companies offer seemingly identical products, some of the best are not only protecting users but researching what hackers are doing and exposing them.

Here are a few of the most influential companies on the market today, the people behind these firms, and some of the important vulnerabilities they've brought to light.

Kaspersky Lab: Eugene Kaspersky

Kaspersky Lab was founded in 1997 by the storied Russian security specialist Eugene Kaspersky. From the beginning it has provided anti-virus software to large companies. But in the 2000s it expanded to offer more wide-reaching products including consumer and mobile security products.

Its researchers have been known to expose some of the most famous hacking groups and their malware. These include Flame — which was discovered in 2012 as a highly advanced cyber espionage program — as well as the Equation group, which was just announced this year as a clandestine computer spying ring. Kaspersky Labs’ headquarters are in Moscow, although it has over 30 offices globally. 

FireEye: Dave DeWalt

FireEye is a California-based network security firm. It offers services meant to manage networks for potential threats as well as offer its customers detailed threat intelligence. The company has joined forces with federal authorities, universities, and other security groups to discover and combat various malware. Most recently, FireEye discovered a group of hackers known as FIN4, which was targeting Wall Street to steal insider information.

Its CEO, Dave DeWalt, is a well-known heavyhitter in the cybersecurity scene. He worked as CEO of the security company McAfee, and then reportedly turned down 40 other positions until he settled on taking the helm at FireEye.

Palo Alto Networks: Nir Zuk

Founded in 2005, Palo Alto Networks is a network security company known for building advanced firewalls directed toward enterprise customers. Its founder, Nir Zuk, worked as an engineer at Check Point and NetScreen Technologies.

Most of Palo Alto Networks’ products revolve around network traffic. The company has also made some important malware discoveries, most recently a family of malware known as “WireLurker” that took direct aim at Apple products. 

Employees who work at tech companies are some of the most pampered employees on earth.

Gourmet food, free beer and wine, health clubs, day care, doggie day care, are standard fair at large companies, and pretty common at startups, too.

But, it turns out, those are not always the benefits employees most care about, according to a survey conducted by Glassdoor.

Amazon: 3.6 out of 5

HP's employee satisfaction rating: 3.7

Employees' favorite three benefits: Job training, volunteer time off, maternity and paternity leave.

An employee says:

“Outstanding coverage, low deductible plans, and they're starting to offer wellness incentives (like providing discounts for good blood pressure, cholesterol numbers, etc.)” – Hewlett-Packard Solutions Architect (Troy, MI)

Hewlett-Packard: 3.7 out of 5

HP's employee satisfaction rating: 3.7

Employees' favorite three benefits: Job training, volunteer time off, maternity and paternity leave.

An employee says:

“Outstanding coverage, low deductible plans, and they're starting to offer wellness incentives (like providing discounts for good blood pressure, cholesterol numbers, etc.)” – Hewlett-Packard Solutions Architect (Troy, MI)

Cisco: 4.0 out of 5

Cisco's employee satisfaction rating: 4.0

Employees' favorite three benefits: Onsite health care, stock options childcare.

An employee says:

“Cisco has very comprehensive benefits, including on-site gym, doctor & medical facility, day-care & most important, its flexible work practices.” – Cisco Employee (San Jose, CA)

There's no better time to book a vacation to Milan, Italy. The city is gearing up for Expo2015, a global showcase that kicks off May 1 and is expected to draw more than 20 million visitors.

Flights to Milan from the US are regularly cheaper than they are to other European cities.

And with the euro near an all-time low, US visitors can take advantage of the shopping, dining, and nightlife the city has to offer.

Bottom line — if you see a great deal on a flight to Milan, book it. There's a reason Kayak called it the top-trending destination of 2015.

Milan's reputation as the fashion capital of the world is no joke. It's home to several annual fashion weeks, and thousands of fashion companies are headquartered there, from Dolce & Gabbana to Versace. But it's not just a high-fashion town — the city's got a sophisticated street style all of its own.

That fashion sensibility extends beyond clothing. Some of the city's best hotels carry designer names, like the Armani Hotel and the Bulgari Hotel. And the city's uber-trendy Nobu restaurant in an Emporio Armani store.

Of course, Milan has unparalleled shopping. The Quadrilatero d'Oro is a tiny square jam-packed with designer boutiques. It's heaven for window shoppers, or visitors with fat wallets.

Warren Buffett, the billionaire "Oracle of Omaha" continues to be involved in some of the biggest investment plays in the world.

Buffett is undoubtedly the most successful investor in history. His investment philosophy is no secret, and he has repeatedly shared bits and pieces of it through a lifetime of quips and memorable quotes.

His brilliance is timeless, and we find ourselves referring back to them over and over again.

We compiled a few of Buffett's best quotes from his TV appearances, newspaper op-eds, magazine interviews, and of course his annual letters.

Buying a stock is about more than just the price.

"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."

Source: Letter to shareholders, 1989

You don't have to be a genius to invest well.

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130 IQ."

Source: Warren Buffett Speaks, via msnbc.msn

But, master the basics.

"To invest successfully, you need not understand beta, efficient markets, modern portfolio theory, option pricing or emerging markets. You may, in fact, be better off knowing nothing of these. That, of course, is not the prevailing view at most business schools, whose finance curriculum tends to be dominated by such subjects. In our view, though, investment students need only two well-taught courses - How to Value a Business, and How to Think About Market Prices."

Source: Chairman's Letter, 1996

Mid-20th-century architecture is not remembered fondly anywhere in the world.

And that's especially true in former communist countries of Europe and Central Asia, where it seems like architects following a passing fad were allowed to do whatever they wanted.

The result was some bizarre and amazing-looking structures, at least a dozen of which are still standing 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The "Monument to the Revolution" built in Croatia (then Yugoslavia) is an abstract sculpture dedicated to the people of Moslavina during World War II.

This building in Georgia originally housed the Ministry of Highways and almost looks like it has been Photoshopped. It's now occupied by a commercial bank.

The enormous UFO-like spiritual home of the Bulgarian communist party stands on a peak in Buzludzha, a mountainous part of the country.

We now understand why they call it "Woodstock for capitalists."

The Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting is an all-out festival. 

Berkshire shareholders come in from around the world to see their CEO Warren Buffett speak for hours on Saturday morning. 

While Buffett is speaking, there is a shopping event in the convention center adjoining the arena the meeting is held in. But for this year's 50th edition of the event, Berkshire held a second shopping day for the first time. 

We went inside to see what the madness was all about. We saw everything from gold-plated vacuum cleaners to something called "cognitive cooking."

And for the first few hours, it was, in fact, madness. 

The CenturyLink Center in Omaha hosts both the shopping event in a convention hall and the annual meeting in an arena right next door.

As we approach CenturyLink at around 11:30 a.m., it's clear there will be a line before the doors open at 12:00 p.m.

When we hop in line we're about 400 or so feet from the door.

Your iPhone's battery can never last long enough.

We use our phones for everything these days, from snapping photos to browsing the web, watching videos, and even making the occasional phone call.

All that activity can definitely drain your battery quickly, but luckily there are a few practices that can at the very least help you get the most out of your remaining juice. 

Reduce the number of notifications that appear on your lock screen.

Lock screen notifications help you see all of your new alerts quickly, but they can also take a toll on your battery life. If you're getting notifications on your lock screen that you don't need to necessarily see right away, head over to Settings > Notifications. From there, you can tap each app and decide whether or not you want notifications from that app on your lock screen. 

See which apps are draining the most battery life, and delete them if you don't need them.

If you dig around in the settings menu, you can see which apps drain the most power. Just tap Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage. Then, you'll see a list of all the apps you've used in the last day and how much of your phone's battery they've been using. 

Turn the screen brightness down.

This is really the first thing you should do if you're low on battery. Simply swipe up from the bottom of your screen and adjust the brightness slider accordingly. 

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Mercury is the smallest and fastest planet in the solar system, racing through space at 105,000 miles per hour, circling the sun every 88 days.

But besides small size and swift speed, little was known about this mysterious planet until NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft became the first man-made instrument to orbit Mercury in 2011.

On Thursday April 30, NASA will crash land the spacecraft into the planet, leaving a 50-foot-wide crater. But before meeting its violent end, the spacecraft and its seven scientific instruments have uncovered many of the alluring planet's secrets —some, however, continue to defy understanding.

Here's a collection of some of the most incredible photos the spacecraft took that helped scientists better understand this small world. Some of these images have false coloring to highlight different minerals and features on the surface.

Mercury has a thin atmosphere that does little to protect it from asteroid impacts, which slam into its surface on a regular basis. Some craters on Mercury are billions of years old, but you can spot the more recent impact sites in light blue and white in this false-color image.

Here's a remarkable close-up of Mena crater. The white rays tracing across the surface are debris that an asteroid kicked up when it hit. Notice how the rays overlay some of the older impact sites. That's how scientists know that this 15.5-mile-wide crater was made relatively recently.

On the other side of Mercury is one of its most famous features: the giant Caloris basin, outlined here in tan in the upper right. The basin is 960 miles wide and relatively smooth. In fact, the tan regions in this false-color image mark some of the smoothest places on the planet where past lava flows have glossed the surface.

There's always a significant adjustment to make when transitioning from school to the workforce, with the sudden realization that no matter how smart or talented you are, you're starting at the bottom.

To help you determine what you want from your professional life and how to make the most of it, we've rounded up some of our favorite business books.

If you want to bolster your networking, leadership, and time-management skills, it's time to get reading.

Drake Baer contributed to this post.

'So Good They Can't Ignore You' by Cal Newport

Some of the most common advice you'll hear when you're starting out is that if you pursue your passion, the money will follow.

But there's a big caveat to that, argues Newport, an author and professor. For most people, he says mastery of a certain skill can lead to finding your passion, since the mastery of this skill can open new doors and allow you to progress in your career.

He's not suggesting you give up on your dreams, but ensure that you pair them with a dose of reality and make yourself valuable in the marketplace.

Buy it here >>

'The Black Swan' by Nassim Taleb

People love the illusion of certainty provided by predictions.

In "The Black Swan," investor-philosopher Taleb diagnoses the way people misguidedly lean on prediction as a way of moving through the world, and reveals how the most structured of systems are the most vulnerable to collapse — like the financial system in 2007.

It's rare to find a book that will change the way you think about the world. This is one such book.

Buy it here >>

'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg

Regardless of whether you agree with Sandberg's controversial theories, "Lean In" is a must-read for anyone looking to join the conversation around women and leadership.

In the book, she combines compelling research with moving personal stories to examine how women unintentionally undermine their professional progress. Moreover, she offers guidance for women and men looking to promote women's career success.

It's a work that will make readers of any gender question their assumptions about what it really takes to succeed — and be satisfied — at work.

Buy it here >>

Facial symmetry is often pointed to as one of the chief indicators of attractiveness in males and females. But how true is that hypothesis?

Fashion photographer Alex John Beck recently decided to test the symmetrical theory of attractiveness by photographing regular people and then making symmetrical versions of each person's face, by using first the left and then the right side. 

Beck's results are definitely odd and a little disconcerting. He shared a few with us below, but you can check out the rest of his work at his website:

Beck took a portrait of each person and then divided it into the left and right side of the face. Then he mirrored each to create symmetrical portraits from each side.

For people with more naturally symmetrical faces, the effect is far more subtle.For each portrait session, he made the symmetrical version immediately so that he could show his subjects.Those with more symmetrical faces were pleased with the results.

According to Beck, in most cases, subjects looked more like a long-lost sibling than a version of him or herself.People with less symmetrical faces were less enthusiastic, even if one of the portraits looked flattering.The effect was disturbing for some.Certain features get pronounced in each portrait. This man's face and neck looks thin from his left side, but far more thick and full on the right.Beck says that they tried to maintain the structural integrity of each face because they wanted each one to look realistic.Beck declined to include the original portrait of each person because then people would focus on finding the differences between the faces. Instead, he wanted viewers to look critically at each face by itself.

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Before last year, I was a Las Vegas virgin.

I had never walked the Strip, taken a ride on the New York New York roller coaster, or even gambled. The only things I knew about Vegas were what I had seen on TV.

I ended up having a blast: It's impossible not to in Sin City. But there were quite a few things I didn't realize about Vegas until I went.

And anyone who is a rookie at the upcoming SALT conference— the Wall Street convention that kicks off at the Bellagio May 5 — should probably know these nine things before they pack their bags and hit the Strip for the first time.

1. You can't walk everywhere

All the hotels are much farther apart than they first appear. Technically, the entire Strip is over four miles long, and it will take you at least 15 or 30 minutes to walk from your hotel to a different one, though fortunately, the Bellagio is centrally located. Before the weekend is over, you will end up taking a few cabs.

But you should walk at least part of the Strip once. There are fun elevated walkways and outdoor elevators, not to mention plenty of photo opportunities. Just don't do it in 4-inch heels (better yet — leave those heels at home).

2. You can take your drink to go

Are you headed to another club or restaurant, but you're not quite finished with your drink? Ask for a to-go cup!

Seriously — even classy establishments will let you take your drink outside as long as you use a disposable cup instead of their fancy glassware.

Oh, and once outside, you can imbibe with impunity since Vegas lets you drink (almost) everywhere.

3. Bring cash — ATMs are crazy expensive

Unless you can find your own bank's ATM, the standard fee at most Vegas ATMs is a staggering $5.99 — a charge that may not bother the high rollers, but gets really old, really fast for most of us.

If I ever go to Vegas again, I'd bring plenty of cash.

4. You can get free drinks by gambling

There are a few things Vegas casinos do to keep you gambling (no clocks, no windows, and plenty of lights and sounds), but the trick that works the best is plying customers with free drinks to keep them playing, and playing poorly.

While I'm not much of gambler, my friend told me to go sit at the bars with the gaming machines built into the counter. You stick in a $20, order a drink, and make minor bets of $.25. I played until I had won all my money back and knocked back a few glasses of wine while I was at it.

Basically, you can just drink for free (but don't forget to tip your bartender).

5. There's art all around

Most of us go to Vegas to gamble, drink, and party. But take a moment to realize there's art all around you on the Strip.

There are sculptures by famous artists behind the check-in desks, in the hotel lobbies, on the street, not to mention the fact that certain hotels like the Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan have their own galleries that display touring collections from around the world.

There's even the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio, which is filled with sculptures, drawings, and paintings by the late artist.

6. Everyone smokes, everywhere

In Vegas, it's permissible for people to smoke inside casinos. To try and counteract that, the casinos will attempt to cover up the smell with what they call "signature scents."

The smell isn't incredibly offensive (especially if you're in a nice hotel), but if you're sensitive to cigarette smoke, you may want to stay somewhere that is non-gaming, such as the Trump International Hotel, The Signature at the MGM Grand, and Vdara Hotel & Spa.

7. The food is incredible

Almost every single Vegas hotel restaurant on the strip was phenomenal. No one thinks of Vegas as a foodie city, but from sports bars to three-star Michelin establishments, Vegas delivers.

Many of these huge hotels have fantastic relationships with seafood and produce providers, and prepare their meat and make their breads in house. Personally, I'd make the trip again just for the food.

8. Men must buy tickets (or bottles) to get into a club 

Vegas may be bachelor-party central, but no group of guys is going to get into a club without buying tickets, bottle service, or a table. Period.

I saw several groups of rejected men begging women to join their group to try and get in for free, but at the bigger clubs like XS, TAO, LAVO, and Marquee, that's just not going to happen.

Chip in together for bottle/table service, buy a ticket to a DJ show, or don't try to go to clubs. You'll just be disappointed.

Ladies, you probably won't pay for anything. Enjoy.

9. Downtown Las Vegas is far away (but worth checking out)

My friend who I traveled with was a seasoned Vegas veteran, but she had never been to downtown Vegas. Neither of us knew what to expect.

Turns out, it's nice to get away from the expensive strip and see a different side of the city. Plus, there's a Mob Museum, you can see the remnants of Old Vegas before the Strip was built (there's still gambling, too), and you can try some kitschy establishments like the Heart Attack Grill.

It's worth seeing at least once, even though it is a $30 cab ride away.

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Manny Pacquiao had to get creative to buy his new mansion in Beverly Hills.

In addition to paying $12.5 million for the 10,000 square-foot sprawl, Pacquiao also gave the seller four tickets to his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to Martin Rogers of USA Today. 

Tickets are priced as high as $7,500.

Pacquiao's realtor told Rogers the tickets "no doubt" helped him get the house over two other bidders.

The seven-bedroom, eight-bath mansion has a sleek, bright interior with gorgeous backyard views overlooking Beverly Hills.

The house also has an in-home theater and a beautiful back patio with a pool and lounge area.

The house is an exclusive, gated community.

The entrance is two stories high with a fountain centered in the driveway.

The entrance with a winding staircase.

Many of us depend on caffeine. Some of us can't even start our day without it.

Whether you get your daily caffeine fix from coffee, tea, or a canned energy drink doesn't make much of a difference. It's still a stimulant with some positive and negative effects. 

For starters, caffeine makes most of us feel more alert and awake. But while it can keep us focused, too much can also backfire. And it also affects everything in our bodies from our digestion to our metabolism and vision. 

It makes us feel alert.

It’s natural to grow increasingly tired throughout the day — our brains naturally produce more and more of a molecule called adenosine from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep. Scientists think this helps us get to bed at night.

Caffeine hijacks this natural process by mimicking adenosine in the brain. It latches onto the receptors designed for adenosine, pushing them out of the way. As a result, we’re left feeling more alert and awake.

At least until it doesn't.

Eventually, adenosine wisens up to caffeine’s act, though, and makes new receptors for the sleep-inducing molecule to start latching on again.

This is why your morning cup of coffee can suddenly turn into two — the more receptors you have, the more caffeine you need to plug them up.

It boosts our mood.

As a central nervous system stimulant, caffeine doesn’t just boost alertness, it can also improve your mood and is even associated with a reduced risk of depression — especially when consumed in the form of coffee.

Even though too much of any stimulant can make people anxious and irritable, a mild dose has been shown to boost mood. This is due to the same adenosine-blocking effect that makes you feel alert. By blocking adenosine’s relaxing effects, caffeine lets dopamine and glutamine, another natural stimulant produced by your brain, run wild, making you more alert, less bored, and providing a mood boost.

Interestingly, a number of studies have found a connection between caffeine consumption and a reduced risk of depression (and even a lower risk of suicide). However, at least one of these studies specifically found this connection with caffeinated coffee but not tea, though others found the same effect for tea as well.

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If luxury hotels aren't your scene, and you aren't in the market to buy an estate of your own, there's another option available: renting.

RentCafe.com put together a list of the most expensive rentals in 15 countries, ranging from a picturesque villa on the French Riviera to a streamlined luxury flat overlooking Hyde Park.

Dollar amounts listed are USD as of April 27.

15. South Africa: A sleek triplex with a pool.

Monthly Rent:$14,867

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

This three-level, three-bedroom apartment with an infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean comes fully furnished.

14. Belgium: A renovated masterpiece outside the city.

Monthly Rent:$16,113

Location: Brussels, Belgium

This five-bedroom home, originally built in 1929 by famous Belgian architect Marcel Leborgne on nearly five acres of land, was completely renovated to feature a swimming pool, home theater, and gym.

13. Spain: An ocean view villa on the coast.

Monthly Rent:$48,770

Location: Malaga, Spain

This nine-bedroom, four-floor villa features an elevator, wine cellar, sauna, gym, movie theater, spa, and two covered porches overlooking a pool with ocean views.

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There's a war breaking out between some of the world's biggest tech companies — and it's all about music streaming.

Rapper Jay Z acquired Swedish streaming company Aspiro, and is using his star power to make that mainstream. And Spotify, another Swedish company, offers free streaming and an impressive collection of music.

But everything could be about to change for music streaming as Apple prepares to relaunch iTunes as a streaming platform after its acquisition of Beats.

23. Deezer CEO Dr. Hans-Holger Albrecht

Deezer, founded in Paris in 2006, was one of the internet's first streaming sites. Just like Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz, it was an early European success story. But things didn't go smoothly for Deezer in its early days. It was shut down over copyright infringement allegations in 2007. But the site returned with an improved royalty model which let people buy music through iTunes that they had discovered through the service.

But there were more problems for Deezer in 2008 when it faced running out of money. It quickly turned things around by creating its own ad agency to run ads on the site and raising new funding, preventing another shutdown.

Deezer CEO Axel Dauchez exited the company in 2014, and promptly became the CEO of Publicis Worldwide in France. Now, Deezer is led by Dr. Hans-Holger Albrecht, an experienced businessman who has managed several different companies.

22. Qobuz CEO Yves Riesel

Like Tidal, Qobuz is a European streaming site which caters to audiophiles rather than casual music fans. Its big selling point is high-resolution music, which only really sound better if you have high-end audio equipment.

You might think that there's not a huge market for streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal which charge a maximum fee of £19.99 per month (double the cost of Spotify), but there's actually a dedicated network of audiophiles around the world who are prepared to pay more for their music.

21. Rdio CEO Anthony Bay

Rdio is a streaming site and social network focused around music that competes with Spotify and Tidal. The service was launched in 2010 by Skype cofounders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, and has grown to operate in 85 countries around the world.

Rdio launched a free streaming service in 2014, using a similar ad-supported model to rivals like Spotify. It also experimented with its own video-on-demand network named Vdio in 2013, but shut it down after several months.

Morning routines are important — but bedtime rituals can have an even greater impact on your success.  

That’s because the very last thing you do before bed affects your mood and energy level the following day, since it often determines how well and how much you sleep.

Knowing that, we decided to find out how the most successful people spend their nights before surrendering to sleep.

Vivian Giang contributed to an earlier version of this article. 

President Barack Obama is a 'night owl' and likes to work late.

Unlike Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, who prefers to rise in the early hours, the current president stays up late, reports Carrie Budoff Brown at Politco. He is said to hold conference calls with senior staff as late as 11 p.m. and reads or writes before heading to bed.

In a 2011 interview with Newsweek, Obama called himself a "night owl" and described his typical evening:

"Have dinner with the family, hang out with the kids, and put them to bed about 8:30 p.m. And then I'll probably read briefing papers or do paperwork or write stuff until about 11:30 p.m., and then I usually have about a half hour to read before I go to bed ... about midnight, 12:30 a.m. — sometimes a little later."

Obama has also said that if he's home late at night, he'll try to catch "The Daily Show.""I think Jon Stewart's brilliant," Obama tells Rolling Stone.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg turns off her phone at night.

Sandberg might work for a tech company, but she knows when to unplug.

Sandberg tells Jefferson Graham at USA Today that it's "painful," but she turns her phone off at night so that she "won't get woken up."

"I check my e-mail the first thing in the morning, and the last thing at night," says Sandberg.

Inventor Benjamin Franklin asked himself the same self-improvement question every night.

In his autobiography, Franklin outlined a schedule that would lead him to "moral perfection." In this ideal schedule, Franklin asked himself the same self-improvement question every night: "What good have I done today?"

He described his other rituals before bed as, "put things in their places, supper, music or diversion or conversation, and examination of the day."

Franklin tracked his progress on self-improvement daily.

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