Dozens of Fitbit accounts have been broken into by online fraudsters in what the company calls a “malicious attack,” according to BuzzFeed News who originally broke the story. Email addresses and passwords from third-party sites were leaked in December, which the hackers then used to log into users Fitbit accounts. At least 24 cases have been discovered so far. The company says this is a “small proportion” of its users.

The attackers used the accounts to try and order replacement parts under the user’s warranty after changing the details. They were also provided with personal data on the user, such as typical exercise locations and time the person usually goes to sleep.

Users who had been attacked say that when they tried to log into their accounts their associated email addresses had been changed and user names had been updated to “vile” words. However, a spokeswoman for Fitbit stated that the company’s computer servers had not been hacked, and credit card information has not been threatened.

A statement from the company said that they take the security of their customers’ accounts very seriously, and that they have reset the passwords of those users affected by the attack. They recommend that, in order to prevent this type of attack, customers not reuse passwords from other accounts, as this leaves them more vulnerable to “malicious behavior.” They also stated that the data was compromised from other third-party sites which were unrelated to Fitbit.

Fitbit users have been angry over the company’s response to the hack, which they see as blaming the user for the security issues and trying to cover up the attack. Those with issues were assisted in setting their accounts back up and then directed to a generic online safety page.

Marc Brown, Fitbit head of security, said the company is looking into greater security controls. He confirmed that this is not the first time attackers have tried to get into their customer accounts since the company was launched in 2007.

Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke. Complicating the issue is the fact that, as people age, their sense of taste deteriorates, so it may be difficult to judge the saltiness of food. Enter the sodium monitor, a mouthpiece that detects the levels of salt that goes into a person’s mouth and alerts them when their daily limit is reached.

The artificial taste-sensing system is being developed by a research team at Virginia Commonwealth University that will help people who have difficulty monitoring their diet, particularly people who have lost their sense of taste. Eventually intended to become a “tasting device,” the team decided to start with “something simple,” such as salt, which is easy to detect and may help the large number of people who suffer from hypertension.

Richard Costanzo, Ph.D., is a professor of physiology and biophysics, and is director of research in the Department of Otolaryngology in the School of Medicine. An expert in taste and smell, Costanzo first had the idea a few years ago for a taste-sensing system that would go inside the mouth. He brought in such collaborators as Woon-Hong Yeo, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in the School of Engineering, who is a specialist in low-profile biosensors and flexible electronics.

Everything for the device must be miniature. Yeo is a designer of nano-tattoos, which are small, super-light, wearable monitoring devices. They feel like a second skin and move with the body.

The original sodium monitor design was a tooth mount, but the design has now become a device similar to an orthodontic retainer, created by James Coffey, D.D.S., associate professor of prosthodontics in VCU’s School of Dentistry. They say to think of it as a Fitbit for the mouth, but, instead of prompting the user for more – more steps, more calories, more distance – it tracks the concentration of sodium ions entering the mouth and notifies the user when the daily threshold has been reached. Data is transmitted to a monitoring device such as a smartphone.

Eventually the team wants to expand the sensor to include other tastes, including sour, sweet and bitter, and also would like to connect the sensor with the body, similar to a cochlear implant that helps a deaf person to hear. The internal taste implant would stimulate the appropriate nerves to allow a perception of that taste.

Costanzo believes that the sodium monitor could teach people to modify their eating behavior. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans are still consuming far to much salt on a daily basis. CDC epidemiologist Sandra Jackson says that “nearly all Americans, regardless of age, race or gender, consume more salt than is recommended for a healthy diet.”

Information on the new device was released today in Phys.org.

Over the first week of 2015, Morgan Stanley conducted a survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) customers, showing that 15 percent of those consumers say they will never return the beleaguered fast foot chain. Analysts Courtney Yakovonis, John Glass and Christopher E. Carril pointed out that the near-term impact on sales caused by the E. Coli scare is likely to be “dramatic.”

More than 70 percent of the people surveyed were aware of the health concern issues that have been surrounding Chipotle. However, key brand metrics such as taste, food quality and value remained at the same levels, or even higher, than they were in 2015. Analysts consider this a good sign for long-term recovery.

Chipotle stock closed at $416.19 on Thursday, down 2.46 percent, following price target cuts at many firms. The lower prices came a day after the chain announced that those same stores’ sales had declined by 14.6 percent during the fourth quarter of 2015, following the E. Coli and norovirus outbreaks. More than 50 people in nine states were affected by the E. Coli outbreak, and more than 100 people were sickened by the norovirus incident which occurred in California in late August.

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock has lost about 40 percent of its value in the last five months. However, Investor Place warns that CMG stock is no bargain, citing the fact that, not only are hoards of investors leaving, but crowds of customers are departing as well.

CMG will be buying back $300 million of its own stock in an attempt to inspire investor confidence in a demonstration of management faith. It may be too little, too late.

The Chipotle Careers website is active today, with 3,882 jobs found and many new restaurant openings announced.