Google to purchase Wiz for $32 billion in cloud security play
Google announced today a definitive agreement to acquire leading cloud security platform Wiz for $32 billion in an all-cash transaction. Wiz was founded in 2020 and has become one of the largest cybersecurity firms focusing on securing cloud services. The company offers an online cybersecurity platform that connects to different cloud providers, enabling organizations to […]
Google paid $12 million in bug bounties last year to security researchers
Google paid almost $12 million in bug bounty rewards to 660 security researchers who reported security bugs through the company’s Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP) in 2024. Among last year’s highlights, the company revamped the VRP’s reward structure, bumping rewards up to a maximum of $151,515, while its Mobile VRP now offers up to $300,000 for critical vulnerabilities […]
BadBox malware disrupted on 500K infected Android devices
The BadBox Android malware botnet has been disrupted again by removing 24 malicious apps from Google Play and sinkholing communications for half a million infected devices. The BadBox botnet is a cyber-fraud operation targeting primarily low-cost Android-based devices like TV streaming boxes, tablets, smart TVs, and smartphones. These devices either come pre-loaded with the BadBox […]
Google expands Android AI scam detection to more Pixel devices
Google has announced an increased rollout of new AI-powered scam detection features on Android to help protect users from increasingly sophisticated phone and text social engineering scams. The tech giant says these features come in response to AI-assisted scam campaigns that, according to statistics from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, have defrauded people of over $1 […]
Google fixes Android zero-day exploited by Serbian authorities
Google has released patches for 43 vulnerabilities in Android’s March 2025 security update, including two zero-days exploited in targeted attacks. Serbian authorities have used one of the zero-days, a high-severity information disclosure security vulnerability (CVE-2024-50302) in the Linux kernel’s driver for Human Interface Devices, to unlock confiscated devices. The flaw was reportedly exploited as part of an Android zero-day exploit […]
Serbian police used Cellebrite zero-day hack to unlock Android phones
Serbian authorities have reportedly used an Android zero-day exploit chain developed by Cellebrite to unlock the device of a student activist in the country and attempt to install spyware. Cellebrite is an Israeli digital forensics company that develops tools used by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and private companies to extract data from smartphones and other digital […]
Google Cloud introduces quantum-safe digital signatures in KMS
Google Cloud has introduced quantum-safe digital signatures to its Cloud Key Management Service (Cloud KMS), making them available in preview. The tech giant says this initiative aligns with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards, addressing future risks of quantum computing breaking classic encryption schemes. With Google Cloud being used by […]
Google Chrome disables uBlock Origin for some in Manifest v3 rollout
Google continues its rollout of gradually disabling uBlock Origin and other Manifest V2-based extensions in the Chrome web browser as part of its efforts to push users to Manifest V3-based extensions. For those unaware, Manifest V3 is Chrome’s latest extension specification and is designed to limit extension access to user network requests, block developers from utilizing remote content, […]
SpyLend Android malware downloaded 100,000 times from Google Play
An Android malware app called SpyLend has been downloaded over 100,000 times from Google Play, where it masqueraded as a financial tool but became a predatory loan app for those in India. The app falls under a group of malicious Android applications called “SpyLoan,” which pretend to be legitimate financial tools or loan services but […]
Google Chrome’s AI-powered security feature rolls out to everyone
Google Chrome has updated the existing “Enhanced protection” feature with AI to offer “real-time” protection against dangerous websites, downloads and extensions. As spotted by Leo on X, the update has been rolled out to Chrome’s stable channel on all platforms after three months of testing in Canary. Enhanced protection, which is part of the Safe browsing feature, isn’t […]