Google fixes flaw that could unmask YouTube users’ email addresses
Google has fixed two vulnerabilities that, when chained together, could expose the email addresses of YouTube accounts, causing a massive privacy breach for those using the site anonymously. The flaws were discovered by security researchers Brutecat (brutecat.com) and Nathan (schizo.org), who found that YouTube and Pixel Recorder APIs could be used to obtain user’s Google Gaia IDs […]
Google says hackers abuse Gemini AI to empower their attacks
Multiple state-sponsored groups are experimenting with the AI-powered Gemini assistant from Google to increase productivity and to conduct research on potential infrastructure for attacks or for reconnaissance on targets. Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) detected government-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) groups using Gemini primarily for productivity gains rather than to develop or conduct novel AI-enabled cyberattacks that can […]
Google blocked 2.36 million risky Android apps from Play Store in 2024
Google blocked 2.3 million Android app submissions to the Play Store in 2024 due to violations of its policies that made them potentially risky for users. In addition, 158,000 developer accounts were banned for attempting to publish harmful apps like malware and spyware on Android’s official app store. In comparison, Google blocked 2,280,000 risky apps in 2023 and 1,500,000 […]
Google to kill Chrome Sync on older Chrome browser versions
Google announced that the Chrome Sync feature will be discontinued in early 2025 for Chrome versions older than four years. When enabled, Chrome Sync keeps users’ bookmarks, passwords, history, open tabs, settings, preferences, and, sometimes, Google Pay payment information. It also automatically signs users into Gmail, YouTube, Search, and other Google services. The move was […]
Google launches customizable Web Store for Enterprise extensions
Google has officially launched its Chrome Web Store for Enterprises, allowing organizations to create a curated list of extensions that can be installed in employees’ web browsers. Malicious Chrome extensions have long been a problem, with scammers and threat actors actively releasing or hijacking existing extensions to include malicious code. Last month, thirty-five extensions were compromised after […]
New Android Identity Check locks settings outside trusted locations
Google has announced a new Android “Identity Check” security feature that lock sensitive settings behind biometric authentication when outside a trusted location. The new feature is part of Anroid’s theft protection suite, which includes features like last year’s Theft Detection Lock, which is now rolling out to more Android device models. The new Identity Check feature is […]
Hackers use Google Search ads to steal Google Ads accounts
Ironically, cybercriminals now use Google search advertisements to promote phishing sites that steal advertisers’ credentials for the Google Ads platform. The attackers are running ads on Google Search impersonating Google Ads, showing as sponsored results that redirect potential victims to fake login pages hosted on Google Sites but looking like the official Google Ads homepage, […]
Google OAuth flaw lets attackers gain access to abandoned accounts
A weakness in Google’s OAuth “Sign in with Google” feature could enable attackers that register domains of defunct startups to access sensitive data of former employee accounts linked to various software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms. The security gap was discovered by Trufflesecurity researchers and reported to Google last year on September 30. Google initially disregarded the finding as […]
Microsoft Bing shows misleading Google-like page for ‘Google’ searches
Microsoft Bing displays what is being categorized as a misleading Google-esque search page when users search for ‘Google,’ making it look like you are on the competing search engine. When performing searches on Microsoft Bing, users are shown a standard search page consisting of a search field with your search term at the top, followed […]
Google Chrome is making it easier to share specific parts of long PDFs
Google is adding the Text Fragment feature to its PDF reader to make it easier to share specific parts of long PDFs. The Text Fragment feature in Google Chrome lets you share a link to a specific part of a webpage. You select the text you want to highlight, and it creates a link. When someone clicks […]