Information Technology

23andMe/ZDNETI was an early 23andMe user. While I knew a good deal about my family history — primarily Scottish-Irish who came to the US in the aftermath of the 1845-52 Irish potato famine — I wanted to know more. At first, 23andMe was useful, but now it’s another story. Once a genetic testing trailblazer, 23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This came after years of financial instability, operational missteps, and growing concerns over customer data privacy. The company’s collapse raises serious questions about the future of its vast troves of genetic data collected from more than 15 million customers, including my own records. We have no idea what will become of our records — and that’s not a comfortable feeling. Also: The best secure browsers for privacy: Expert testedFounded nearly two decades ago, 23andMe gained popularity by offering at-home DNA testing kits that provided insights into ancestry, genetic traits, and potential health risks. At its peak in 2021, the company’s market valuation exceeded $6 billion. However, in recent years, it’s been declining rapidly. The company’s attempted pivot into pharmaceutical research and drug development partnerships, including a high-profile collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), never met expectations. This, in turn, led to declines in revenue,The company’s reputation also never recovered from the hit it took when a major data breach in October 2023 exposed user data for about half its users. The result? The company value, which hovered above $6 billion in 2021 after its IPO, was trading for less than $50 million last week before the bankruptcy filing with losses in its current fiscal year of $174 million. More

Eugene Mymrin/Getty Images The rise of AI-generated content, also known as synthetic media, has mostly caused problems: It helps spread misinformation, steal from artists, and erode trust in what we see online. However, Cloudflare may have found a use case where artificial intelligence could help protect original content from the tentacles of AI companies.  On Wednesday, the company […] More

ZDNETThose of you who use the Google Maps Timeline to keep track of past trips and directions may notice that your data has mysteriously vanished. Well, not so mysteriously. The fault lies with Google, and you’re apparently out of luck unless you have a backup.”We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people,” Google revealed in a statement shared with ZDNET. “Nearly everyone with encrypted Timeline backups will be able to restore their data; unfortunately, those who did not have backups enabled will not be able to recover lost data.” Also: A hidden Google Maps feature is making people emotional – here’s whyFormerly known as Location History, the Google Maps Timeline is a map that shows the directions you’ve used, the trips you’ve taken, and the places you’ve visited. The goal is to help you easily return to a previous location by accessing its history. But in the transition from Location History to Timeline, Google made a few changes. In the past, your location data was stored in the cloud via your Google account. That meant it was automatically backed up and accessible on any device. However, that method also triggered privacy concerns for people who didn’t want Google accessing the places they visited. With Timeline, your location details and travel data are instead stored on your device. Though that may secure the data from prying eyes, you have to sync the information to Google’s cloud if you want a backup that you can then restore. And that’s why many Maps users may be out of luck. How to back up your Google Maps TimelineTo back up your Timeline, open Google Maps on your iPhone or Android device, tap your profile icon at the top, and then select Timeline. Tap the cloud icon and sign in with your Google account. Turn on the switch for Backup. An encrypted copy of your Timeline is then saved to Google’s servers. The backup automatically runs over Wi-Fi when your device is charging and idle. More

Xuanyu Han/Getty Images A phishing attack that previously hit Windows users has now switched its target to the Mac. In a report published Wednesday, security provider LayerX Labs explains how and why the attackers are now eager to scam Mac users. Also: What is vishing? Voice phishing is surging – expert tips on how to spot […] More

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETGoogle Chrome users who want to stay safe and secure will want to update their browser to the latest version. That’s because it contains a fix for a critical vulnerability that could cause Chrome to crash or even infect your system or device with malware.On Wednesday, Google released Chrome version 134.0.6998.117/.118 for Windows and Mac and 134.0.6998.117 for Linux. Rolling out over the next few days and weeks, this version offers several security fixes. But the patch for the critical vulnerability is the most important one.Also: I’ve tried nearly every browser out there and these are my top 6 (none are Chrome)As described in the NIST vulnerability database, CVE-2025-2476 points to “Use after free in Lens in Google Chrome prior to 134.0.6998.117 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.” And what does that mean in layman’s terms? Let’s break it down.”Use after free” is a type of memory corruption in which a program continues to use a block of memory even after it’s been freed. Lens in Google Chrome refers to the Google Lens tool that can search for and identify items you spot through your phone’s camera.”Heap corruption” means that someone could exploit data stored in the block of memory. And “a crafted HTML page” — in this instance — is a web page custom-designed for malicious purposes. Put them together, and any previous version of Chrome is susceptible to web pages created by attackers that would take advantage of corrupted memory to infect your PC with malware.Here’s a clever way to visualize this type of flaw. More

ZDNETAs a Google Maps user, I tend to assume that the listings I find in a search are real and legitimate. But that assumption could get me in trouble.Google recently discovered more than 10,000 phony listings in Google Maps, CBS News reported on Wednesday. The listings ran the gamut from blatantly fake businesses to legitimate accounts that had been hacked or hijacked by cybercriminals. In response, Google removed the listings and has filed a lawsuit against the alleged scammers behind them. The old bait-and-switch tacticIn an interview with CBS Mornings, Google General Counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado explained how one complaint uncovered a much wider plot. The probe started after a Texas business complained to Google that an unlicensed locksmith was impersonating them on Google Maps. In this hacked listing, the scammers replaced the existing phone number with a number of their own. Any person calling the new number would have been directed to a different locksmith who might have charged the consumer an exorbitant fee to fix a lock. This one incident led Google to ultimately discover a much greater number of fake listings. Also: 6 Google Maps tricks to tryRelying on the old bait-and-switch tactic, the particular scam was also successful because it targeted people in “duress verticals.” In these, the customer is usually in a vulnerable or urgent situation, such as being locked out of their home. The scammers count on this urgency to trick their victims, who may not realize they’re being scammed until it’s too late. “Online profiles are extremely valuable to businesses as well as consumers,” Prado said in the CBS interview. “Small and medium businesses use those listings for word of mouth and discoverability. Consumers use the reviews for those listings to make decisions on what service to use or not to use. A fake profile and a fake review undermine the trust you have in that ecosystem.” More

ZDNETOn March 14, 2025, a root certificate used to verify signed content and add-ons for Firefox and other Mozilla projects expired (note that Thunderbird does not do content verification, so that app will be unaffected). The expiration of this certificate will cause problems for Firefox users unless they update to version 128 (or ESR 115.13+). This includes versions for Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android, and iOS — in other words, all platforms.Also: I’ve tried nearly every browser out there and these are my top 6 (none are Chrome)Without updating, all features that rely on remote updates will cease to function, all add-ons will be automatically disabled, and DRM-protected content will stop playing. In addition, all systems dependent on content verification could stop functioning as expected.The web browser will continue to work, but much of what you do with it will be broken. Also: The Firefox I loved is gone – how to protect your privacy on it nowThis means every Firefox user around the world must update to the latest version; otherwise, they’ll find out the hard way that this upgrade isn’t optional. What is a root certificate? A root certificate is used to verify the authenticity of websites, add-ons, and software updates. Without a root certificate in place, your browser cannot verify these items, and you could wind up with malicious software on your hands.Root certificates are crucial for the following reasons: Top-level validation: When a website or application requests a digital certificate from an intermediate certificate authority, it can be validated by checking the signature against the root certificate.Trusted certificates: When you visit a website, your browser checks that each certificate in the chain is signed by a trusted root certificate.Security chain: Every certificate has an issuer that points to a certificate higher in the hierarchy, which forms a chain of trust from the website back to the root certificate. More

ZDNETMicrosoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol is a handy method for signing in to and controlling remote PCs and servers, especially for hybrid workers. But RDP is also an inviting target for cybercriminals looking to gain access to an organization’s network and other critical resources. That’s why using a strong and complex password for remote desktop accounts is vital. Unfortunately, this is an area where many people and companies fall short.Also: Hackers stole this engineer’s 1Password database. Could it happen to you?In a report released Tuesday, password security provider Specops revealed the top 10 most common passwords attackers use to exploit RDP connections. In total, more than 1 billion stolen passwords captured by cybercriminals in 2024 were included in the analysis. The results show that many people ignore standard best practices when creating passwords, even for important systems. Organizations that monitor their RDP servers have found hundreds or even thousands of failed login attempts from hackers, bots, ransomware gangs, and more. Once they find an open and exposed RDP port, attackers use brute force to try a large number of username and password combinations to gain access. The simpler the password, the quicker the attacker can gain and exploit access. Which passwords were the worst offenders?To little or no surprise, 123456 was the most common password stolen by malicious attacks. This indicates that many people are still turning to “keyboard walks” — passwords created by typing a string of adjacent keys on the keyboard.In second place was 1234, presumably chosen by people who couldnt be bothered to add the 5 and 6. Next up was Password1, followed by 12345.Also: How AI agents help hackers steal your confidential data – and what to do about itIn the fifth spot was P@sswOrd, suggesting that some people knew enough to add a special character, albeit to a still weak password. However, P@sswOrd may be popular because it meets the standard requirements of eight characters, one capital letter, one number, and one special character, according to Specops.Rounding out the list were password, Password123, Welcome1, 12345678, and Aa123456. The addition of Welcome1 could signal that many employees are given such weak temporary passwords to start but arent forced to change them. Otherwise, most of the top 10 used either a string of common numbers or some variation of the word password. More