Information Technology

National Security AgencyThat pricey and precious smartphone you carry with you can be hit by a host of security threats, from phishing to malware to spyware. All it takes is one successful attack to clobber your phone and compromise your data and even steal your identity. So, how do you protect yourself?Also: 7 password rules to live by in 2024, according to security expertsIn a Mobile Device Best Practices report, the NSA serves up a variety of tips designed to thwart hackers and attackers from assaulting your mobile device. One method is as simple as turning your phone off and on.Spearphishing attacks can target your phone to install malware, while zero-click exploits are able to infect your device without any interaction on your part. The NSA’s advice? Power your phone off and then back on again at least once a week. This simple action can make it more difficult for hackers to steal information from your phone, though the agency cautions that this will not always prevent an attack. More

Olha Danylenko/Getty Images TechCrunch initially spotted this weird OS bug — but thankfully, it doesn’t seem to represent a security risk. It can only be leveraged by iPhone users to annoy themselves. Also: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: I tested both and here are the key differences Earlier this week, Konstantin, […] More

Aleksandra Konoplia/Getty Images Technology often has a fairly predictable adoption cycle, going from innovators and early adopters to mainstream use, to the point where even those who are way behind the curve catch up and start using the technology. But there’s another cycle at play — the hype cycle — and this impacts everything from […] More

Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images Update 19-Aug-2024: Microsoft has now resolved this bug. See details below. Five years ago, after a particularly embarrassing run of flawed Windows updates, Microsoft vowed to do better. Part of its cleanup program included the introduction of a “release health dashboard” that documents the status of known issues with every […] More

Google Your Android phone is about to get an AI-powered anti-theft upgrade that can keep your personal information safe.  In May of this year, Google teased a new Theft Detection Lock tool for Android phones. Expected to debut with Android 15, the feature would sense a device’s motion — such as someone snatching a phone and […] More

rob dobi/Getty Images This article was first published on August 14, 2014. It was updated on August 18, 2014 to include information about Pentester’s new tool.  You’ve likely never heard of National Public Data, the company that makes its money by collecting and selling access to your personal data to credit card companies, employers, and private […] More

PM Images/Getty Images In 2021 and 2023, Cash App suffered two different data breaches — one in which a former employee downloaded user transaction reports, and another in which an unauthorized person accessed user account data. A new class action lawsuit alleges that Cash App was negligent in handling these breaches and didn’t properly address […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you have a Pixel phone, there’s a newly discovered vulnerability you should be aware of.Security firm iVerify just published a blog about its report which details how “a very large percentage” of Pixel phones shipped since 2017 have an app with a vulnerability that leaves them “susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, giving cybercriminals the ability to inject malicious code and dangerous spyware.”Also: How to find and remove spyware from your phoneThe vulnerability in question is showcase.apk, a software package that turns a phone into a demo device for employees at Verizon stores to show off features of Pixel phones to potential customers. While it was just for Verizon employees, the software was present on almost all Pixel phones in the past 7 years.The problem is, the application runs at the system level and has deep system privileges, even remote software installation and code execution (something iVerify notes isn’t even needed for the intended purpose). More