Information Technology

ZDNETMessaging app Signal is in the news, and not for anything positive. Defense Secretary and former Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth recently demonstrated how not to use a secure communications channel to share sensitive and classified information. A reporter for The Atlantic found himself inadvertently included in a text conversation among senior administration officials discussing plans for military strikes in Yemen. The situation is a major problem for a few key reasons, as described by BBC News. Also: WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram vs. Facebook: What data do they have about you?However, Signal itself is not to blame. Rather, the onus falls on the government officials who failed to take the proper precautions. In the right hands, Signal can be an effective tool for keeping your chats private and secure. So, what is Signal, and why might you opt to use it instead of another messaging app? Here are seven reasons. 1. End-to-end encryption By default, Signal secures your texts (and your phone calls) with advanced end-to-end encryption. This means that no one, including the Signal Foundation, can read your messages or listen to your calls. For this, Signal uses its own built-in open-source encryption protocol. Not all messaging apps and formats encrypt your texts by default. And when compared with the ones that do, Signal’s protocol is still considered among the best.2. No ads or trackers With Signal, you won’t see any ads or marketing messages, and you won’t be tracked. The Signal Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on privacy and security. This contrasts with other messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and even WhatsApp, all of which can collect certain metadata about your texts. More

rob dobi/Getty Images A widespread “smishing scam” is targeting people for their personal information under the guise of unpaid tolls. In recent months, the American public has been hit with waves of texts claiming they owe unpaid tolls or E-ZPass bills. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has logged more than 60,000 reports of the […] More

Microsoft Microsoft is launching a series of AI agents for its Security Copilot program designed to help professionals more easily protect their organizations against today’s security threats. Announced on Monday, Microsoft built six of the new agents, while five come from third-party partners. All will be available for preview starting in April. Integrated with the […] More

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