Google Urged to Stop Tracking Location Data Ahead of Roe Reversal

Lawmakers argue Android phone data could be “weaponized against women” if the US Supreme Court officially overturns abortion protections.

What Do Those Pesky 'Cookie Preferences' Pop-Ups Really Mean?

We asked the engineer who invented cookies what they mean and how to handle them.

DuckDuckGo Isn’t as Private as You Think

Plus: A $150 million Twitter fine, a massive leak from a Chinese prison in Xinjiang, and an ISIS plot to assassinate George W. Bush.

Good Luck Not Accidentally Hiring a North Korean Scammer

DPRK hackers are tricking their way into jobs with Western firms. A US government alert reminds employers they're on the front lines—and potentially on the hook.

You Need to Update iOS, Chrome, Windows, and Zoom ASAP

Plus: Google patches 36 Android vulnerabilities, Cisco fixes three high-severity issues, and VMWare closes two “serious” flaws.

The Race to Hide Your Voice

Voice recognition—and data collection—have boomed in recent years. Researchers are figuring out how to protect your privacy.

The Fight Against Robocall Spam and Scams Heats Up in India

A new proposal by India's telecom regulator aims to make accurate caller ID mandatory, but critics say it may be fundamentally flawed.

An Actively Exploited Microsoft Zero-Day Flaw Still Has No Patch

The company continues to downplay the severity of the Follina vulnerability, which remains present in all supported versions of Windows.

Your Tim Hortons Coffee App Knew Where You Were at All Times

The Canada-based company illegally collected “vast amounts of location data,” such as every time a person entered or left their home, workplace, or another coffee shop.

Google May Owe You a Chunk of $100 Million

Plus: The US admits to cyber operations supporting Ukraine, SCOTUS investigates its own, and a Michael Flynn surveillance mystery is solved.

The Hacker Gold Rush That's Poised to Eclipse Ransomware

As governments crack down on ransomware, cybercriminals may soon shift to business email compromise—already the world's most profitable type of scam.

AlphaBay Is Taking Over the Dark Web—Again

Five years after it was torn offline, the resurrected dark web marketplace is clawing its way back to the top of the online underworld.

Period-Tracking and Fertility Apps Can Put Women Seeking Abortions at Risk

Apps collect sensitive data that could be subpoenaed by law enforcement or sold by data brokers.

A Long-Awaited Defense Against Data Leaks May Have Just Arrived

MongoDB claims its new “Queryable Encryption” lets users search their databases while sensitive data stays encrypted. Oh, and its cryptography is open source.

Apple Just Killed the Password—for Real This Time

Apple’s iOS 16 and macOS Ventura will introduce passwordless login for apps and websites. It’s only the beginning.

Disinfo and Hate Speech Flood TikTok Ahead of Kenya’s Elections

Mozilla researchers identified accounts with millions of view spreading hate speech and disinformation

How a Saxophonist Tricked the KGB by Encrypting Secrets in Music

Using a custom encryption scheme within music notation, Merryl Goldberg and three other US musicians slipped information to Soviet performers and activists known as the Phantom Orchestra.

Hackers Can Steal Your Tesla by Creating Their Own Personal Keys

A researcher found that a recent update lets anyone enroll their own key during the 130-second interval after the car is unlocked with an NFC card.

The January 6 Hearing Was a Warning

The House committee's televised hearings interrogate the Capitol attack with damning new evidence. Whether it's enough to prevent another one is uncertain.

The Tricky Business of Elon Musk Getting Twitter Fire-Hose Access

Twitter has reportedly given the billionaire access to its full stream of tweets and related user data. Is your privacy in jeopardy?

How China Hacked US Phone Networks

Plus: Russia rattles its cyber sword, a huge Facebook phishing operation is uncovered, feds take down the SSNDOB marketplace, and more.

Conti's Attack Against Costa Rica Sparks a New Ransomware Era

A pair of ransomware attacks crippled parts of the country—and rewrote the rules of cybercrime.

Shanghai’s Censors Can’t Hide Stories of the Dead

Many people reportedly died after struggling to access medical care during a brutal lockdown. The families want to make sure these deaths are counted.

Russia Is Taking Over Ukraine’s Internet

In occupied Ukraine, people’s internet is being routed to Russia—and subjected to its powerful censorship and surveillance machine.

Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists

New details connect police in India to a plot to plant evidence on victims' computers that led to their arrest.

Here’s Why You’re Still Stuck in Robocall Hell

Despite major progress fighting spam and scams, the roots of the problem go far deeper than your phone company’s defenses.

Cops Will Be Able to Scan Your Fingerprints With a Phone

Contactless fingerprinting uses a smartphone camera to capture your prints—and opens up a whole new set of privacy concerns.

UK Approves WikiLeaks Chief Julian Assange's Extradition to the US

The WikiLeaks founder will appeal the UK Home Office's decision to extradite him to the US.

An Alleged Russian Spy Was Busted Trying to Intern at The Hague

Plus: Firefox adds new privacy protections, a big Intel and AMD chip flaw, and more of the week’s top security news.

How to Password Protect Any File

Put a digital lock on your most important data.

The Ghost of Internet Explorer Will Haunt the Web for Years

Microsoft's legacy browser may be dead—but its remnants are not going anywhere, and neither are its lingering security risks.

The Power and Pitfalls of AI for US Intelligence

Artificial intelligence use is booming, but it's not the secret weapon you might imagine.

Brave Now Lets You Customize Search Results—for Better or Worse

The privacy-focused company's new Goggles tool allows users to weed out the noise—whatever that might mean.

Parents Need to Know What’s Going On Inside Their Day Care Apps

After months of digging into privacy and security issues around these apps, I have some serious concerns.

Google Warns of New Spyware Targeting iOS and Android Users

The spyware has been used to target people in Italy, Kazakhstan, and Syria, researchers at Google and Lookout have found.

How to Move Your WhatsApp Chats Across Devices and Apps

It's never been easier to switch between iPhone and Android—and to get your messages out of the Meta ecosystem entirely.

The Post-Roe Privacy Nightmare Has Arrived

Plus: Microsoft details Russia’s Ukraine hacking campaign, Meta’s election integrity efforts dwindle, and more.

How to Use Microsoft Defender on All Your Devices

If you use a mix of Apple, Android, and Windows gadgets, you're in luck: The security tool is now available to any Microsoft 365 subscriber.

‘Supercookies’ Have Privacy Experts Sounding the Alarm

A German ad-tech trial features what Vodafone calls “digital tokens.” Should you be worried?

You Need to Update Windows and Chrome Right Now

Plus: Google issues fixes for Android bugs. And Cisco, Citrix, SAP, WordPress, and more issue major patches for enterprise systems.

A New, Remarkably Sophisticated Malware Is Attacking Routers

Researchers say the remote-access Trojan ZuoRAT is likely the work of a nation-state and has infected at least 80 different targets.

Is Your New Car a Threat to National Security?

Putting sensor-packed Chinese cars on Western roads could be a privacy issue. Just ask Tesla.

Gun Database Breach Leaks Details on Thousands of Owners

Plus: Indian hacker-for-hire groups, Chinese student espionage efforts, and more.

The Worst Hacks and Breaches of 2022 So Far

From cryptocurrency thefts to intrusions into telecom giants, state-backed attackers have had a field day in the year’s first half.

End-to-End Encryption's Central Role in Modern Self-Defense

With abortion set to be criminalized in more than half the US, encryption has never been more important for protection—and civil disobedience.

How to Avoid the Worst Instagram Scams

Fake sellers. Competitions. Crypto cons. There are plenty of grifts on the platform, but you don’t have to get sucked in.

Apple’s Lockdown Mode Aims to Counter Spyware Threats

Starting with iOS 16, people who are at risk of being targeted with spyware will have some much-needed help.

The Danger of License Plate Readers in Post-Roe America

Known as ALPRs, this surveillance tech is pervasive across the US—and could soon be used by police and anti-abortion groups alike.

An ISP Scam Targeted Low-Income People Seeking Government Aid

The US Federal Communications Commission says a man posing as a fake broadband service promised victims discounts on internet services and devices.

Will These Algorithms Save You From Quantum Threats?

Quantum-proof encryption is here—decades before it can be put to the test.

Chinese Police Exposed 1B People's Data in Unprecedented Leak

Plus: A duplicitous bug bounty scheme, the iPhone's new “lockdown mode,” and more of the week's top security news.

Russian ‘Hacktivists’ Are Causing Trouble Far Beyond Ukraine

The pro-Russian group Killnet is targeting countries supporting Ukraine. It has declared "war" against 10 nations.

The January 6 Insurrection Hearings Are Just Heating Up

The US House committee has already uncovered a more organized and sinister plot than many imagined. But history suggests the worst may be yet to come.

A Privacy Panic Flares Up in India After Police Pull Payment Data

Nonprofit donors had their information given to law enforcement without consent, highlighting limited data protections in the world’s largest democracy.

New ‘Retbleed’ Attack Can Swipe Key Data From Intel and AMD CPUs

The exploit can leak password information and other sensitive material, but the chipmakers are rolling out mitigations.

A New Attack Can Unmask Anonymous Users on Any Major Browser

Researchers have found a way to use the web's basic functions to identify who visits a site—without the user detecting the hack.

Amazon Handed Ring Videos to Cops Without Warrants

Plus: A wild Indian cricket scam, an elite CIA hacker is found guilty of passing secrets to WikiLeaks, and more of the week's top security news.

Instagram Slow to Tackle Bots Targeting Iranian Women’s Groups

Despite alerting Meta months ago, feminist groups say tens of thousands of fake accounts continue to bombard them on the platform.

The Most Popular Period-Tracking Apps, Ranked by Data Privacy

Under increased scrutiny, certain period-tracking apps are seeing a surge of new users. Which are as safe as they claim to be?

The DHS Bought a ‘Shocking Amount’ of Phone-Tracking Data

The ACLU released a trove of documents showing how Homeland Security contracted with surveillance companies to scour location information.