Security News

This month Google begins a public test of a technology it says will eventually replace browser cookies in an effort to boost Chrome browser user privacy. The as-yet unproven technology allows browsers to group people together by their interests and give them more anonymity yet still allow for appropriate targeted advertising, which remains at the core of the company's interest in outfitting their Chrome browser with FLoC. Google's stance is that it will balance the need to preserve people's privacy by preventing individual tracking with giving advertisers and publishers the relevant info they need to recognize their target audience.

A Dutch government report identifying "10 high data protection risks" for users of Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, has been revised after Google's response, and now says eight high risk issues still remain. Despite the name, this is not an offshoot of Google's Redmond-based rival, but a government department which manages vendor relations with the company, and which undertook to assess the risks of deploying Google Workspace instead of Office 365, in a process called a DPIA. It has conducted similar studies into privacy risks with Microsoft's services.

As cloud computing continues to grow, Google Cloud is quickly becoming one of the most popular solutions. The Google Cloud Certifications Practice Tests + Courses Bundle helps you get certified faster, with 43 hours of video content and over 1,000 practice questions.

POLL Google has revealed that its internal anti-malware tools include a "Social voting" scheme that lets staff vouch for code they want to install won't do any damage. The ad and search giant's rationale is that blocking all unknown software works but may limit productivity, while blocking only known unsafe software requires a lot of vetting.

Google has fixed a high-severity vulnerability in its Chrome browser and is warning Chrome users that an exploit exists in the wild for the flaw. "The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 89 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux," according to Google on Tuesday.

Google on Wednesday pledged to steer clear of tracking individual online activity when it begins implementing a new system for targeting ads without the use of so-called "Cookies." The internet giant's widely used Chrome browser this month will begin testing an alternative to the tracking practice that it believes could improve online privacy while still enabling advertisers to serve up relevant messages.

Google has fixed an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in the Chrome 89.0.4389.72 version released today, March 2nd, 2021, to the Stable desktop channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. "Google is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2021-21166 exists in the wild," the Google Chrome 89.0.4389.72 announcement reads.

Given the danger that arises as soon as the crooks sneak into your network, it's as important to learn how malware gets delivered in the first place as it is to know what happens to your files when ransomware finally scrambles them. The Gootkit malware family has been around more than half a decade - a mature Trojan with functionality centered around banking credential theft.

Google this week announced the release of patches for 37 vulnerabilities as part of the Android security updates for March 2021, including a fix for a critical flaw in the System component. Tracked as CVE-2021-0397 and affecting Android 8.1, 9, 10, and 11 releases, the security issue could allow an attacker to execute code remotely on a vulnerable device.

The Gootloader malware loader, previously used for distributing the Gootkit malware family, has undergone what researchers call a "Renaissance" when it comes to payload delivery. New research released this week paints Gootloader as an increasingly sophisticated loader framework, which has now expanded the number of payloads its delivers beyond Gootkit, to include the Kronos trojan and the Cobalt Strike commodity malware.