How many apps do you have on your smartphone? Do you know how much data they're collecting about you? Most people have scores of apps installed (and often hundreds), even if they only use a few on a regular basis, and shockingly, most users have no idea just how much information those apps are collecting about them. However much you imagine, the answer is probably "more." This point was driven home painfully, courtesy of a recent discovery by a team of researchers at the Kromtech … Read more
New Facebook Messenger App For Kids Raises Privacy Questions
On the surface, the new Facebook For Kids messenger app looks like a solid win that should put the minds of parents all over the world at ease. The company conducted extensive interviews and assembled a Blue-Ribbon panel of experts to help them craft the new tool, aimed at children ages 6-12. The app itself is user-friendly and filled with bright, cheerful primary colors that appeal to kids, but there are problems, or, at the very least, valid concerns. For one thing, Facebook has made no … Read more
Issue With Android Could Let Someone Record Screen And Audio
Do you have an Android phone? Is it running either Lolipop, Marshmallow or Nougat? Those three account for slightly more than 75 percent of the Android phones in service today, so odds are excellent that you do. If so, you should be aware of a nasty vulnerability that could allow a hacker to perform at-will screen captures and audio recording without your knowledge. The issue resides within Android's MediaProjection service, which has been a part of the OS since its earliest days. The reason … Read more
Google Can Still Track You With Location Services Disabled
Google recently found itself in a bit of hot water after an investigation by Quartz revealed that the company was intrusively collecting location data on literally every Android device in use today. That's billions of devices all over the globe. There are many instances when there's an expectation that location data can and will be tracked. In fact, one of the most commonly used features of smartphones in general (GPS and directions) demands it. After all, Google Maps can't tell you how to … Read more
More Bad News For OnePlus Phone Users
OnePlus phones have been getting plenty of bad press lately, thanks to malicious apps found to be factory-installed on a percentage of the devices, along with some intrusive data collection features the manufacturer has installed. As it turns out, though, the story gets worse. Recently, a security researcher going by the alias "Elliot Alderson" discovered a factory-installed application called "Engineering Mode" that can perform a series of intrusive hardware diagnostic routines and can even … Read more
Firefox Doubles Its Speed With Latest Release
The new version of Firefox is out, and if you've moved away from the browser in recent years, it may be time to give it another look. Dubbed "Quantum," Firefox's latest offering has been completely redesigned and has a lot to like, not the least of which is its raw speed. This latest version is twice as fast and now handily beats Google Chrome in speed tests, thanks in no small part to its next-gen CSS engine, and the fact that it is the first browser to fully utilize the power of multicore … Read more
Be Careful Of Downloads – Google Play Store Sees Malware Increase
Google's Play Store is under siege. In recent month, there has been a sharp spike in malware campaigns launched against the store, with a shocking number of poisoned apps slipping past Google's robust system of checks designed to prevent, or at least minimize such occurrences. The spike in poisoned apps has been reported by three different security companies: Dr. Web, McAfee and Malwarebytes. According to the latest McAfee report, 144 Play Store apps have been identified as containing … Read more
Apple Is On Track To Become A Trillion Dollar Company
Recently, Apple's stock closed at $175.88, giving it a market valuation slightly above $900 billion. A Drexel Hamilton analyst named Brian White predicts that over the course of the next twelve months, the company's stock could be trading as high as $235 per share, and at that price, Apple's market valuation would be over one trillion dollars, making it the only trillion-dollar company on the planet. "With a market cap of over $900 billion, we believe Apple is on its way to becoming a … Read more
Apple’s New Face ID May Have Been Compromised
Tech companies of all shapes and sizes have been on the hunt for the "Holy Grail" of security features since before the rise of the internet. So far, a number of strategies have been developed, but none have proved to be successful. Hackers have found ways around each and every one to date. Apple recently made another attempt when they released their new iPhone X, complete with a new "ultra-secure" Face ID security feature, which was touted during the new phone's September launch event. … Read more
New iPhone X May Be Susceptible To Burn-In
Apple's new iPhone X is a technological marvel that boasts the best display in the industry today, featuring Super Retina OLED display technology and offering a mind-boggling 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, there's a problem, as revealed by a new support document the company released on the iPhone X. In it, Apples states that users may experience shifts in hue and color, and burn-in with the new display, especially if they maximize the phone's brightness and keep the same image … Read more
