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Scammers are using bogus Google Calendar invites to distribute malicious links. Google has urged users to check a setting in their Calendar account. The campaign, spotted by security company Checkpoint, takes advantage of the way the Google Calendar ... lets users invite friends, family or other contacts to an event. An acceptance will add the event to the invitee's own Google Calendar and automatically update it with any changes of time, date or other details. Usually it's possible to invite somebody just by knowing their email address. The scam involves sending an email that's been manipulated ... (view more)

Google may soon warn users before they download a mediocre app. It's the first time the warnings will appear for matters of quality rather than security. The changes were spotted by Android Authority and are buried away in the code of the Play Store ... app. The code would make the app display one of three messages: This app is frequently uninstalled compared to similar apps on Play Play has limited user data about this app This app has few active users compared to others on Play Apps Not Blocked Based on the way the code is integrated, it doesn't appear this will be a high-profile warning such ... (view more)

Posts by both Elon Musk and Republican-leaning accounts became considerably more prominent on X (formerly Twitter) after he endorsed Donald Trump for President according to a study. The paper says the change was significant enough to suggest the ... site may have intentionally changed its algorithm. Much of the controversy over the site in the past few years has involved its default "For You" feed, which is created by an algorithm. Rather simply showing all posts from accounts the user follows in chronological order, the feed shows what X implies are the most likely posts to interest and engage ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Franco I. writes: " Dear Dennis, Please help - someone is threatening to share a video of me (in the buff) on Facebook! A few days ago, I met a girl on Omegle (a chat website). We had lots of shared interests and seemed to hit it ... off pretty good. After some back and forth, things escalated to the point where she started sharing pictures of herself scantily dressed. She asked for my phone number, then wanted to do a video call using Google Chat . As soon as I answered, she was already unclothed with toys in hand. She claimed her microphone was broken, so I never got to ... (view more)

Five gadgets are in the running for a $1.3 million prize for using tech to tackle dementia. They range from high-tech glasses to a device that looks like a landline telephone. The projects have all made the final of the global Longitude prize for ... dementia. It's part of a wider series of prizes based on an 18th century contest that rewarded scientists for finding a way for sailors to determine the longitude of their location. The five finalists will each get the equivalent of $392,000 to develop their products before competing for the overall prize. The money comes from the UK government and ... (view more)

Chrome is getting more proactive on browser safety. The changes are coming to both desktops and Android devices. It's part of the browser's "Safety Check" feature which already warns users if a password has been compromised or if a website appears ... unsafe. The feature is expanding to cover permissions and notifications. The former involves the way Chrome controls whether or not a specific website has access to computer resources and data such as a microphone, webcam or precise location. Chrome will now start automatically revoking permissions from websites the user rarely visits. Google has ... (view more)

Scammers are using a creative way to trick people into handing over their Google account passwords. The tactic works by annoying the victim until they stop thinking rationally. Most scams to get hold of account passwords, particularly sensitive ones ... like a Google account, work in one of two ways. Some scammers will try to intercept the password, for example by using keylogging software that records everything a user types. Others prefer phishing, where the user is tricked into typing in details into a bogus, lookalike website. The new scam, using malware named StealC, is much simpler. It ... (view more)

Google Maps is changing the way it stores Location History. It's arguably a boost for privacy but may be a surprise for some users who appreciate the feature. The change is to the timeline feature that's included in both the desktop and mobile app ... versions of Google Maps. It lets users see a complete record of all places they've visited while using a mobile device with location tracking switched on. The feature will also add detail and context, for example including any picture from a visit that are saved in Google Photos, or figuring out when a user went on a trip or vacation. It can be ... (view more)

Samsung's flagship phone is getting special protection against a particularly nasty form of mobile malware. It combats zero-click attacks, which can steal data or compromise a handset without needing any action by the user. The hacking technique ... hasn't been widely seen in real-world attacks on Android phones, though Samsung claims it has worked on Apple devices. Samsung clearly believes it's just a matter of time before attackers find a vulnerability that would make such an attack almost irresistible. The company explains that a zero-click attack would exploit such a vulnerability by sending ... (view more)

Microsoft has abandoned plans to recommended websites in the Windows 11 Start menu. It hasn't said exactly why but suggests user feedback played a role. An idea to suggest searching on Microsoft Edge when copying text has also been ditched. It was ... the latest attempt to promote the browser to Windows users. The two ideas were both rolled out last November to users of the Dev channel in the Windows Insider test program. That's the first time potential new features are available to anyone outside of Microsoft. People who choose to use the Dev channel are particularly eager to see new ideas, ... (view more)