Spyware Maker Sentenced to Prison
The founder, Tal Dilian, and three other executives of Intellexa, a collective of spyware makers responsible for what was dubbed “Greek Watergate” have been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Fria Reyes
Fria is a privacy advocate and synthwave enthusiast who has been volunteering with Privacy Guides since 2023. They are an unapologetic tech optimist, and believes with the right technology we can solve any problem.
Samsung Forced to Halt Data Collection in TVs in Texas Without “Express Consent”
Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton secured an agreement with Samsung that “will ensure Samsung no longer collects Automated Content Recognition (“ACR”) data without consumers being fully informed and consenting prior to any information being collected.”
Threat Intelligence “Provenance” Could be the Solution to a Fractured Global Cybersecurity Landscape
Geopolitical tensions threaten cybersecurity research and sharing between countries, but research from Georgia Tech demonstrates a possible system of auditable provenance data to validate how threat intelligence was produced instead of trusting who produced it.
Android 17 Beta Introduces the Contact Picker and the Local Network Permission
Android 17 Beta 2 released, bringing with it the rumored Contacts Picker for selecting individual contacts and the Local Network Access permission for preventing apps from seeing other devices on your local network.
Burger King is Rolling Out AI in Employees’ Headsets to Track Their Friendliness
Burger King is testing out a new AI called Patty in 500 restaurants that will listen for keywords like “welcome,” “please” and “thank you” and in employees’ headsets and report to managers.
Samsung Launches New “Privacy Display” to Protect Your Screen
Samsung recently made the new Galaxy S26 Ultra available for pre-order, which features a huge privacy improvement never seen before on a phone: a builtin, toggleable privacy screen that functions on a per-pixel level.
Notepad++’s New Update System is “Robust and Effectively Unexploitable”
Notepad++ has released a blog post describing the security enhancements they’ve made since the state-sponsored hack earlier this month, highlighting their new “double lock” update mechanism.
Firefox 148 Releases with Promised AI Killswitch Feature
Firefox version 148 has released, bringing with it the AI killswitch feature that was promised, allowing users to disable all AI features from a single switch.
Google Expands Quick Share’s AirDrop Support to Pixel 9 Series
Google is expanding support for Quick Share and AirDrop compatibility between Pixel 10 phones and iPhones to include Pixel 9 phones as well.
ChatGPT Adds Lockdown Mode for Protection Against Prompt Injection Attacks
ChatGPT has added Lockdown Mode, "an optional, advanced security setting designed for a small set of highly security-conscious users—such as executives or security teams at prominent organizations—who require increased protection against advanced threats."
Apple Introduces End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messaging in the iOS 26.4 Beta
The long-awaited cross-platform end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between Android and iOS users has finally begun its testing phase in the recently released beta for iOS 26.4.
Google's "Project Toscana" Will Upgrade Face Unlock
According to Android Authority, Google's secret Project Toscana is upgrading the face unlock on future Pixels and even Chromebooks.
Amazon Cancels Ring Partnership with Flock
Amazon has announced it has cancelled its previous plans to partner with Flock for its Community Requests feature.
Notepad++ Subject to Supply Chain Attack for Months
The popular text editor Notepad++ had their infrastructure compromised from about June 2025 to December 2025, allowing the attackers to deliver malicious updates to unsuspecting users.
Google Introduces Stronger Theft Protections in Android
Google announced that they're bolstering Android's pre-existing theft protection features with security improvements and more granular control.
Apple Acquires Q.ai Startup for "Silent" Voice Input
In its second biggest acquisition ever, Apple has acquired a company called Q.ai that promises to use "facial micromovements" to provide "private answers to silent questions."
WhatsApp Implements Optional "Strict Account Settings" Mode for Increased Security
WhatsApp has announced a new setting called Strict Account Settings that increases security against sophisticated threats, similar to Apple's Lockdown Mode or Android's Advanced Protection mode.
Google Accidentally Leaks Upcoming AluminiumOS Desktop Interface
According to 9to5Google, a bug report (currently inaccessible) about Chrome Incognito tabs leaked the desktop interface for the upcoming AluminiumOS, Google’s merging of ChromeOS and Android.
Windows Update Stops Machines from Booting
The disastrous KB5074109 Windows update has reportedly caused some people's computers to fail to boot, among the myriad other issues.
Pwn2Own Automotive Shows How Insecure Our Vehicles Are
The first day of the Pwn2Own Automotive hacking competition has kicked off in Tokyo, Japan, with “a record 73 entries” showing that our vehicles are juicier targets than ever.
Mandiant Releases Rainbow Tables for Outdated Windows NTLMv1
Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm and subsidiary of Google, has released a rainbow table for the outdated Windows NTLMv1 authentication protocol, allowing attackers to crack administrator passwords in under 12 hours using consumer hardware that costs less than $600.