Topic
Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Personal Data from Search Engines, Databases and Social Networks
Privacy & Surveillance
Russian TSPU Systems Redirect DNS Queries to Google and Cloudflare Servers Toward National Domain Name System
Privacy & Surveillance
Russian TSPU Begins Intercepting UDP DNS Queries to Cloudflare and Google Public Resolvers
Privacy & SurveillanceGoogle Develops Public Android API for On-Device Content Safety Classification
Google is creating a new public Android API that will allow third-party applications to analyze images and other files locally on the device and assign them one of four safety statuses. The system builds on the existing SafetyCore component already used in Google Messages to blur intimate images. ContentSafetyManager will process images, raw files, and multimedia content entirely on-device without transmitting data to Google servers. Applications will then decide whether to display, blur, or hide the content based on the classification result. Experts warn that malicious apps granted broad permissions could misuse the classifier to scan large volumes of user files and build detailed profiles. SafetyCore itself previously sparked controversy after being installed automatically without explicit user consent and without a visible icon, leading some users to install blockers to prevent reinstallation via the Play Store. Google continues to emphasize minimal permission requests and local processing as safeguards for user privacy.
Password Reset Fails to Evict Attackers: What Persists in Compromised Email Accounts
Even after users change passwords and enable two-factor authentication, attackers often retain access through active sessions, application tokens, and forwarding rules. The original password serves only as an entry point, while already-issued session cookies, refresh tokens, and app passwords continue functioning independently. Services like Google, Microsoft, and Yandex provide specific pages to review devices, permissions, and app passwords, yet many users overlook the critical "sign out all devices" option. In corporate environments, Microsoft Entra ID commands can revoke sessions, but access tokens may still remain valid for up to an hour afterward. Attackers frequently replace recovery details and set up mail delegation or hidden forwarding rules to maintain long-term control. The recommended sequence prioritizes session revocation first, followed by password change, MFA review, and recovery data verification to prevent re-entry via forgotten-password flows.
Russian ISPs Begin Disrupting Encrypted DNS Services from Google and Cloudflare
Users of several major Russian internet providers have reported widespread issues accessing encrypted DNS protocols offered by Google and Cloudflare. The affected services include DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), which are designed to prevent providers from inspecting domain queries. Measurements show that connections to Cloudflare addresses 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 on port 853 establish TCP handshakes but are then reset with ECONNRESET errors before TLS authentication completes. Google Public DNS endpoints experience different interference, with sessions stalling after the TLS ClientHello or terminating with unexpected EOF errors. The disruptions have been observed across Rostelecom, Dom.ru, Tattelecom, and SkyNet subscribers, with varying impact depending on region and operator. Tattelecom support reportedly advised one customer to disable both protocols to restore connectivity. No official confirmation of centralized blocking has been issued, yet the coordinated pattern across multiple providers suggests deliberate interference rather than random failure.
Google Issues Clear 2026 Guidance: No Separate SEO for AI Overviews or AI Mode
Google has published dedicated documentation clarifying that optimization for generative search features remains standard SEO. The company stresses that pages must be crawlable, indexable, relevant to user intent, and contain reliable information that the system can extract and synthesize. While classic ranking still applies, generative systems now evaluate pages across multiple stages including retrieval, fact extraction, cross-referencing, and citation decisions. Google explicitly rejects the need for llms.txt files, special AI-oriented Schema markup, or content rewritten specifically for language models. Instead, the focus is on non-commodity content that provides unique data, concrete metrics, and genuine user value. The guidance also warns against scaled content abuse and doorway-style pages created solely to capture long-tail AI-generated queries.
Gesture Dynamics CAPTCHA Emerges as Privacy-Focused Drop-in Alternative to reCAPTCHA
A new open-source CAPTCHA system called Aptogon replaces traditional image-based challenges with analysis of hand gesture dynamics to verify human users. Instead of clicking on traffic lights or buses, visitors draw a free-form gesture for about ten seconds while the system measures velocity variance, pause entropy, rhythm irregularity, and micro-corrections that distinguish human motor patterns from bots. The solution addresses recent reCAPTCHA restrictions, including Google's reduction of free monthly verifications from one million to ten thousand and tightened GDPR data responsibility rules starting in April 2026. An iframe architecture loaded from the vendor origin eliminates cross-origin issues and CORS blocks while supporting public and secret key pairs for domain validation. Machine learning relies on a local gradient boosting model for confident decisions and an LLM only for borderline cases, with fail-closed behavior returning 503 errors when the classifier is unavailable. Coordinates never leave the browser; only derived statistics are sent, satisfying GDPR requirements without cookie banners or biometric templates. The project is released under AGPL-3.0 with a free tier of one thousand checks per month and integration examples for HTML, React, Node, Python, and PHP.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 15 Vulnerabilities Including Two Critical Flaws
Google has issued a security update for its Chrome browser that addresses 15 vulnerabilities, two of which are rated critical. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with specific version numbers released on August 18, 2026. Among the fixes are buffer overflow issues in WebGL and Dawn that were reported by Google since mid-July. Thirteen high-severity vulnerabilities were also resolved, including type confusion and calculation errors in the V8 engine, Use After Free flaws in Browser and WebGL, buffer overflows in ANGLE, and information leaks in Skia. Additional problems fixed involve CORS implementation weaknesses, CredentialProvider link handling, USB race conditions, and uninitialized GPU resources. The patches are being rolled out gradually over the coming days and weeks.
US Federal Judge Orders Google to Simplify Installation of Third-Party App Stores on Android
A federal judge has directed Google to remove extra warnings and confirmation steps when users install competing app stores through Google Play on Android devices. The ruling stems from the ongoing antitrust litigation between Epic Games and Google, where a jury previously found that Google illegally maintained a monopoly over Android app distribution and in-app payments. Judge James Donato criticized the current multi-screen process as an intentional barrier designed to discourage ordinary users from choosing alternatives. Google must implement the changes within one week, making the installation of third-party stores as straightforward as any other Android application. The decision acknowledges that while Android has long permitted sideloading, the layered security prompts and hidden permission toggles effectively steered most users back to Google Play. Aptoide has already appeared in the US Google Play store as the first third-party marketplace to benefit from the eased process. Google argued the warnings protect users from malware, but the court rejected the notion that security should serve as a shield for market dominance.
Google Chrome Blocks Over 7 Billion Unwanted Notifications Daily on Android
Google reported that its Chrome protection systems blocked more than 7 billion unwanted notifications every day on Android during the first quarter of 2026. Websites increasingly use browser notifications to deliver phishing attempts, fraudulent payment requests, and malware. Chrome applies a multi-layer "Swiss cheese" defense model where several overlapping filters compensate for each other's weaknesses. The browser automatically revokes notification permissions from sites that have not been visited recently or that trigger repeated security warnings, and it can also cancel associated subscriptions. For particularly noisy resources, Chrome enforces a hard limit of 1,000 messages per minute and returns HTTP 429 responses to excess traffic. Google also made permission prompts less intrusive on Android, which reduced background activity and improved battery life. Users can review and manage notification permissions through Safety Hub on both desktop and mobile versions of Chrome.
Researchers Extract Proprietary Reasoning Traces from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google LLMs, Revealing Hidden Secrets
A team of eight researchers from institutions including ELLIS Institute Tübingen, the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen AI Center, MATS and Snyk published a preprint detailing a practical attack that recovers full reasoning traces from closed LLM APIs. The method requires only two API calls and works by feeding encrypted reasoning blocks from strong models such as Claude Opus 4.8 into weaker models from the same provider, such as Haiku 4.5, which then reproduce the hidden chain-of-thought verbatim. Analysis of 6,708 publicly shared agent logs from GitHub and Hugging Face yielded 315,320 recovered traces containing 704 unique secrets, including 62 API keys, 33 passwords and 24 access tokens that never appeared in visible session output. The attack also enables extraction of internal safety policies, system prompts and detailed harmful planning that providers normally filter from final answers. In addition, the same mechanism can be used in reverse to inject malicious instructions into shared logs that later get replayed by unsuspecting users. The authors recommend treating encrypted reasoning blocks as sensitive secrets and propose cryptographic binding of traces to sessions, users and models.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 41 Vulnerabilities Including Six Critical Flaws
Google has issued a major security update for its Chrome browser addressing 41 vulnerabilities, six of which are rated Critical. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with new builds 151.0.7922.109 and 151.0.7922.108. Among the critical issues resolved is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in ANGLE tracked as CVE-2026-19157. Five additional Critical Use After Free flaws were patched in WebGL, Aura, Skia, and Views components. The remaining 35 vulnerabilities received a High severity rating. Google plans a gradual rollout of the update over the coming days and weeks.
Google's Android Developer Verification Rollout: Implications for Russian Devices and MDM-Managed Phones
Google is introducing mandatory Android Developer Verification on certified devices starting in select countries in September 2026, requiring developers to register and sign apps with verified identities. The policy aims to curb fraudulent and malicious applications by linking package names to registered developer signatures checked via the new Android Developer Verifier system component. Devices without Google services, including many Russian and Chinese firmware builds as well as AOSP variants, remain completely unaffected since the verification mechanism relies on Google Play services. Russia is explicitly excluded from the initial rollout and subsequent waves due to sanctions, allowing continued distribution of in-house and third-party applications. Corporate MDM deployments are also exempt because administrators are considered to have already vetted the apps for safety. Google plans to offer both full registration requiring D-U-N-S numbers for organizations and a limited option for hobbyists capped at 20 devices. The company has already registered SafeMobile as a verified developer, ensuring seamless installation of its client on supported devices.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 370 Vulnerabilities Including Seven Critical Issues
Google has issued a major security update for Chrome that addresses a total of 370 vulnerabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The update covers Chrome versions 151.0.7922.72 and 151.0.7922.71 and includes seven vulnerabilities rated Critical, the highest severity level. Among the critical flaws are multiple Use After Free issues affecting Compositing, Views, Skia, and Ozone components, plus input validation problems in Dawn and ANGLE graphics libraries and a race condition in the Updater component. In addition to the critical fixes, the release patches 71 High-severity vulnerabilities, 170 Medium-severity issues, and 122 Low-severity issues. The company plans a gradual rollout over the coming days and weeks. All listed CVEs from CVE-2026-17650 through CVE-2026-18019 have been resolved in this update.
OAuth Authorization Server Built Without Storing User Profiles
The article details the evolution of an OAuth Authorization Server that deliberately avoids storing user profiles, relying instead on external identity providers for authentication. It addresses three core constraints: hundreds of dynamically created isolated APIs, a public SPA client without a BFF, and the inability of resources to query the AS on every request. The design separates concerns so the AS handles only clients, tenants, grants, audiences, scopes, keys, sessions, and token issuance while the Main API owns profiles and roles. Tokens are managed securely inside a Service Worker using a custom FedCM grant, eliminating races across tabs and reducing XSS exposure. The approach minimizes blast radius, simplifies compliance, and keeps the AS replaceable without affecting product domain logic.
Personal Digital Resilience: Strategies to Secure Access Chains and Preserve Data Portability
The article explores how individuals can strengthen their digital infrastructure against service outages, lost access, and data loss without turning maintenance into a full-time project. It defines digital resilience through two pillars: security against unauthorized access and reduced dependence on any single provider, especially when regulators in different jurisdictions interfere. The author maps real-world processes to digital services, access methods, and stored data, then outlines recovery formulas for each failure scenario. Practical steps include auditing password-manager entries, eliminating circular dependencies, separating recovery roots by jurisdiction, and exporting data in portable formats. Special attention is given to secrets such as TOTP seeds and recovery codes, which are stored in an encrypted offline archive whose master password exists only on paper. The resulting structure features two independent trees rooted at Yandex and Google, with all critical services backed by verifiable exports and tested recovery paths.
Google Tests Third-Party App Store Support in Play Store Following Epic Games Antitrust Ruling
Google is actively testing multiple new features in the Play Store, including a dedicated Play Labs experimental section, direct installation of alternative app stores, and an expanded two-line search interface. The most notable change allows users to install competing app marketplaces directly from Google Play, a capability tied to the reinstated 2024 court decision in the Epic Games antitrust case after the companies' settlement was withdrawn. Although the new menu option for third-party stores has been discovered through app modifications, attempts to access it currently result in errors. Play Labs, an experimental area for previewing upcoming store capabilities similar to features already present in Google Search, was also found but remains non-functional. The updated search bar is already operational, supporting longer natural-language queries and an Ask Store prompt to help users describe needs in detail rather than using short app names. APK analysis indicates these developments are still in progress, meaning Google may modify, delay, or cancel any of them before wider release. The overall direction signals that the primary Android app store is preparing to facilitate competition by distributing rival marketplaces.
DeepSeek User Conversations Appear in Google Search Results via Publicly Shared Links
Conversations between users and the Chinese AI service DeepSeek, including Russian-language exchanges, have surfaced in Google search results. The exposed pages belong to Shared Conversations that users themselves made public through shareable links. These pages display full question-and-answer histories along with the names of any uploaded documents. No actual breach of DeepSeek occurred, and security researchers note that search engines indexed similar public chatbot dialogues more than a year ago. MWS AI confirmed that no closed chat histories or account access were exposed. Meanwhile, Yandex stated that links to conversations with its Alice AI assistant are blocked from indexing, remain active for only 14 days, and do not transmit attached files to recipients.
EU Forces Google to Open Android Microphone, Camera and Screen Access for Rival AI Assistants
The European Union has ordered Google to provide competing AI assistants with the same level of access to sensitive Android resources that is currently reserved for Gemini. The ruling covers eleven system functions, including voice activation, home button integration, background execution, and on-device AI model access. Rival assistants will also gain real-time environmental data streams from the microphone, camera, screen, and speakers under identical consent and notification rules applied to Google services. Additional capabilities include cross-app interaction, messaging, scheduling, device settings control, and multi-step task automation. Screen automation will allow assistants to operate apps inside a virtual window while the user performs other activities. Most changes are scheduled for Android 18 by 1 August 2027, while simultaneous activation of multiple assistants by voice keyword will arrive in Android 19 no later than 1 August 2028. Access to the most sensitive functions may require objective security certification and explicit user authorization.
Google Issues Emergency Chrome Update Patching Seven Vulnerabilities Including Three Critical Flaws
Google has released a new security update for its Chrome browser addressing seven vulnerabilities just two days after the previous patch. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with versions Chrome 150.0.7871.129 and 150.0.7871.128. Three of the issues, tracked as CVE-2026-15899, CVE-2026-15900, and CVE-2026-15901, received the highest severity rating of Critical and involve Use After Free flaws in CameraCapture, GPU, and Network components. Four additional High-severity vulnerabilities were also fixed, including an out-of-bounds access issue in the V8 JavaScript engine and Use After Free problems in Cast, Ozone, and Aura. The company plans to roll out the patches gradually over the coming days and weeks to all users.
Google Quietly Rolls Out Android Developer Verifier App to Curb APK Sideloading Fraud
Android users are discovering a new system application called Android Developer Verifier with the package identifier com.google.android.verifier that Google installs automatically through system updates without any separate consent prompt. The service prepares devices for upcoming restrictions on installing APK files from unknown sources by checking whether an app is registered to a verified developer who has passed identity verification and supplied legal information to Google. This verification does not guarantee an application is safe but allows Google to associate it with a specific individual or company, helping combat social-engineering scams in which fraudsters pressure victims into disabling protections and installing malicious APKs. To install software from an unverified developer, users will need to enable developer mode, confirm they are not under duress, reboot the device, wait 24 hours, and re-authenticate with PIN or biometrics. The new requirements begin on 30 September in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, with worldwide expansion planned for 2027 and later. While the app can currently be removed, it is unclear whether future updates will restore it, and advanced users retain the option to sideload via ADB, which bypasses the new checks entirely.
VK Apps Remain Downloadable in US Google Play Despite Removal in Russia and Turkey Amid Sanctions
The removal of VK services from Google Play has proven to be less global than initially reported, with applications still accessible to users whose Google accounts are registered in the United States region. Testing revealed a clear geographic pattern: the apps are unavailable in Russian and Turkish storefronts but remain fully visible and installable under the American region. The services disappeared from the store on July 16, prompting VK to confirm that already installed applications will continue functioning without restrictions and directing users to alternative stores such as RuStore. The exact cause of the regional discrepancy remains unclear and may relate to Google Play configuration settings, ongoing sanctions against Russia, distribution policies, or simple catalog synchronization delays. In a related development, VK users have begun receiving notifications urging them to switch to the vk.ru domain, which the company states offers superior speed and reliability and will now serve as the primary address.
Google to Allow Competing Android App Stores Directly Inside Play Store After Epic Games Court Ruling
Google is preparing to open its official Google Play store to rival Android app marketplaces starting July 22, following a court order issued in the long-running antitrust lawsuit with Epic Games. The ruling stems from the 2020 Fortnite dispute over Google’s 30% commission and direct in-app purchases that bypassed the platform’s billing system. A federal judge determined that Google had unlawfully prevented device makers from promoting or pre-installing alternative app stores, thereby reinforcing Google Play’s monopoly position. As a result, approved third-party stores will now be distributed directly through Google Play, receive default access to its app catalog, and be subject to an annual $5,000 verification fee. Developers retain the right to block distribution of their apps on specific stores, while participating marketplaces must meet strict security, copyright, and update obligations or risk removal if suspicious installations exceed 1%. Although the changes are expected to apply primarily in the United States, the decision marks a fundamental shift in how Google must accommodate competitors within its own ecosystem.
Google Urges European Commission to Stop Mass Blocking of IP Addresses, DNS Services and VPNs in Piracy Fight
Google has called on the European Commission to abandon the widespread practice of blocking IP addresses, DNS services and VPNs as a means of combating pirate sites, describing the approach as both ineffective and risky. The company explained that such blocks fail to remove illegal content permanently and allow users to quickly switch to alternative DNS providers, VPNs or new addresses, enabling piracy to continue uninterrupted. Blocking entire IP ranges is particularly problematic because a single address or range is often shared by multiple unrelated legitimate websites and cloud services, leading to collateral damage for lawful users. Google cited the December 2019 incident in Portugal, where ISP blocks on virtual IP addresses disrupted important Google services and affected Google Cloud customers sharing the same infrastructure. A similar outcome followed the blocking of The Pirate Bay in the United Kingdom, after which lists of proxy servers rapidly appeared online to restore access. The search giant stressed that these measures only create temporary obstacles rather than eliminating the source of pirated material and increase the chance of accidentally disabling legitimate online resources.
Hidden Spy for 1.6 Million Users: Popular Browser Extension ModHeader Secretly Collected Browsing History
Google and Microsoft have removed the popular ModHeader browser extension from the Chrome Web Store and Microsoft Edge Add-ons after security researchers discovered a hidden mechanism designed to secretly collect users' browsing history. The extension, which had approximately 1.6 million installations, allowed developers to modify HTTP headers for testing and debugging purposes but contained a dormant data-collection module in its legitimate codebase. British firm Stripe OLT confirmed that the suspicious code was part of the genuine signed build rather than a fake version. Although the history-stealing functionality remained inactive due to an empty internal browser list, the extension still transmitted telemetry data and could have been activated remotely via a simple update. Experts recommend immediate removal of the extension, replacement of any credentials entered through it, and blocking of the domains stanfordstudies[.]com and extensions-hub[.]com.
Google Enhances Android Backup Controls in Play Services Update, Adds Document Sync to Google Drive Amid Storage Limit Cut
Google is updating its Android backup system through Google Play Services version 26.25, introducing separate toggles for messaging backups and the ability to automatically save documents to the cloud. Users can now disable SMS, MMS, and RCS backups independently, though RCS remains nested under the MMS category for less visibility. The new document backup feature supports formats including DOC, PPT, XLS, and PDF, storing copies in a device-named folder on Google Drive without automatic synchronization to the original files. These changes coincide with Google's reduction of free storage from 15 GB to 5 GB, where Android backups now count against the quota, potentially turning small 40 MB backups into much larger archives. The update provides more granular control over what gets backed up, including call history and system settings, accessible via Settings > Accounts and backup > Google Backup > Other device data. While the feature can help preserve important files, it risks quickly exhausting limited free storage if documents are included.