Google pushes out urgent Chrome update to patch actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities
Users of Chrome are being urged to update their browsers as Google is rolling out a patch for two serious zero-day vulnerabilities, one of which is already being actively exploited.
The Chrome security team says that both vulnerabilities are use-after-free security issues which can be used to exploit arbitrary code. One vulnerability exists in an audio component of the browser, while the other can be found in the PDFium library. The Windows, macOS and Linux versions of Chrome are all affected.
Leak reveals images of upcoming foldable Motorola razr
Trusted leaker Evan Blass has shared images of the yet-to-be-released folding Motorola razr.
It is a few years since the pre-smartphone era Motorola RAZR (note the different capitalization) earned itself iconic status, and now the clamshell is due to make a comeback. The new version of the phone looks remarkably similar to the original, but there's a key difference: this time around it seems that it will feature a folding screen.
Mozilla is dropping support for sideloaded extensions in Firefox
Mozilla is clamping down on browser add-ons in Firefox, and has announced that it is discontinuing sideloaded extensions in the browser.
The reason given for dropping support is that Mozilla believes that sideloaded extensions cause problems for users, and also that they do not offer users enough control. The company has set out details of the timetable for introducing the new policy.
Hackers breach security at Web.com, Network Solutions and Register.com, accessing private customer info
Domain name registrar Web.com has revealed that it fell victim to a data breach earlier in the year. Two of the company's subsidiaries, Network Solutions and Register.com were also attacked by the hackers at the same time.
The incidents took place back in late August, but were only discovered a couple of weeks ago. The attackers were able to access personal details of customers, but Web.com does not say how many people are affected -- although it is likely to run into the millions.
Twitter bans all political ads, and the world waits to see if Facebook will follow suit
Jack Dorsey has announced that Twitter is implementing a ban on all political advertising on its network. The move comes after Facebook said it would not ban political ads, but Dorsey believes that the ability to reach a large audience with political messages "should be earned, not bought".
While the ban is a global one, the impact is likely to be felt most strongly in the US where spending on political campaigning is huge -- and whoever spends the most money has a tendency to fare better. The manager of the Trump 2020 campaign, Brad Parscale, has dismissed Twitter's decision as "yet another attempt by the left to silence Trump and conservatives".
Apple's macOS Catalina 10.15.1 update adds AirPods Pro support, new Siri privacy options and gender-neutral emoji
Apple only released Catalina three weeks ago, and already there is a fairly significant update available -- macOS Catalina 10.15.1.
With this release, Apple adds support for the newly announced AirPods Pro as well as fixing a number of bugs. There are also new HomeKit options, enhanced privacy in Siri, and the arrival of more than 70 new or updated emoji, including gender-neutral options.
Microsoft releases updated PowerToys with new PowerRename tool -- and dark mode!
It has been a couple of months since Microsoft unleashed the first build of the Windows 10 version of PowerToys with the promise of more to come.
Now this day has arrived. Today, Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.12 which includes not only improvements to the existing utilities, but also a brand new tool in the form of PowerRename.
Google is expanding its handy .new TLD shortcuts to third-party sites
It's not something that everyone knows about, but Google owns the top-level domain .new, and the company has gone beyond using them as simple web addresses. Instead, addresses such as cal.new, doc.new and keep.new can be used as shortcuts to create new calendar events, Google Docs files, and Keep Notes.
Until now, .new shortcuts have only worked with Google's own products and services, but this is about to change. There are already shortcuts that can be used in conjunction with the likes of Spotify, Canva, Word and GitHub, and Google has announced that other sites will be able to register domains -- and therefore shortcuts -- very soon.
DoH! Google tries to clear up DNS-over-HTTPS confusion
Google has already revealed plans for Chrome which it says will increase privacy and security. DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) was announced back in September, and the company is already worried that people are confused about the implementation.
The company has published a defensive blog post in which it says that "there has been some misinformation and confusion about the goals of our approach and whether DoH will impact existing content controls offered by ISPs". It goes on to try to dispel the incorrect beliefs it says have built up.
Report: Alphabet wants to buy Fitbit
Google's parent company Alphabet has made an offer to buy health and fitness wearable maker Fitbit, according to reports.
Although unconfirmed by either party, such a bid would not be entirely surprising. Although Google has produced its Wear OS operating system for wearables, it is yet to produce any devices of its own -- despite users clamoring for a Google-made smartwatch for some time.
US government eases sanctions and grants Adobe permission to offer services to Venezuela
Following an announcement that it was pulling out of the country because of sanctions imposed by the US government, Adobe has now said that it has been granted permission to offer its services in Venezuela.
The company had previously said that it would be deleting all Venezuelan user accounts and would not be offering refunds. But now, having been granted a license by the US government, people in the country will be able to continue using Creative Cloud and Document Cloud.
Windows 10 still has problems with the Start menu and search even after the KB4522355 update
The Start menu is at the heart of Windows 10, so any problems with it have serious repercussions. Included in Microsoft's recent batch of bug-riddled updates, however, there have been two -- KB4515384 and KB4524147 -- which have broken the Start menu in various ways.
Last week Microsoft released KB4522355 proclaiming that it fixed issues with both the Start menu and search. Only it didn't fix problems for everyone. Start menu problems remain, and some users are still unable to use the search facility.
Microsoft awarded Pentagon's controversial JEDI contract
Microsoft has beaten Amazon to win the controversial $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud contract from the US Department of Defense.
A year ago, Microsoft employees were trying to discourage the company from bidding for the contract over concerns that the technology is develops could "be used for waging war". The DoD confirmation that the "contract will address critical and urgent unmet warfighter requirements for modern cloud infrastructure" will do nothing to calm these fears.
Adobe exposed personal data of 7.5 million Creative Cloud users in unsecured database
The personal data of nearly 7.5 million Adobe Creative Cloud users was exposed earlier this month when an unsecured database was discovered online.
The database, which could be accessed by anyone without the need for a username or password, included information such as email addresses, member IDs and payment status. People accessing the database were also able to see which Adobe products were used by individuals, the country they live in, and whether they are Adobe employees.
Major leak reveals more about Microsoft Windows 10X
When Microsoft revealed the Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X recently, it also revealed Windows 10X, a version of Windows 10 optimized for dual-screen devices. At the time, details were not extensive, but now a major leak sheds some light on what we can expect to see.
Documentation for Windows 10X (or Santorini OS) has appeared online, revealing that Microsoft will also allow the operating system to be run on more traditional laptops. There are also some intriguing screenshots that give us a glimpse into the future.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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