Google’s Project Zero security researchers have revealed that they found several hacked websites that slipped malware onto people’s iPhones for years. If people visited one of the sites, their messages, photos and location data could have been compromised. The team reported its findings to Apple earlier this year, and the vulnerability was patched in the same …

A notepad app and a fitness app downloaded on more than a million devices have been secretly clicking on ads without people knowing for nearly a year, security researchers found.  The apps, developed by a company called Idea Master, offered tools to help people lose weight and organize their lives, but were actually popping up ads off-screen and clicking on …

Your conversations with Siri won’t be going directly to Apple anymore. The tech giant said Wednesday that it will stop retaining voice recordings by default.  Apple announced the Siri privacy changes after The Guardian reported in July that contractors were regularly listening to conversations from people giving voice commands. While the data is anonymized, those conversations included identifiable details like …

This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET’s coverage of the voting in November and its aftermath. For the majority of Defcon, hackers couldn’t crack the $10 million secure voting machine prototypes that DARPA had set up at the Voting Village. But it wasn’t because of the machine’s security features that the team had been working on for four months. …

Do you hate robocalls enough to let an app give your data to third parties in exchange for blocking the spam? Researchers found that’s exactly what’s happening to millions of people using the most popular robocall-blocking apps.  Robocalls have become an epidemic, as lawmakers and phone carriers seek to stomp out the massive number of spam calls sent per day. …

The iPhone, with its iOS operating system, is known for its closed ecosystem — an advantage that provides security for the 2 billion people using it. But for security researchers looking for vulnerabilities, it’s a curse. Apple is now embracing hackers by offering special iPhones specifically for security researchers.  Apple’s head of security, Ivan Krstic, unveiled the new program at …

Keeping your Android device safe from malware is difficult enough as it is — but it’s an entirely different threat when the harmful apps come with your device. Android’s open-source operating system allows for more affordable alternatives for millions of people, but it also opens the door for hackers to sneak in prepackaged malware. Preinstalled malware had been discovered on …

When Google unveiled its Advanced Protection Program in 2017, the tool was specifically meant to prevent hackers from taking over people’s Gmail accounts. But there are more ways for hackers to attack people than hijacking an email inbox. On Tuesday, Google said it’s expanding the program to help block out malware via Chrome.  While the APP sought to prevent hacked Google …

Apple’s reputation for respecting privacy was called into question last week with news that contractors listen to Siri recordings. That sparked an understandable clamor for better control over voice data collected by the digital assistant. If you own an Apple product, you might want the option to delete your recordings from the company’s database.  Here’s the rub: Apple can’t delete …

Selling your phone location data is a lucrative business, but it might not have a place in New York City: The City Council is considering a bill banning the practice within the five boroughs. Council member Justin Brannan on Tuesday proposed a bill that would prevent mobile carriers and apps from sharing people’s location data if that location is within …