Tech/Gear

You hire a home security company to help protect your house. So, hearing that hackers broke into the company's own computer systems may feel especially unsettling. Brinks Home has confirmed that an unauthorized party accessed part of its IT environment. The Dallas-based company says its alarm monitoring and security systems continue to work normally.However, the intruder has threatened to release information it claims to have stolen. The Brinks Home data […]

Paul C. in Washington, D.C., received an alarming text claiming Apple Pay had already charged him $8,250 and another $8,250 would go through in 35 minutes. That is the kind of message designed to make your stomach drop before you have time to think.Paul did the smart thing. He stopped, avoided the callback number and sent the text to us. Let's break down every red flag and show you how […]

"It was only a joke." Those five words can stop an important conversation before it begins. Maybe your child or grandchild posted a rude comment in a group chat. Another kid added an embarrassing picture. Soon, classmates were sharing it and piling on with laughing reactions.To the children taking part, it may feel like ordinary online drama. To the child being targeted, every notification can feel like another person joining […]

If you suspect your Social Security number is on the dark web, the right move is not to panic. It is to act quickly, methodically and in the right order.A leaked Social Security number can be used in ways that go far beyond one fraudulent credit card charge. Criminals may try to open new credit accounts, file fake tax returns, hijack benefits or combine your SSN with other stolen details […]

Your phone holds a running record of your life. It can reveal private messages, photos, financial records and location history. That explains why some people turn to extreme security tools. One of them is a secret phone wipe code that erases stored data when someone enters a secondary passcode. However, using that feature during a federal inspection can create serious legal trouble.An Atlanta man now faces a felony charge after […]

Your next bathroom break could come with an unexpected bonus: a check of your heart rhythm. German medical technology company Hamberger Medical has developed the HARO EKG-seat. It looks like a regular toilet seat, but built-in sensors record an electrocardiogram, also called an EKG or ECG, while you sit.After about 30 seconds, a connected smartphone app analyzes the reading for signs of an irregular heart rhythm, including possible atrial fibrillation. […]

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER:- OpenAI to pay $3.2 million to settle DOJ allegations it favored foreign workers over Americans- AI kill switch bill could shut down rogue models- Battlefield robots open new front in innovation war with major US adversarySTACKED DECK: OpenAI and one of its subsidiaries will pay $3.2 million to settle allegations that they discriminated against U.S. workers by favoring foreign workers with temporary employment visas, the Justice Department announced […]

Opening an unexpected email can feel relatively harmless when you avoid its links and attachments. However, a Russian hacking campaign has turned that familiar safety advice on its head.CISA says the Russian state-sponsored group Laundry Bear can compromise certain email accounts when someone simply opens or previews a malicious message. The attack targets organizations running unpatched versions of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite.Once the email appears, hidden code can collect passwords, […]

Every morning, you strap on the cuff, press the button and watch the number pop up on your phone. It feels private. It feels like it is just between you and your app. That sense of privacy can be misleading.Depending on the app and your settings, that reading, along with your glucose numbers, weight and medication schedule, may be stored in the cloud or shared with service providers. FTC cases […]