Tag Archive for: warnings

Google Chrome warnings in browser explained

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Google Chrome is among the most popular web browsers. If you are a Chrome user, you might have come across some warning messages. Google Chrome displays these warning messages to alert the user that the website he is going to visit may be harmful or a security threat. In this article, we will explain some Google Chrome warnings in the browser. In some cases, these warning messages are false alarms that occur due to the expiration of the SSL certificate. But most of the time, these alert messages are genuine and you should not avoid such warnings unless you are sure that the message is a false positive flag.

Google Chrome warnings in browser explained

What does a Google warning mean?

On the internet, there are a lot of phishing websites. By viewing the URL, one cannot identify whether the particular website is safe or malicious. That’s why Google displays different warning messages when you click on a suspicious URL accidentally in order to protect you from phishing scams and other security threats.

The different Google warning messages have different meanings. We have explained Google Chrome warnings below.

Google Chrome warnings in browser explained

When we surf on the internet, we come across a number of websites indexed on Google and other search engines. While most of these websites are trustworthy, some of them are malicious too. Malicious websites on the internet can harm users and their devices in many different ways. When a user lands on such malicious websites or downloads any content from these websites, there is a high possibility of virus or malware infection.

Some websites also trick users by displaying a message that their system is infected with a virus and offer them a free antivirus scan by installing a program on their computers. These are harmful programs that contain viruses or malware. If you install these programs, there is a high possibility that your computer will be hacked. Therefore, it is advised not to install such programs on your computer.

By default, phishing and malware detection is turned on in Google Chrome. Due to this, you may see the following messages while browsing on the internet in Chrome web browser:

  1. The site ahead contains malware.
  2. Deceptive site ahead.
  3. Suspicious site.
  4. The site ahead…

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Fake Hacking Warnings Sent from Secure FBI Server

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WASHINGTON, DC — 

Fake emails purportedly from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning of cyberattacks were sent out Saturday from a secure FBI computer server, computer security experts said.

The FBI confirmed independent security group Spamhaus’s report that a large number of fake emails were sent in two waves early Saturday from an address on the government’s Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal, which is used by multiple government agencies.

Some of the emails, sent in the name of the Homeland Security cyber threat detection group, were headlined: “Urgent: threat actor in systems.”

They warned recipients that they were the target of a “sophisticated” hacking attack from a known extortion gang, according to Spamhaus.

Independent cyber security expert Brian Krebs said he, too, had received a fake email from the FBI address, though with a different message.

In a statement, the FBI and the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency confirmed the incident, without offering details.

“The FBI and CISA are aware of the incident this morning involving fake emails from an @ic.fbi.gov email account,” they said in a statement.

“This is an ongoing situation and we are not able to provide any additional information at this time. The impacted hardware was taken offline quickly upon discovery of the issue. We continue to encourage the public to be cautious of unknown senders and urge you to report suspicious activity,” it added.

There was no indication of how the emails were sent—whether by someone using legitimate access to the server or a hacker from outside.

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Security audit raises severe warnings on Chinese smartphone models

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A child uses a smartphone.
Enlarge / Be sure you know what you’re getting into before buying and using unfamiliarly branded smartphones—especially international models not originally intended for your country.

The Lithuanian National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently published a security assessment of three recent-model Chinese-made smartphones—Huawei’s P40 5G, Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G, and OnePlus’ 8T 5G. Sufficiently determined US shoppers can find the P40 5G on Amazon and the Mi 10T 5G on Walmart.com—but we will not be providing direct links to those phones, given the results of the NCSC’s security audit.

The Xiaomi phone includes software modules specifically designed to leak data to Chinese authorities and to censor media related to topics the Chinese government considers sensitive. The Huawei phone replaces the standard Google Play application store with third-party substitutes the NCSC found to harbor sketchy, potentially malicious repackaging of common applications.

Huawei's P40 is still stuck on Android 10, while Xiaomi ships with 10 but can be upgraded to 11. Only the OnePlus 8T shipped from the factory with Android 11 installed.

Huawei’s P40 is still stuck on Android 10, while Xiaomi ships with 10 but can be upgraded to 11. Only the OnePlus 8T shipped from the factory with Android 11 installed.

The OnePlus 8T 5G—arguably, the best-known and most widely marketed phone of the three—was the only one to escape the NCSC’s scrutiny without any red flags raised.

Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G

The NCSC found that seven default system apps on the Xiaomi phone can monitor media content for blocking from the user, using a regularly downloaded JSON file.

The NCSC found that seven default system apps on the Xiaomi phone can monitor media content for blocking from the user, using a regularly downloaded JSON file.

Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G ships with a nonstandard browser called “Mi Browser.” The NCSC found two components in Mi Browser which it didn’t like—Google Analytics, and a less familiar module called Sensor Data.

The Google Analytics module in Mi Browser can read from the device’s browsing and search history and can then send that data to Xiaomi servers for unspecified analysis and use. The Google Analytics module is activated automatically by default during the phone’s first activation or after any factory reset.

The NCSC found that Sensor Data’s module collects statistics on 61 parameters related to application…

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FEC says Twitter acted legally in blocking Hunter Biden laptop stories, pointing to claim of intel warnings about hacking

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The Federal Elections Commission said on Wednesday its members unanimously rejected complaints from the Republican National Committee and others that Twitter’s decision to block the sharing of links to articles from the New York Post related to Hunter Biden’s laptop constituted an illegal contribution to now-President Joe Biden’s candidacy.

In announcing the decision, the FEC pointed to Twitter’s assertion that part of the reason it stopped the spread of the New York Post articles in October was over concerns that foreign actors obtained the salacious materials through hacking. The social media giant claimed the U.S. Intelligence Community was warning about such an effort in the lead-up to the 2020 election. No evidence has emerged that the Hunter Biden laptop story stemmed from a foreign hacking operation.

The FEC said there was a 6-0 vote in finding “no reason to believe” that Twitter violated the law “by making corporate in-kind contributions” and “no reason to believe” that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey or Brandon Borrman, who was Twitter vice president of global communications, broke the law.

In response to reporting on the decision published on Monday, RNC spokeswoman Emma Vaughn said the group was “weighing its options for appealing this disappointing decision from the FEC.”

An October complaint  from the RNC alleged: “Through its ad hoc, partisan oppression of media critical of Biden, [Twitter] is making illegal, corporate in-kind contributions as it provides unheard-of media services for Joe Biden’s campaign.” The RNC argued at the time that Twitter was “doing so for the clear purpose of supporting the Biden campaign.”

Robert Kelner, a lawyer who had represented retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn before Sidney Powell took over his representation, helped represent Twitter in the FEC complaint, writing in December that “Twitter undertook, for bona fide commercial reasons” actions to block potentially hacked content.

A lengthy statement from Yoel Roth, head of site integrity for Twitter, was included in Kelner’s response.

“Since 2018, I have…

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