Google SMTP relay service is wildly popular and used every day by legions of users. Unfortunately, hackers around the world are aware of this and increasingly they've begun abusing the SMTP relay service. The basic idea is as follows. Some clever hackers have figured out that they can bypass email security products and deliver malicious emails to their intended targets if they take advantage of certain weaknesses in Google's SMTP relay service.
Google has been making some fantastic changes to bolster user security in recent weeks. That includes changes to their Google Play Store that will require developers to disclose exactly what data they plan to track and collect when users install the apps they create. In a related vein, the tech giant has also recently added some powerful new security features to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides that now display warning banners any time users attempt to open a suspicious file on the web.
Ask just about any IT security professional and they will tell you that weak user passwords are one of the biggest problems and most persistent threats to corporate networks. Despite years of training, re-training, and near-constant reminders to strengthen passwords, users keep making the same mistakes. They'll re-use the same password across multiple properties. They may use an incredibly weak and easy to guess password that makes it easy for hackers to break in using simple brute force attacks against their accounts.
Some interesting and disturbing changes are afoot in the hacking world. It appears that the TrickBot gang is now working for the Conti Syndicate. TrickBot is a well-known group of botnet developers responsible for the creation of the BazarLoader. BazarLoader has been used by Conti in the past as their delivery system of choice when it comes to delivering ransomware as part of one of their sophisticated phishing campaigns.
There's a big change coming to the Microsoft Edge browser. Big enough that it may prompt some users to switch to Edge. Recently, Microsoft announced that they'll be adding a free built-in VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to Edge as part of a long-anticipated security upgrade. Called "Edge Secure Network," the Redmond giant is currently testing the new Cloudflare-powered VPN service and says it will be rolling out soon, though no precise timetable was given.
How many "smart" devices do you have connected to your home or company network? It's probably a higher number than you originally estimated. However large that number is, it pays to be aware that IoT devices are some of the least secure devices available on the market today, which makes them the weakest link in terms of hackers successfully attacking your network. In fact, there are millions of IoT devices that are vulnerable to a critical security flaw residing in the DNS component of a C Standard library that all sorts of firmware developers make use of.
Researchers at Bitdefender have discovered a new malware campaign. This one uses an attack method that has fallen out of favor in recent months, called the Exploit Kit. Exploit Kits used to be all the rage. Flash Player was a popular target for Exploit Kit based attacks but it is now a thing of the past. Therefore, the popularity of the Exploit Kit has declined markedly. Someone is apparently trying to give it a comeback, however.
A handy new Google Assistant is coming soon to a device near you. The new feature is designed to automate the frustrating and often time-consuming task of changing your passwords after a breach. This information is according to a tweet from Max Weinbach and a separate report from a group called the Android Police. Google has already implemented a powerful tool to detect when users are making use of passwords that have been compromised in a breach.
Do you own an Amazon Kindle? If so, you're probably already aware of one of the major frustrations with the product. Kindles are amazing but they don't support the epub file format. Of course, epub is the format that just about everybody else on the planet other than Amazon sells e-books in. The company has managed to avoid supporting the epub format for more than fifteen years. If that has been a sticking point for you, there's good news - sort of.
A small but important change is coming to your Android apps. Soon you'll notice a new Data Safety section on the Google Play Store which will provide greater transparency about exactly what data the apps you install are collecting. The change is meant to serve as a "privacy label" that will allow users to evaluate the data an app will collect on them before they install it, so they can make better and more informed decisions about what to install.
March 20nd, 2026
March 19nd, 2026