Category Archives: Alphabet

Alphabet’s Chronicle banks on big data with new threat analysis platform

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Chronicle, the cybersecurity firm stood up last year by Google parent company Alphabet, entered the threat analysis business Monday when it announced a cloud-based platform that compares reams of network data with malicious cyber activity. In doing so, Chronicle is betting that Google’s access to immense amounts of stored data will help security professionals make better sense of information in what is already a crowded threat-intelligence market. The tool, called Backstory, allows companies to upload their internal security data and then analyze it, offering a repository stretching back years. It constantly compares that historical corporate ledger with new threat data to inform companies of any “historical access” to malicious domains or files, according to Chronicle. Hackers can linger on organizations’ networks for months, if not longer, and Backstory aims to use Google’s search capabilities to find breaches that slipped through the cracks. “Backstory was designed for a world where companies generate massive amounts […]

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Google’s still not sharing cloud revenue

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Google has shared its cloud revenue exactly once over the last several years. Silence tends to lead to speculation to fill the information vacuum. Luckily there are some analyst firms who try to fill the void, and it looks like Google’s cloud business is actually trending in the right direction, even if they aren’t willing […] Continue reading Google’s still not sharing cloud revenue→

Head of Android Security Says Locking Out Law Enforcement Is an ‘Unintended Side Effect’

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Google is taking steps to make it harder for someone to push a malicious update that disables the security features on an Android phone. Continue reading Head of Android Security Says Locking Out Law Enforcement Is an ‘Unintended Side Effect’→

Forget Watson, the Red Hat acquisition may be the thing that saves IBM

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With its latest $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat, IBM may have found something more elementary than “Watson” to save its flagging business. Though the acquisition of Red Hat  is by no means a guaranteed victory for the Armonk, N.Y.-based computing company that has had more downs than ups over the five years, it seems […] Continue reading Forget Watson, the Red Hat acquisition may be the thing that saves IBM→

Jigsaw releases Intra, an Android app that encrypts DNS queries to thwart online censorship

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Alphabet subsidiary and tech incubator Jigsaw, which concentrates on creating solutions for “the toughest geopolitical challenges,” has released Intra, an Android apps that encrypts DNS queries. About Intra Intra encrypts DNS queries so tha… Continue reading Jigsaw releases Intra, an Android app that encrypts DNS queries to thwart online censorship→

Alphabet’s Chronicle launches an enterprise version of VirusTotal

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VirusTotal, the virus and malware scanning service own by Alphabet’s Chronicle, launched an enterprise-grade version of its service today. VirusTotal Enterprise offers significantly faster and more customizable malware search, as well as a new feature called Private Graph, which allows enterprises to create their own private visualizations of their infrastructure and malware that affects their machines. […] Continue reading Alphabet’s Chronicle launches an enterprise version of VirusTotal→

Here are all of the election security offerings from private companies

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With time running out before the midterm elections in November, many of the state and local election offices charged with running the polls are scrambling to secure their systems and protect them from cyberthreats. Much of their efforts are supported or guided by the Department of Homeland Security. The agency is providing jurisdictions with cybersecurity assessments, live exercises, penetration testing and facilitating information sharing, among other things. States also have a collective $380 million fund from Congress that they can use for election security and other improvements. Meanwhile, a number of technology companies have taken notice of the election security issue and are offering assistance to election-related entities. Some of the offerings are free, while others are discounted. Some of companies, like DHS, focus on helping the state and local offices that run the country’s elections. Others are offering their services to political organizations, like campaigns and political action committees […]

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Congress presses Tim Cook and Larry Page for answers on security and privacy

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Congressional Republicans sent letters Monday to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Larry Page asking for answers on the collection and use of location and audio data by iPhone and Android devices as well as third-party access to consumer data. The two letters came out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. They were signed by four members: Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio. In response to reports that Google collected location data on Android devices even when location services were turned off, the committee cited Android users’ “reasonable expectation of privacy” and called the alleged tracking behavior “troubling.” “In June 2017, Google announced changes to Gmail that would halt scanning the contents of a user’s email to personalize advertisements to ‘keep privacy and security paramount,’” […]

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