Here's what Google is doing to help protect users from government-backed hacking

Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has been detecting and countering government-backed hacking against its users for over a decade now. As per a blog post by Shane Huntley from the Threat Analysis Group, it sent out over 12,000 warnings to users in 149 countries about government-backed hacking attempts from July to September this year.

More than 90 percent of the users were apparently targeted via "credential phishing emails", with an aim to obtain the password and other account credentials of the target. As can be seen in the map showing the distribution of state-sponsored phishing attacks in Q3 2019, most of the targets were in the U.S., Pakistan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Google says that its Threat Analysis Group tracks over 270 targeted or government-backed groups in more than 50 countries around the world. These groups are said to be involved in various activities such as stealing intellectual property, intelligence collection, targeting activists, destructive cyber-attacks, and spreading disinformation.

To help protect its users as well as infrastructure, Google's Threat Analysis Group works closely with other tech companies as well as security firms to share intelligence. It also shares some threat information with law enforcement agencies. In the future, TAG plans to share more updates about the threats that it detects and stops. This, it says, could prove helpful in deterring future attacks and also create awareness among high-risk targets such as journalists and human rights activists.

Google fires four employee activists for allegedly 'violating' company policies

Ring me up a few

Ring Video Doorbell Wired is the company's smallest, cheapest doorbell yet

Ring Video Doorbell Wired is ready to blow away the competition with its size and price, both of which are smaller than ever. All that without sacrificing important features that make Ring Video Doorbells great.

Delivery day 🥳

Have you received your Galaxy S21 pre-order?

The Galaxy S21 officially launches on January 29, but if you've had your pre-order in for a few days already, you might get it even sooner.

you can't have it all

Review: Smart compromises make the Galaxy S21 a killer $800 smartphone

The Galaxy S21 delivers the flagship Samsung experience in a reasonably small and affordable package. It's a generally great phone for the majority of users, but its lower price point comes with a few compromises.

Velvet-y smooth

The LG Velvet is stunningly gorgeous, so get a case to keep it that way

It can be tough to find a great case for a new phone, especially one with a unique and wonderful design like the LG Velvet. But thankfully, there are a lot of solid choices out there and these are our favorites to keep your LG Velvet safe from when life happens.