CalyxOS Is Officially Back!
Our top stories this week:
- CalyxOS is back – release 7.2.2.0 with full maintenance support
- Apple ‘Hide My Email’ Vulnerability Reveals Peoples’ Real Email Addresses
- Supreme Court ruling guts government’s use of geofence warrants
- WhatsApp rolls out usernames to help users hide their phone number
- Woman Surprised When Flock Surveillance Tower Appears in Her Yard Without Warning
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Updates from the Team
News Briefs
This week's news briefs include updates to Google's new reCAPTCHA proposal, which would require hand-scanning, multiple vulnerabilities in Apple AirDrop and Android Quick Share, fake GTA 6 scams that install malware, and more!
Jonah Aragon
Sources
CalyxOS is back – download release 7.2.2.0 with full maintenance support
Calyx OS is officially back in public release, after nearly a year of absence. The organization claims to have made major behind-the-scenes changes including an open-source HSM-based signing solution to enhance security, a more streamlined server structure, scripts to help reduce the overhead of Google's reduced AOSP releases, and personnel changes. Will it be enough to ensure consistent, timely security updates moving forward?
Apple ‘Hide My Email’ Vulnerability Reveals Peoples’ Real Email Addresses
This research was discovered and disclosed by Tyler, co-founder of Easy Opt Outs (a data removal service recommended by Privacy Guides). The exact nature of the vulnerability hasn't been revealed as it hasn't been patched yet, but 404 Media did confirm it. Likely this article was published to try to pressure Apple into fixing it, since they've been stalling since May.
Joseph Cox
Supreme Court ruling guts government’s use of geofence warrants
In a rare win for privacy (especially these days), the US Supreme Court has ruled that Fourth Amendment protections that apply to cellphone tracking extend to location history data, such as that collected by third-parties like Google. While this isn't a death sentence for geofence warrants, it's still a huge privacy win that may extend even past that initial issue.
Ashley Belanger
WhatsApp rolls out usernames to help users hide their phone number
Later this year, WhatsApp will be rolling out usernames. They are allowing users to register now in advance. Users can also optionally add a key that others will need to know in order to initiate a message via username for added spam/privacy protection. WhatsApp says some usernames are being reserved to prevent impersonation.
Sergiu Gatlan
Woman Surprised When Flock Surveillance Tower Appears in Her Yard Without Warning
A woman in Virginia was surprised when she returned from a trip to the park to find that a Flock microphone had been erected on the small strip of public land in between the sidewalk and the road in front of her house. The city did say they had approved 75 for installation, but they weren't supposed to be installed yet and this wasn't one of the approved locations.
Joe Wilkins
Forum Updates
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