Do Not Click These Notifications On Your Phone
A surprise warning for Android users heading into the weekend. It turns out on-screen notification links for even the most popular apps on your phone can be hijacked by attackers and used to redirect you to malicious websites or even to malware.
Android Authority picked up the security warning from security researcher Gabriele Digregorio, and warns 'until Google issues a fix, it's safest to avoid using the 'Open link' button' within on-screen notifications, 'and open links manually in the app.'
In his blog post, Digregorio explains that 'Android notifications do not properly handle some Unicode characters, leading to inconsistencies between what is displayed and what is used by the automatic 'Open Link' suggestions. This may trick users into opening a different link from the one shown in the notification.'
FBI Confirms iPhone And Android Warning—Delete All These Texts
That's dangerous, because the flaw 'can be exploited for phishing or to trigger app links and deep links.' Per Android Authority, even though 'Google was notified about the bug in March, [it] hasn't patched it yet.' The disclosure confirms that 'the issue still affects phones running Android 14, 15, and 16, including the Pixel 9 Pro.'
'If you regularly use an Android device,' Digregorio says, 'you may have noticed that notifications often include suggestions based on their content. This is particularly common — and useful — when the notifications come from messaging apps, where the system automatically suggests actions such as quick replies or opening a link.'
Apple Warns Protesters With Stolen iPhones — You Are Being Tracked
The blog post demonstrates that while 'developers do not explicitly implement this feature,' which is 'provided automatically by Android's notification system,' it affected apps including 'WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Discord and Slack.' The notification itself is fine, it's the embedded link that's open to exploitation.
As Android Authority explains, 'the system might show you a link to Amazon.com, but when you tap 'Open link', it subtly takes you to zon.com instead.' This is because 'an invisible character was used to split the word into two.' Even though 'Android displayed the full address,' only zon.com was used 'as the actual link.'
It's tricky to avoid tapping notification links, but if it's an unexpected link, I would agree with Android Authority and recommend opening the app itself and going directly to the source. This will vey likely be fixed now that it's in the public domain and open to exploitation. I have reached out to Google to confirm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
10 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Want to land a tech internship? A Google engineer explains how networking 'intentionally' can help
It's just not enough to cold apply for tech jobs anymore, said Aashna Doshi, a two-time intern turned software engineer at Google. To land a spot at a tech giant, you need to be networking "intentionally." "Knowing who you want to meet, finding that common bridge between both of you, and then really learning from their experience, was a big game changer for me," Doshi told Business Insider. Doshi suggests reaching out not only to people whose career paths you'd like to emulate, but also those with whom you share common ground, including similar personal experiences. "I was talking to a bunch of people, and saw this software engineer who was working out of Europe, and was super inspired by her story," she said. "She was also a woman. I love to see other women in tech and also, she's European. I grew up in Belgium, so that's kind of my connecting point to her." A foot in the door While Doshi ended up getting a referral from the engineer in Europe, she said she wasn't initially thinking of asking for one. Reaching out because you're genuinely interested in someone's trajectory, she added, has twofold benefits — you're likely to learn more from a less stilted conversation, and the connection you make could last throughout your career. "I reached out to her to learn more about her story, not like, 'Hey, can I get a referral at Google?'" she said. "I actually didn't even have any intention of asking her for this internship referral, but we became friends and she let me into her life, which is what her day-to-day looks like, how she grows in the role that she's in." Remembering that professional connections, like any relationship, are two-way streets, also goes a long way towards helping them endure, Doshi added. "As we move and progress in our life, the way in which I think about it is, we are collecting people, and we are supporting people," she said. "And the people that will come all the way through will be the ones that you have formed a genuine bond with. If you ask someone for a referral and they give it to you, I mean, that's well and good, but five years down the line, 10 years down the line, they might not even remember who you are." If you can't get an internship, complete a project Since you're likely to be taking similar classes as your competition, it's what you do with that knowledge that can make you stand out, Doshi said. Projects are the "one thing that I will say again and again and again for any student," she said. The Google engineer partly credits her success in securing an internship to the projects she developed in her downtime. "This is the way you can set yourself apart from 1000 other people, because if you take data structures and algorithms, and your peers take data structures and algorithms, you all have the same foundational knowledge that you are building," she told BI. "But what you do with that knowledge, what you do with the data structures and algorithms, really, really makes a difference." There's no pressure to specialize in a niche skillset right out of the gate to impress potential employers, either, Doshi said. What you're really aiming for is a broad knowledge base and a flexible personality. "They don't expect you to come in with tons and tons of experience," she said. "They actually care about more — can you think in a specific way, and given a situation changes, are you able to adapt to that? More than doing like 700 LeetCode questions and getting those exactly right, I tried to do more problem solving in adaptive sense." Becoming a 'go-to' person If and when you finally do land an internship, the challenge then becomes securing a full-time return offer. In Doshi's case, she did her best to become integral to the teams she was placed on — being a point person for a particular issue can help you be more memorable, as well as slowly build a positive reputation with senior employees. "If they have a bug, and they trust you enough to be like, 'Oh, Aashna, you've done something like this before. Why don't you take this up?'" she said. "That is not just giving you work. It's, 'Oh, we trust you to take something like this up.' So being that person they can trust, being that go-to person, is an absolute game changer." Doshi also cautions interns against self-isolating. You're not expected to know everything, and shouldn't try to act like you do. "As an intern, you are coming in with, as everyone knows, less experience than the rest of the team. The intention is to show progress," she said, adding, "The key lies in asking the right questions. A lot of people say there are no wrong questions, etc, etc. Maybe there are no wrong questions, but there are questions that are better than others, in my opinion." Knowing how to ask for help can be just as important as knowing when — Doshi suggests presenting your questions in a way that shows you've attempted to solve the problem on your own first. "Do your due diligence before that, which means if you're stuck, ask the right person for help," she said. "I'm going to explain that I already tried to do X, Y, Z, and it didn't work. How do I move forward?" The goal of an internship is, after all, to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Try to avoid letting your fear of looking lost halt your progress, she added. "So this kind of framework really accelerated my learnings, because I wasn't wasting hours and hours on something that absolutely I didn't understand or didn't work," she said. "And while I wasn't spending those hours, I still did my due diligence, which is, do my research, look through the code base."
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2 Top Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in July
Alphabet doesn't need quantum computing to be a successful investment. IonQ's approach to quantum computing should allow it to scale more easily. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › Quantum computing is an interesting investment sector. Several companies compete in this field, ranging from tech giants to start-ups. However, most companies within this field agree that monetization of quantum computing is still a few years away, but it's getting closer. The tricky thing for investors to balance is getting in at the right time. If you're too early, you might miss the rise of current investment trends, like artificial intelligence (AI). If you're too late and quantum computing becomes the next hot investment trend, you've missed out on potentially huge returns. Right now is a solid time to invest in some quantum computing companies, especially if you pick the right ones. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is Google's parent company and is devoting significant resources to quantum computing research. Google kicked off the quantum computing investment cycle in December with its Willow chip, which solved an incredibly difficult problem in record time and with superb accuracy. This highlighted other quantum computing stocks, causing the entire industry to rise. Should Google deliver top-notch quantum computing technologies, it stands to benefit in one area in particular: AI. Quantum computing could unlock the next phase of AI, leading to unprecedented performance. This would give Google the leadership position in AI, leading to a huge increase in cash flows in its core business. This gives Alphabet a huge incentive to continue innovating in quantum computing. With its already massive cash horde and cash flows, it has the resources to devote to this field. Even with Alphabet's innovative mindset and top-notch technology, the market doesn't respect it. Investors are still worried about it losing market share from its Google Search business, so it trades at a cheap valuation. It's important to note that 18.5 times forward earnings is unbelievably cheap for a big tech stock like Alphabet. It basically indicates that the market values only its Google Search business, not any of the potential gains from quantum computing. As a result, I think it's a great pick because it offers massive upside if it can win the quantum computing arms race, while also capitalizing on a potential turnaround in the market's perception of its search business. While Alphabet is a conservative choice for quantum computing, IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) is more aggressive. Its only revenue comes from various contracts that it has signed, and there is no backup plan; it's quantum computing viability or bust. However, because it's a small company, incremental market share gains in quantum computing will deliver huge returns. This high-risk, high-reward approach isn't for everyone, and investors must accept that the likelihood of failure is likely greater than success. But if IonQ gets it right, that risk could pay off big time. Regarding a timeline for revenue and profitability, IonQ's CEO believes that by 2030, the company will be profitable and generating nearly $1 billion in annual sales. That's a mere five years away, but if IonQ can hit that timeline, the stock will be a successful investment. I prefer IonQ over many of the other pure-play start-ups due to its partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and its unique approach to quantum computing. It utilizes all-to-all qubit connectivity, enabling superior error correction. It also uses a trapped-ion approach, which allows quantum computing to occur at room temperature versus at nearly absolute zero (which is incredibly expensive to do). This makes IonQ's approach sensible and scalable, making it the most likely to succeed of the various start-ups. I think investors should have significant exposure to Alphabet and a small exposure to IonQ. This strategy involves investing most of their money in a stock that has a higher chance of success, while keeping a smaller bet on a long shot. However, if that long shot works out, it can deliver massive returns despite a small initial investment. Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $976,677!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keithen Drury has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Top Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in July was originally published by The Motley Fool
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Want to move data between Apple and Google Maps? Try this workaround
In June, Google released its newest smartphone operating system, Android 16. The same month, Apple previewed its next smartphone operating system, iOS 26. The new OSes are packed with exciting features, yet each still fails to address a particular pain point that their users have had for years concerning two of the platforms' most-used apps: Apple Maps and Google Maps. Specifically, there is still no easy way to transfer saved map data from one app to another. This ends up locking users into one mapping platform, which is good for the two tech giants involved, but bad for individuals who want more control over their data. However, all is not lost, and if you do wish to transfer your data between Apple Maps and Google Maps, there is a (time-consuming) way to do it. Here's what you need to know. It's absurd that Apple Maps and Google Maps don't play nice together I'm a big fan of both Apple Maps and Google Maps. Apple Maps has made significant progress in recent years to rise to the level of Google Maps, the current king. Google Maps still has better point-of-interest data (i.e., business information, such as live foot traffic data) and considerably more contextual data about a location, thanks to its crowd-sourced reviews and photos, but Apple Maps has surpassed Google Maps in several areas. Its strengths include a less cluttered interface and a more visually appealing map design than Google Maps's. The fact that each mapping app has different strengths is the reason that I, like many others, switch between them. However, unlike other competing apps the two companies make—email clients, photo apps, address books, and web browsers—I can't easily transfer the data I've created in Apple or Google Maps (in this case, hundreds of saved locations I've bookmarked over the years) to the competing app. I see no good reason for this lack of functionality, other than to bind a user to a specific mapping platform. After all, when you save a location in Apple Maps or Google Maps, you're simply telling the app to remember a location—an address. This address can be easily processed by any mapping platform. Indeed, it's what these platforms are designed to do. That's why it's so ridiculous that neither mapping app has the simple 'transfer your saved locations' feature that allows the porting of data from one to the other. Still, at least there is a workaround. Here's how to transfer your saved locations between Apple Maps and Google Maps If you do want to transfer your saved locations from Apple Maps to Google Maps, or vice versa, you can. It will just require some tedious manual labor on your part. Here's the best way I've found to transfer my saved locations from one mapping app to another. (Note: as always, before performing any kind of data transfer, you should always back up a copy of that data first for safekeeping.) From Google Maps to Apple Maps: Go to This is the Google tool that lets you download your Google data. Select 'Maps (your places)', then click 'Next Step', and then 'Create Export.' Google will email you a link when your saved places are ready to download. Open the downloaded 'takeout' ZIP file. Now, open the 'Saved file inside. Clicking on it should open the file in a web browser. Every saved location you created in Google Maps will appear in the JSON file, in a slightly unusual format. Each entry will list the coordinates, Google Map URL, address, country code, and name of the establishment. Now comes the tedious part. Open up Apple Maps and either copy the name of the establishment or its address into the search field in the Apple Maps app. Now, click the + button in the address or business listing in Apple Maps to save the location in the app. Repeat this process for every saved listing in the JSON file. Be aware that it could take hours, or even days, depending on the number of saved places you have. From Apple Maps to Google Maps: Unfortunately, porting your saved locations from Apple Maps to Google Maps is a bit harder because there is no way that I've found to generate a list of all your saved places. That means you're facing even more manual work if you want to move your data from Apple Maps to Google Maps. Open Apple Maps. Tap your profile photo. Tap Library. Tap Places. Tap on a saved location. On the location's information sheet, scroll down and copy the location's address. Alternately, copy down the location's name. Now open the Google Maps app and paste the copied address or the location's name in the search field. When you find the location in Google Maps, tap on its listing and then tap the Save button. Tedious, right? Pro tip: After completing either one of these manual saved location transfers, it's probably a good idea to get in the habit of bookmarking a saved location in the other mapping app when you save it in one. Why can't I easily swap my data between Apple and Google Maps? I asked both Google and Apple why they don't allow users to easily export their saved locations from their respective mapping apps into a competitor's, and why they don't permit users to import a list of saved locations into their mapping apps. Neither provided an answer. Apple simply confirmed that users cannot export their saved places in Apple Maps, and mentioned that users can share individual saved locations with others. Google directed me to its Takeout feature and explained that users can import locations saved from other apps into a 'Google My Maps' layer, which isn't part of the main Google Maps app that users see when they open the app. In other words, Google allows users to import saved locations into a new layer, but those locations won't appear on the default map they use every day. It's absurd in 2025 that there's still no simple way to share saved locations between the world's two biggest mapping platforms. Switching from one mapping service to another should be as straightforward as changing web browsers. Just like I can easily export bookmarks from Safari and import them into Chrome, I should be able to do the same with my saved maps data. Hopefully, both Apple and Google will fix this issue in the future. Until then, adventurous users with time on their hands can try the manual steps outlined above.
