Communications of the ACM
Multimodal AI Connects the Digital Dots
By knitting together multiple components and data streams, multimodal AI offers the promise of smarter, more human-like systems… From ACM NewsAn edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM TechNews
Google Play Apps Steal Texts, Pepper You With Unauthorized Purchases
McAfee mobile researchers have discovered malware hidden in eight Google Play apps that steals users' text messages and makes unauthorized purchases.
From ACM TechNews
Android Sends 20x More Data to Google Than iOS Sends to Apple, Study Says
A researcher says the Android operating system transmits about 20 times more information from smartphone handsets to Google than iOS sends to Apple.
From ACM News
New Android Malware Found with Full Range of Spying Capabilities
Despite its sophistication, the app can be easy for more experienced users to spot.
From ACM TechNews
The Bitcoin Blockchain Is Helping Keep a Botnet From Being Taken Down
Researchers found that a botnet they have been following disguised one of its IP addresses in the bitcoin blockchain to guard against a command-and-control server...
From ACM TechNews
Telegram Feature Exposes Your Precise Address to Hackers
Hackers can exploit the Telegram messenger application employed in Android devices and iPhones to pinpoint users' precise locations.
From ACM TechNews
Kazakhstan Spies on Citizens' HTTPS Traffic; Browser-Makers Fight Back
Google, Mozilla, Apple, and Microsoft are partnering to stop Kazakhstan's government from decrypting and reading HTTPS-encrypted traffic between citizens and...
From ACM TechNews
Undocumented Backdoor That Covertly Takes Snapshots Found in Kids' Smartwatch
Researchers at Norwegian security company Mnemonic found an undocumented backdoor in the X4 smartwatch marketed by children's watch vendor Xplora.
From ACM TechNews
Android Is Now World's Largest Earthquake Detection Network
Google says it has created "the world's largest earthquake detection network" by adding quake detection features to almost all Google Play Android phones.
From ACM TechNews
This Device Keeps Voice Assistants From Snooping on You
An international team of researchers has developed a Raspberry Pi-based device that eventually may be able to warn users when Amazon's Alexa and other voice assistants...
From ACM TechNews
Uncovered: 1,000 Phrases That Incorrectly Trigger Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
Researchers have identified more than 1,000 word sequences that incorrectly trigger voice assistants like Alexa, Google Home, and Siri.
From ACM News
The Pandemic is Bringing Us Closer to Our Robot Takeout Future
"We saw that business double overnight," startup says of UK grocery deliveries.
From ACM TechNews
Attack on Home Routers Sends Users to Spoofed Sites That Push Malware
Researchers are warning that a hack of Linksys and D-Link routers is redirecting users to malicious sites posing as COVID-19 informational resources.
From ACM TechNews
Study Ranks Privacy of Major Browsers
A study of the privacy protection provided by major browsers ranked upstart browser Brave at the top of the list.
From ACM TechNews
Flaw in Billions of Wi-Fi Devices Left Communications Open to Eavesdropping
Researchers at Slovakian Internet security company ESET discovered that billions of devices are affected by a Wi-Fi vulnerability that allows nearby attackers to...
From ACM News
Researchers Have Already Tested YouTube’s Algorithms for Political Bias
More moderation associated with more hate speech and misinformation, not politics.
From ACM TechNews
'RobbinHood' Ransomware Takes Down Baltimore City Government Networks
A "RobbinHood" ransomware attack earlier this week crippled networks used by Baltimore's city government.
From ACM News
ber Escapes Criminal Charges for 2018 Self-Driving Death in Arizona
A prosecutor in Arizona has decided not to press charges against Uber in the March 2018 death of Elaine Herzberg. One of Uber's self-driving cars crashed into Herzberg...
From ACM News
String of Ions May Out-Compute Best Quantum Computers
Usually, I reflexively delete press releases. This one was no different, but as the message vanished, the subject line registered—"IonQ… quantum computing."
From ACM News
Researchers, Scared by Their Own Work, Hold Back 'Deepfakes for Text' AI
OpenAI, a non-profit research company investigating "the path to safe artificial intelligence," has developed a machine learning system called Generative Pre-trained...
From ACM News