(NEXSTAR) – Have an Android device? It might be time for a wellness check.Security experts at Zscaler announced recently that they have found more than 90 malicious apps in the Google Play store. All told, the apps have been installed more than 5.5 million times, according to Zscaler ThreatLabz.

“User security is a top priority for Google Play,” according to a Google spokesperson who told Nexstar that all of the identified malicious apps have since been removed.

For Android users who may have unknowingly downloaded the apps, ThreatLabz mentioned one rising danger in particular, the Anatsa malware, also called TeaBot. Anatsa is built to access people’s banking information from hundreds of financial applications around the world.

A Google spokesperson told Nexstar that the company recommends using Google Play Protect, which “protects users by automatically removing or disabling apps known to contain this malware on Android devices with Google Play Services.”

[h/t Sabrina] Billions of records detailing people’s personal information may soon be dumped online after being allegedly obtained from a Florida firm that handles background checks and other requests for folks’ private info.

A criminal gang that goes by the handle USDoD put the database up for sale for $3.5 million on an underworld forum in April, and rather incredibly claimed the trove included 2.9 billion records on all US, Canadian, and British citizens. It’s believed one or more miscreants using the handle SXUL was responsible for the alleged exfiltration, who passed it onto USDoD, which is acting as a broker.

The pilfered information is said to include individuals’ full names, addresses, and address history going back at least three decades, social security numbers, and people’s parents, siblings, and relatives, some of whom have been dead for nearly 20 years. According to USDoD, this info was not scraped from public sources, though there may be duplicate entries for people in the database.

There is a small silver lining, according to the VX team: “The database DOES NOT contain information from individuals who use data opt-out services. Every person who used some sort of data opt-out service was not present.” So, we guess this is a good lesson in opting out.

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MakeUseOf: “Key Takeaways

• Incognito mode prevents your browsing history, cookies, and information entered in forms from being saved on your device, making your browsing private from others who use the same device.
• Incognito mode also helps you avoid targeted ads and prevents websites from storing cookies on your device, offering more privacy and a smoother browsing experience.

On mobile devices, incognito mode allows you to set a password for your browser and hide thumbnails of your browsing activity on the App Switcher, providing an extra layer of security.

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A new book examines the “Invisible Rulers” who manipulate your attention online.

The “Invisible Rulers” of online attention

I was thinking about my experience digging into the The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies while reading the forthcoming book Invisible Rulers, by Stanford Internet Observatory researcher Renee DiResta. The book examines and contextualizes how bad information and “bespoke realities” became so powerful and prominent online. She charts how the “collision of the rumor mill and the propaganda machine” on social media helped to form a trinity of influencer, algorithm, and crowd that work symbiotically to catapult pseudo-events, Twitter Main Characters, and conspiracy theories that have captured attention and shattered consensus and trust.

DiResta’s book is part history, part analysis, and part memoir, as it spans from pre-internet examinations of the psychology of rumor and propaganda to the biggest moments of online conspiracy and harassment from the social media era.

Making it a little easier to get help when you need it.What you need to know

• Google states it will start “gradually rolling out” 911 texting capabilities through RCS on Android later “this winter.”
• Users can soon text 911 emergency services and see when they begin responding while also sending images and videos to help them.
• This feature will join the likes of Fall and Crash Detection on Android.

According to a press release, Google has partnered with RapidSOS to bring 911 texting capabilities to Messages through RCS-enabled chats. Contacting data centers through this method will let users “confirm the delivery” of their emergency requests and see when authorities are actively responding to them. Google hopes this removes the guesswork when it comes to wondering if 911 received your text.

On the other hand, Google adds that it will continue to hone its efforts to improve access to emergency centers through RCS. The company has hopes to make RCS the “standard for emergency services everywhere.”

This new capability will arrive for Android devices later this year, with Google’s eyes set on the winter season.

Filed: https://www.androidcentral.com/apps-software

An airport employee in Florida has been charged with felony theft after a passenger tracked her stolen luggage to the employee’s house. After her March 3 flight out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was canceled, university student Paola Garcia was told to pick up her checked bag on a baggage carousel. But the bag containing a MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, and jewelry didn’t turn up. Spirit Airlines claimed it was sent to Garcia’s house, but it didn’t turn up there, either. That’s when Garcia tried to track down the bag on her own, per CNN. She pinged her devices, which were shown at an address a short distance from the airport, according to an affidavit.