A nearly identical exploit kit that targets critical vulnerabilities in both Chromium-based browsers and older versions of Windows is being actively used by at least four hacking groups, some of which have ties to the Chinese government.

Researchers from security firm Proofpoint said Wednesday that BlueMoon, the name they gave to the kit, chains three vulnerabilities together so the attackers using it can install malware of their choice. BlueMoon exploits two Chromium vulnerabilities and one in the kernel of Windows 10 (Oct. 2018 Update), Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 2004, Windows Server 2022, and the initial release of Windows 11. All three vulnerabilities have received patches in the past 24 hours.

Deployed rapidly, widely shared

The attacks lacked the stealth found in many campaigns. More often, hackers want to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities sparingly to lengthen their longevity. Proofpoint hypothesized that one reason for the widely used and visible exploit chain was to take advantage of a “patch gap” in the Chromium supply chain, which spans the time a patch is available from developers and the time that patch is incorporated into browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Another likely contributor was the use of AI, which can often spot vulnerabilities faster than discovery performed solely by humans.

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A nearly identical exploit kit that targets critical vulnerabilities in both Chromium-based browsers and older versions of Windows is being actively used by at least four hacking groups, some of which have ties to the Chinese government.

Researchers from security firm Proofpoint said Wednesday that BlueMoon, the name they gave to the kit, chains three vulnerabilities together so the attackers using it can install malware of their choice. BlueMoon exploits two Chromium vulnerabilities and one in the kernel of Windows 10 (Oct 2018 Update), Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 2004, Windows Server 2022, and the initial release of Windows 11. All three vulnerabilities have received patches in the past 24 hours.

Deployed rapidly, widely shared

The attacks lacked the stealth found in many campaigns. More often, hackers want to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities sparingly to lengthen their longevity. Proofpoint hypothesized that one reason for the widely used and visible exploit chain was to take advantage of a “patch gap” in the Chromium supply chain, which spans the time a patch is available from developers and the time that patch is incorporated into browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Another likely contributor was the use of AI, which can often spot vulnerabilities faster than discovery performed solely by humans.

Read full article

Comments

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The Road to Macstock takes a serious turn as Mike T. Rose previews his workshop on becoming a digital caretaker for family members and loved ones. Mike discusses scams targeting older adults, password sharing, remote support, Apple Passwords, financial preparedness, and the need to balance protection, respect, independence, and trust when helping others manage their digital lives. 

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The MacVoices Live! panel covers a fake vendor site spreading malware, Apple’s new accessibility previews, and a hardware reorganization aimed at faster, more unified product development. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, Jim Rea, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, and Marty Jencius also discuss Eyes Off for shoulder-surfing protection, Microsoft and Google reactions to the MacBook Neo, Google’s proposed AI laptop, and broader questions about AI becoming part of operating systems. 

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A wide range of tech stories get the MacVoices treatment, starting with the quick sellout of the Steve Jobs commemorative coin and what strong MacBook Neo demand may say about Apple’s pricing, chip planning, and enterprise appeal. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet and Mark Fuccio also discuss Apple updates unexpectedly changing settings, a Canvas ransomware disruption affecting schools, Chrome’s hidden AI download, Google’s Liquid Glass similarities, Digg’s AI-focused return, and safer lithium coin batteries. 

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O Chrome traz vários recursos de integração com outros serviços do Google, como é o caso do Gemini — solução de inteligência artificial da empresa.

O Gemini Live permite manter conversas ininterruptas com a IA, como se fosse uma conversa com outra pessoa.

Para quem possui surdez ou alguma dificuldade de audição, é possível habilitar a exibição das legendas do Gemini Live enquanto estiver usando-o no seu Mac. Veja como! 👨‍💻

Com o app aberto, acesse as configurações do navegador. É possível fazer isso indo até Chrome » Ajustes…, na barra de menus, usando o atalho de teclado ⌘ command , ou clicando no botão com três pontinhos (no canto superior direito).

Selecione “Inovações de IA” (na barra lateral esquerda) e entre em “Gemini no Chrome”.

Por fim, marque a chave ao lado de “Legenda descritiva”.

Na prática, você poderá conferir as legendas nas conversas do Gemini Live, como no exemplo abaixo:

Muito bacana, não acha? 😉

Com a disponibilização do Gemini no Google Chrome para Macs, ficou muito fácil consultar o serviço de inteligência artificial da empresa para alguma atividade que precisa fazer.

Por padrão, o painel lateral do Gemini fica localizado na parte direita da tela do seu computador. Mas, se preferir, é possível que ele seja mostrado no lado esquerdo.

Veja como escolher isso! ✨

Acesse as configurações do Chrome usando um dos seguintes métodos:

• Vá até Chrome » Ajustes…, na barra de menus;
• Use o atalho de teclado ⌘ command ,;
• Clique nos três pontinhos (no canto superior direito) e em “Configurações”.

Depois, acesse “Aparência” (na barra lateral esquerda).

Na seção “Posição do painel lateral”, use o menu suspenso “Gemini” para escolher entre “À direita” ou “À esquerda”.

Com a liberação do Google Gemini no navegador Chrome para macOS, tornou-se possível utilizar a inteligência artificial da empresa de uma maneira rápida, sem precisar abrir um aplicativo separado, por exemplo.

Uma das maneiras de sair ou voltar a navegar pelo Gemini no Chrome é por meio de um atalho de teclado. Apesar de já vir com um pré-configurado, você pode alterá-lo.

Veja como! 😉

Abra as configurações do Chrome, indo até Chrome » Ajustes…, na barra de menus, usando o atalho ⌘ command , ou clicando nos três pontinhos, no canto superior direito.

Selecione “Inovações de IA” e entre em “Gemini no Chrome”. Clique no lápis ao lado de “Atalho para navegação” e utilize o teclado para adicionar o novo atalho preferido.

Recentemente, o Google atualizou o navegador Chrome para incluir recursos de inteligência artificial do Gemini.

Porém, uma novidade que certamente não agradou muita gente foi a presença de um botão dedicado à IA no canto superior direito do browser no macOS.

Felizmente, usando um truque bem simples, é possível ocultá-lo. Veja como! 😉

Com o Chrome aberto no Mac, abra os ajustes do navegador usando um dos seguintes métodos:

• Vá até Chrome » Ajustes…, na barra de menus.
• Use o atalho ⌘ command ;.
• Clique nos três pontinhos (ao lado da sua foto, no canto superior direito).

Depois, clique em “Inovações de IA” (na barra lateral esquerda) e entre em “Gemini no Chrome”.

Por fim, desmarque a opção “Mostrar o Gemini na parte de cima do navegador”.

"Google should be required to divest the Chrome browser, and prohibited from paying Apple to distribute Google's search engine, the nonprofit advocacy group Public Knowledge argues in a new court filing," MediaPost reports, citing a friend-of-the-court brief filed Tuesday in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals: The group adds that "independent ownership" of Chrome "would open the distribution channel Google controls and allow Chrome to serve browser users when it makes privacy decisions and determines how to integrate search and (artificial intelligence)..." In September 2025, [U.S. District Court Judge] Mehta issued a remedies order that requires Google to share some data about users' searches with "qualified" competitors and to provide syndicated search results and ads to those competitors. The order also prohibits Google from entering into exclusive distribution contracts for Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant and the Gemini app for six years, but allows the company to continue to make payments for search-ad revenue or distribution to Apple, Mozilla and others... Google recently appealed Mehta's order. The company argued in its written brief that it "prevailed in the marketplace fair and square," adding that Apple and Mozilla "sensibly chose" Google as the default search engine "because it gave their users the best experience," and because Apple and Mozilla would earn the most ad revenue through the deals. The [U.S.] Justice Department and states countered to the appellate court last week that the liability finding should stand, and also argued that Google should have been banned from paying Apple and Mozilla for placement as the default search engine on their browsers. [Antitrust enforcers had originally asked the judge to order Google to divest Chrome, but he's already rejected that request.] The government did not argue in its appellate papers that Google should be forced to sell Chrome. But Public Knowledge independently contends in its friend-of-the-court brief that divestiture would benefit consumers... "Divestiture would place those decisions with an institution whose success depends on serving browser users primarily...." The group is calling the appellate court's attention to Google's April 2025 decision to preserve tracking cookies — a reversal from its earlier plans to block third-party cookies by default. "Google is in the position of both deciding Chrome's tracking rules while running the advertising business affected by them," Public Knowledge writes. "An independent Chrome could make those decisions on behalf of users alone." But Firefox developer Mozilla filed its own friend-of-the-court brief Thursday warning Firefox could be forced to "exit the browser and browser engine markets" if it can't receive payment from Google for distributing its search engine, according to a later report from MediaPost: Federal and state antitrust enforcers recently asked the appellate court to reverse the portion of Mehta's order that allows those payments to continue. But Mozilla counters in its new friend-of-the-court brief that Mehta's decision regarding those payments was supported by the evidence --including a study it conducted concluding that its revenue would "decline dramatically" if forced to replace Google with Bing as Firefox's default search engine... Google is expected to file new arguments with the appellate court next month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Sayan Sen (Hacker News):

For a while now the transition away from Manifest V2 (MV2) to MV3 has been on-going and it looks like it is entering its final phase of deprecation, at least, in the case of Google Chrome. A recent discussion thread in the w3c WebExtensions Community Group GitHub repo has highlighted how the latest and upcoming versions of the most popular browser are expected to be its final releases with support for MV2 extensions.

[…]

Here is a rundown of the changes coming in the final such releases of Chromium releases:

• Chromium 150 lost ExtensionManifestV2Disabled option
• Chromium 151 will loose ExtensionManifestV2Unsupported option
• Chromium 151 will loose ExtensionManifestV2Availability option
• Chromium 151 will likely loose AllowLegacyMV2Extensions option

Other Chromium-based browsers like Opera and Microsoft Edge could soon follow suit too. Although it is not specified, Edge began disabling uBlock Origin back in February, and Opera could also stop the functioning of MV2 add-ons, even though it had committed to support MV2 for longer in October 2024.

Google:

Aug 31st 2026: All remaining Manifest V2 extensions removed from the Chrome Web Store

Previously:

• Chrome Warning About Manifest V2 Extensions
• Chrome’s Manifest V3 and uBlock Origin

Update (2026-09-02): Web Iterate (Hacker News):

Google today reached the final milestone in a browser-extension transition that has been years in the making, all remaining Manifest V2 extensions were removed from the Chrome Web Store.

A extensão para o browser da Focus To-Do reúne as principais funcionalidades da popular app de produtividade, permitindo gerir tarefas e acompanhar o tempo dedicado a cada projeto sem sair do navegador.

The post Focus To-Do: Organize tarefas e mantenha a produtividade em alta sem sair do Chrome appeared first on Tek Notícias.

Google is removing Chrome's last remaining workarounds for Manifest V2 extensions, effectively ending support for legacy ad blockers such as the original uBlock Origin. 9to5Google reports: CyberNews points out a Chromium commit that removes support for the "kExtensionManifestV2Disabled" flag, which is referred to as "dead code" seeing as Chrome no longer supports Manifest V2 extensions. This removal acts as the final stop for many Manifest V2-based ad blocker extensions that were still in use today -- the flag was effectively a loophole to continue using these extensions. A Googler on the commit explains: "MV2 extensions are no longer allowed in any supported version of Chrome, and we are removing support for them and the associated functionality. We won't be able to provide / maintain this functionality indefinitely due to the complexity and tech debt, as well as the security risks it entails (we've actually found a number of bugs that are specific to MV2 lately). Of course, other browsers can continue supporting these if they so desire." This will also impact other Chromium-based browsers, though the comment notes that "other browsers can continue supporting these if they so desire." Neowin points out that Microsoft Edge and Opera are likely to follow suit. Chrome 150, set to be released later this month, will remove this flag, while other leftover bits of Manifest V2 will be removed in the v151 release.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Google Chrome version 150 and 151, expected in late June and July, respectively, will cut off support for the last remaining workarounds for running older ad blockers, 9to5Google reports. Google phased out support for ad-blocking extensions built for Manifest V2, like uBlock Origin, in 2024. At that point, most Chrome users either switched to newer Manifest V3 ad blockers like uBlock Origin Lite or switched to a different browser.

Google is now removing the final bits of code referencing its previous Manifest V2 extensions platform, so only ad blockers that work on the Manifest V3 platform will work in Chrome version 151 onward.

Google d …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Pas besoin d'installer quoi que ce soit : depuis le 12 juin, Google Earth propose un simulateur de vol entièrement gratuit, directement utilisable dans le navigateur. Une fonctionnalité longtemps réservée aux initiés qui s'ouvre à tous pour changer de point de vue.

Esqueça os bloqueadores de sites chatos e as notificações que ignora ao fim de dois dias. O Cat Gatekeeper tem uma abordagem diferente, e muito mais fofa, para o doomscrolling. Trata-se de um gato laranja “gorducho” que invade o ecrã e não sai de lá até a pausa acabar.

The post Cat Gatekeeper: a extensão que manda um gato “gorducho” invadir o seu ecrã quando passa tempo a mais nas redes sociais appeared first on Tek Notícias.

According to Benjamin Franklin two things are inevitable: death and taxes. Research shows that human lifespan has a natural limitation, due to the decline of physiological resilience. Contrast the desire of the evil elites to overcome death using barbaric practices with the immortality offered by Jesus Christ.