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Apple and Google add alerts for unknown Bluetooth trackers to iOS, Android

On Monday, Apple and Google jointly announced a new privacy feature that warns Android and iOS users when an unknown Bluetooth tracking device travels with them.
Named Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers, the new feature started rolling out yesterday on Apple devices as part of iOS 17.5 and to Google users on Android 6.0+ devices.
This new feature was announced in May 2023, when the companies disclosed they were working together to create a joint draft specification titled 'Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers.
Clicking on the alerts will display the tracker's identifier and allow the user to play a noise on the tracker to help locate it.
The feature will also include instructions on how to disable the tracking device.
Apple and Google say that AirTag and third-party Find My network accessories are already compatible with the new feature, with Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee committing to making future products compatible as well.
Older tracking devices that do not support the specification will continue to be able to track people without being detected by the new feature.
While Bluetooth tracking devices have legitimate uses, they have also been abused by abusers and stalkers to track a person's location without their knowledge.
As these devices are small, they can easily be slipped into a person's luggage, bags, or jacket pockets without their knowledge.
While Apple had previously included features that allow users to find nearby AirTag devices that could be misused to track individuals, victims reported that they were commonly warned with delays of up to 12 hours, as a New York Times report revealed.
PyPi package backdoors Macs using the Sliver pen-testing suite.
Apple backports fix for RTKit iOS zero-day to older iPhones.
Google fixes fifth Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks this year.
Google Chrome is getting native support for YouTube-like video chapters.
Google rolls back reCaptcha update to fix Firefox issues.


This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Tue, 14 May 2024 15:10:22 +0000


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