Coleman Technologies Blog

Explaining Google Lens

Downloadable from the Google Play Store, Google Lens is a utility app that incorporates artificial intelligence to make your smartphone’s capability to take and store images even more useful. With Google Lens, your phone can identify the elements in an image and give the user in-depth and contextual options based on it. Let’s say you wanted to find out what the flowers were that someone had planted outside their house. Using Google Lens, you could point your camera at the flowers and identify them that way.

Let’s go over how you can review how much of your data these Chrome extensions can access, and how you can adjust these permissions more to your liking.

Fair warning: This will naturally require you to change a few settings, so don’t be afraid to reach out to your IT provider to confirm these changes are okay to make and for assistance in doing so.

Improving Your Google Queries

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If you want to tell Google to omit certain potential results from your search, you can use the hyphen/subtraction mark to define what you don’t want considered.

There’s been a consistent pattern that has emerged with popular software applications: a major update or other change is made, and uproar on social media ensues.

Just look at what happened when the Android platform’s Facebook application began requesting access to the user’s smartphone camera several years ago now. While this was required so that Facebook’s newly released native photo-taking capabilities could be embraced, there was still a lot said about it on social media.

If you use the selection of tools that Google offers as a part of its G Suite offering, you’ve probably found a few documents that you find yourself repeatedly returning to on a regular basis. Rather than navigating to them via the appropriate folder hierarchy in Google Drive, there is a simple shortcut that you can take advantage of in Google Chrome: creating a bookmark that navigates directly to the appropriate page.

Adding More Organization Into Your Chrome Browser

Admit it, you have a tendency to use too many browser tabs. At any given time, you may have 5-10-20 browser tabs open. If you use more than one screen, it could be more. Way more. Most users use their Chrome browser for so much of your online life that you hardly pay attention. Then you wonder why your PC is running slow. The truth is people use a lot of browser tabs, and they are better off for it. 

Google.com
There are few resources out there that are as valuable as Google’s website. Even the act of “googling” something has become a verb. Granted, “googling” a query might not yield the results the user is expecting, which can lead to frustration. By effectively using search commands, you can make any Google search more accurate, saving time better spent actually using the plethora of knowledge you have at your fingertips.

Tip #1: Use the Tabs
Google has built-in search functionality for images, videos, news, and so much more. There are tabs for images, news, videos, maps, shopping, books, flights, and finance. You can use each of these to narrow down the results you get when you make a specific query.

#2: Use Quotes
Even if you type in what you’re looking for, Google will sometimes misconstrue what you’re looking for as something else. If you’re looking for a specific phrase, you can use quotes around it to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Example: “happy days”

The results will be the term or phrase exactly as it’s typed.

#3: Use a Hyphen to Exclude Words
Think of the hyphen as the “minus” sign of Google searches. If you have a word that you’d rather omit from a search, place a hyphen in front of it.

Example: scale -weight

By removing the topic of one of the homonyms from the equation, you will get more targeted and accurate results.

#4: Use a Colon to Search Specific Sites
If you know that what you’re searching for is found on a specific website, you can limit the search to that site with a colon.

Example: Virtualization site:azure.microsoft.com

In the above example, you can also use a specific keyword to include it in your search.

#5: Search Locally
Google can determine your location, giving you a lot of power to find local businesses, restaurants, institutions, you name it. Just type it into Google.

Example: Laundromats nearby.

Just make sure you have your location services on if mobile. Otherwise, the search engine will use your Internet connection’s IP address to figure out what’s close to you.

What are some of your favorite ways to use Google? Let us know in the comments.

Today, we aim to fix that. We will review why a Google account is so important to keep secure, as well as a few means and methods of doing so.

How a Google Account Can Be So Valuable
The purpose of the Internet has evolved greatly in the relatively few years it has been around. Today, the Internet is largely used as a communications and information sharing tool - true to its roots. This is where the name Internet comes from: inter (reciprocal or shared) and network (a system of connected things). However, as new purposes for the Internet emerged over time, circumstances changed, and the view of the Internet shifted.

The Internet was always meant for sharing information, from the very first inklings of an idea. In 1962, J.C.R. Licklider of MIT wrote up a series of memos that illustrated a system of interconnected computers, intended to share programs and data the world over, that he coined the “Galactic Network.” This idea of sharing information was also the driving force behind Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s development of the World Wide Web. As Sir Berners-Lee said:

“Had the technology been proprietary, and in my total control, it would probably not have taken off. You can’t propose that something be a universal space and at the same time keep control of it.”

In many ways, these ideals are retained in today’s environment. Online sharing is at its peak, social media and collaboration fulling leveraging a network that is, for the most part, still free of control by any central source. These are ideals that have developed into the demand for net neutrality and open-access information. However, while these ideals have been largely upheld, there are a few notable caveats that give us a more accurate view of today’s Internet.

As the Internet grew in capability, it also grew in utility… many of which featuring the need for greater security and privacy. With the confidential information that only select users should be accessing growing in popularity within Internet-based communications, this spurred a balance to the Internet that both individuals and businesses can appreciate, and that Google has shaped its offerings around.

From its beginnings as a dissertation project by two Stamford doctorate students, Google has grown into the dominant force online today. Businesses use its G Suite applications every day, as private users leverage some of their other services to their own benefit. Many people, both for business and personal use, leverage Gmail. Let’s face it, Gmail is just useful, whether you use it for work, or just maintain an account to open accounts with other web services.

It is this last point that makes your Google account’s security so important to maintain.

How many of your online accounts are accessible by Google? On the subject, how many of your accounts would be compromised if your Google account was first?

The Impact
This is the double-edged sword of a Google account. On the one hand, it only makes sense to use a Google account to create others, either using your associated Gmail address or linking it directly. The convenience is inarguable, and Google does equip these resources with reasonable security standards. So why not use a Google account?

Unfortunately, there’s one critical consideration that doing so adds into your security equation, that many overlook:

Linking an account to your Google account ties your Google account’s security to it directly.

This means that, if your Google account was to be compromised, all of the accounts you had connected to it are also compromised by association. Depending on what you had saved in this way, that could have some devastating ramifications.

Finding Out How Devastating
If you’re on your desktop right now, you can access your Google account by clicking here. In the Security section, you can review all the devices that your Google account has been active on, all the third-party applications with access to your account, and all the websites that are utilizing Google Smart Lock.

Is this list longer than you would have expected? Does it include your bank?

If it does, all it would take for someone to defraud you would be to access your Google account--or even lock you out of your own bank, resetting your bank credentials by using your Gmail account to activate an account recovery process.

A Solution
Again, this creates a conflict between two priorities: convenience against security. While the convenience could make anything that you use online more efficient in both your professional and personal life, nothing is worth compromising the security of either. So… where do we stand?

Like any conflict between two interests, the ideal place to meet is in the middle. In this case, it is the conclusion that you can have the best of both worlds--you just have to make sure that your Google account is secured properly.

While it would be great if there was, there just isn’t an option somewhere in Google you can select to make everything perfectly secure, just like that. Having said this, it is just a matter of taking a few precautions.

Securing Your Google Account
The first thing to securing any account is to understand that it isn’t a one-time activity and will need to be revisited periodically to make sure that everything remains secure. You should keep an eye out for news stories that discuss breaches among any of the organizations you have an account with, as you will still need to alter your credentials for these accounts.

Once this is set, there are a few best practices that it would be in your best interest to follow.

Passwords and Account Security
While all of your accounts should have the protection of a strong password, the fact that your Google account serves as a repository for your others make it only more crucial to implement one to its authentication measures. To accomplish this, make sure the password or passphrase you select is well in keeping with best practices, and that your Google account is the only account secured with it.

You should also be careful about what you are using to access your account. Any device that is available to the public should be avoided, as they are not only magnets for viruses and other digitally-based cyberthreats, but a cybercriminal could potentially retrieve your credentials from the device you used and thereby gain access to your account. Public Wi-Fi signals can have very similar issues, so use a secured, private connection whenever possible.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
There is also the option to make your Google account ask more of someone trying to access it, a secondary code sent to you in a text message, delivered in the Google Authenticator application, or dictated through a direct call to your mobile device. By enabling 2FA, you can greatly decrease the likelihood that a cybercriminal will have everything they need to get in, assuming they don’t have access to your phone as well. We generally recommend that you utilize Google Authenticator, as it is the most secure of those three options.

You can also use your Google account to access a list of one-time authentication codes that you can print out and keep with you. This way, if you need to access your account and don’t have your phone handy, you can reference these to get in. If you run out of codes or lose the list, you can easily reset them and start over.

To set up these features, log in to your Google account.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to sacrifice the convenience of Google, as long as you have protected it responsibly. Coleman Technologies has the expertise to help you manage this security, as well as the rest of your business’ IT solutions and infrastructure. Call (604) 513-9428 to learn more.

What Apps?
First, we’ll start with a complete list of the apps that had been infested with this nefarious code:

• Sparkle FlashLight
• Snake Attack
• Math Solver
• ShapeSorter
• Tak A Trip
• Magnifeye
• Join Up
• Zombie Killer
• Space Rocket
• Neon Pong
• Just Flashlight
• Table Soccer
• Cliff Diver
• Box Stack
• Jelly Slice
• AK Blackjack
• Color Tiles
• Animal Match
• Roulette Mania
• HexaFall
• HexaBlocks
• PairZap

What Did These Apps Do?
SophosLabs found a cache of apps that feature what they call “Andr/Clickr-ad” malware. These applications are engineered with maximum flexibility in mind. They could contact a common attacker-controller server to download what is called an ad-fraud module. It does this every 80 seconds. The malware simply opened a non-visible window and would repeatedly click on ads, making the network look like it was getting more traffic, fraudulently enhancing the developers’ revenue.

No specific ad network was specified by Sophos, but users who had downloaded these applications would see a decrease in the battery life and/or an increase in the amount of data their device would use. One strange part of this is that some of the ad traffic was able to identify itself as from coming from iPhones, despite this appearing on Android-only apps. They came from “Apple models ranging from iPhone 5 to 8 Plus and from 249 different forged models from 33 distinct brands of Android phones.” This ploy was used as a way to increase revenues further as some advertisers will pay a premium to get their ads onto Apple devices. iOS versions of the apps, largely by the same developers, didn’t have the malicious code integrated.

Download Legit Apps
How can you go about making sure that you aren’t part of this problem? Download legitimate applications. Some of the best ways to make sure the apps you are downloading are legit, include:

• Read a lot of reviews - Much of the information you will need to see the legitimacy of an application can be found in the review of the app in the store. If you make a point to read eight or more reviews, you will quickly get a good idea about how functional the application is.
• Check app permissions - Applications need permission from a user to use the core functions of the phone. If the application in question tends to need access to functions that it shouldn’t, you should be skeptical about the application.
• Check the terms and conditions - Most people don’t go through the terms and conditions of anything, let alone an application for their smartphone. Even if you do make a point to read them, the amount of legalese found is akin to a lullaby or a warm glass of milk. The problem for users is that there is a lot of good information about the applications, and specifically how it uses data. If you do set aside some time to read about it, check out some language that is relevant to the way you use the application.
• Research the developer - Nowadays, software development is filled with people that are looking to make a name for themselves. This type of ambition can lead to bad decision making. If you take some time to do some basic research about the developer of an app you have reason to question, you’ll likely find the truth of whether they can be trusted or not. If they want to be known, they likely promote their work via social media, so, start there.

Android has millions of legitimate applications on the Google Play Store, so worrying whether or not you’ve downloaded one that will put your data at risk shouldn’t be too worrisome as long as you stick to our best practices. To learn more about technology, security, and mobile strategies, call Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428.

Extension Restrictions
One of Chrome’s largest advantages over its competition has to be its library of add-on extensions. Unfortunately, any kind of functionality with these additional “programs” can lead to security concerns. Google has had to slow down the production of extensions to create new requirements for developers to adhere to. One example is how cryptocurrency continues to be a major talking point, prompting extensions to include cryptocurrency mining and cryptojacking in their features. Google is shutting down these supplemental programs, as well as generally holding developers to higher standards than they previously were. It now demands that developer accounts be protected by two-factor authentication, as well as paying closer attention to apps that require lots of permissions or host their code remotely.

Security Measures
Chrome 70 is also packing in all kinds of new security features to keep phishing attacks away from end users. In particular, Chrome is trying to push education of its native password management tools, as well as warn users when the links they are about to access aren’t secure. In essence, this simply states that websites need to be secured if they want visitors, reinforcing the fact that websites need to prioritize security these days.

Login Concerns
While some changes have been accepted with open arms, others… not so much. While Chrome has allowed users to use the browser without logging into the browser, some have noticed that Chrome appears to log a user in, even if they are only using one service out of the many provided. This is primarily an issue because Google could potentially share the user’s data (think browsing history), which is not something that users traditionally take lightly. In the time since then, Google has announced that Chrome isn’t necessarily logging users into Chrome--it’s more of an in-between measure to show a user which of their accounts is currently logged in.

As with any new solution, there will be roadblocks and concerns that users might be faced with during the experimentation phase. What kind of experiences have you had with Chrome 70 so far? Let us know in the comments.