News · Google Security Blog
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Google Security Blog
AI threats in the wild: The current state of prompt injections on the web
Posted by Thomas Brunner, Yu-Han Liu, Moni Pande At Google, our Threat Intelligence teams are dedicated to staying ahead of real-world adversarial activity, proactively monitoring emerging threats before they can impact users. Right now, Indirect Prompt Injection (IPI) is a top priority for the security community, anticipating it as a primary attack vector for adversaries to target and compromise AI agents. But while the danger of IPI is widely discussed, are threat actors actually exploiting this vector today – and if so, how? To answer these questions and to uncover real-world abuse, we ini…
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Google Security Blog
Bringing Rust to the Pixel Baseband
Posted by Jiacheng Lu, Software Engineer, Google Pixel Team Google is continuously advancing the security of Pixel devices. We have been focusing on hardening the cellular baseband modem against exploitation. Recognizing the risks associated within the complex modem firmware, Pixel 9 shipped with mitigations against a range of memory-safety vulnerabilities. For Pixel 10, Google is advancing its proactive security measures further. Following our previous discussion on "Deploying Rust in Existing Firmware Codebases", this post shares a concrete application: integrating a memory-safe Rust DNS(Do…
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Google Security Blog
Protecting Cookies with Device Bound Session Credentials
Posted by Ben Ackerman, Chrome team, Daniel Rubery, Chrome team and Guillaume Ehinger, Google Account Security team Following our April 2024 announcement, Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) is now entering public availability for Windows users on Chrome 146, and expanding to macOS in an upcoming Chrome release. This project represents a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to combat session theft, which remains a prevalent threat in the modern security landscape. Session theft typically occurs when a user inadvertently downloads malware onto their device. Once active, the malw…
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Google Security Blog
Google Workspace’s continuous approach to mitigating indirect prompt injections
Posted by Adam Gavish, Google GenAI Security Team Indirect prompt injection (IPI) is an evolving threat vector targeting users of complex AI applications with multiple data sources, such as Workspace with Gemini. This technique enables the attacker to influence the behavior of an LLM by injecting malicious instructions into the data or tools used by the LLM as it completes the user’s query. This may even be possible without any input directly from the user. IPI is not the kind of technical problem you “solve” and move on. Sophisticated LLMs with increasing use of agentic automation combined w…
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Google Security Blog
VRP 2025 Year in Review
Posted by Dirk Göhmann, Tony Mendez, and the Vulnerability Rewards Program Team 2025 marked a special year in the history of vulnerability rewards and bug bounty programs at Google: our 15th anniversary 🎉🎉🎉! Originally started in 2010, our vulnerability reward program (VRP) has seen constant additions and expansions over the past decade and a half, clearly indicating the value the programs under this umbrella contribute to the safety and security of Google and its users, but also highlighting their acceptance by the external research community, without which such programs cannot function.…
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Google Security Blog
Security for the Quantum Era: Implementing Post-Quantum Cryptography in Android
Posted by Eric Lynch, Product Manager, Android and Dom Elliott, Group Product Manager, Google Play Modern digital security is at a turning point. We are on the threshold of using quantum computers to solve "impossible" problems in drug discovery, materials science, and energy—tasks that even the most powerful classical supercomputers cannot handle. However, the same unique ability to consider different options simultaneously also allows these machines to bypass our current digital locks. This puts the public-key cryptography we’ve relied on for decades at risk, potentially compromising everyt…
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Google Security Blog
Cultivating a robust and efficient quantum-safe HTTPS
Posted by Chrome Secure Web and Networking Team Today we're announcing a new program in Chrome to make HTTPS certificates secure against quantum computers. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) recently created a working group, PKI, Logs, And Tree Signatures (“PLANTS”), aiming to address the performance and bandwidth challenges that the increased size of quantum-resistant cryptography introduces into TLS connections requiring Certificate Transparency (CT). We recently shared our call to action to secure quantum computing and have written about challenges introduced by quantum-resistant c…
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Google Security Blog
Staying One Step Ahead: Strengthening Android’s Lead in Scam Protection
Posted by Lyubov Farafonova, Product Manager, Phone by Google; Alberto Pastor Nieto, Sr. Product Manager Google Messages and RCS Spam and Abuse We’ve shared how Android’s proactive, multi-layered scam defenses utilize Google AI to protect users around the world from over 10 billion suspected malicious calls and messages every month1. While that scale is significant, the true impact of these protections is best understood through the stories of the individuals they help keep safe every day. This includes people like Majik B., an IT professional in Sunnyvale, California. Despite his technical b…
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Google Security Blog
Keeping Google Play & Android app ecosystems safe in 2025
Posted by Vijaya Kaza, VP and GM, App & Ecosystem Trust The Android ecosystem is a thriving global community built on trust, giving billions of users the confidence to download the latest apps. In order to maintain that trust, we’re focused on ensuring that apps do not cause real-world harm, such as malware, financial fraud, hidden subscriptions, and privacy invasions. As bad actors leverage AI to change their tactics and launch increasingly sophisticated attacks, we’ve deepened our investments in AI and real-time defenses over the last year to maintain the upper hand and stop these threats b…
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Google Security Blog
New Android Theft Protection Feature Updates: Smarter, Stronger
Posted by Nataliya Stanetsky, Fabricio Ferracioli, Elliot Sisteron, Irene Ang of the Android Security Team Phone theft is more than just losing a device; it's a form of financial fraud that can leave you suddenly vulnerable to personal data and financial theft. That’s why we're committed to providing multi-layered defenses that help protect you before, during, and after a theft attempt. Today, we're announcing a powerful set of theft protection feature updates that build on our existing protections, designed to give you greater peace of mind by making your device a much harder target for crim…
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Google Security Blog
HTTPS certificate industry phasing out less secure domain validation methods
Posted by Chrome Root Program Team Secure connections are the backbone of the modern web, but a certificate is only as trustworthy as the validation process and issuance practices behind it. Recently, the Chrome Root Program and the CA/Browser Forum have taken decisive steps toward a more secure internet by adopting new security requirements for HTTPS certificate issuers. These initiatives, driven by Ballots SC-080, SC-090, and SC-091, will sunset 11 legacy methods for Domain Control Validation. By retiring these outdated practices, which rely on weaker verification signals like physical mail…
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Google Security Blog
Further Hardening Android GPUs
Posted by Liz Prucka, Hamzeh Zawawy, Rishika Hooda, Android Security and Privacy Team Last year, Google's Android Red Team partnered with Arm to conduct an in-depth security analysis of the Mali GPU, a component used in billions of Android devices worldwide. This collaboration was a significant step in proactively identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in the GPU software and firmware stack. While finding and fixing individual bugs is crucial, and progress continues on eliminating them entirely, making them unreachable by restricting attack surface is another effective and often faster way to…
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Google Security Blog
Architecting Security for Agentic Capabilities in Chrome
Posted by Nathan Parker, Chrome security team Chrome has been advancing the web’s security for well over 15 years, and we’re committed to meeting new challenges and opportunities with AI. Billions of people trust Chrome to keep them safe by default, and this is a responsibility we take seriously. Following the recent launch of Gemini in Chrome and the preview of agentic capabilities, we want to share our approach and some new innovations to improve the safety of agentic browsing. The primary new threat facing all agentic browsers is indirect prompt injection. It can appear in malicious sites,…
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Google Security Blog
Android expands pilot for in-call scam protection for financial apps
Posted by Aden Haussmann, Associate Product Manager and Sumeet Sharma, Play Partnerships Trust & Safety Lead Android uses the best of Google AI and our advanced security expertise to tackle mobile scams from every angle. Over the last few years, we’ve launched industry-leading features to detect scams and protect users across phone calls, text messages and messaging app chat notifications. These efforts are making a real difference in the lives of Android users. According to a recent YouGov survey1 commissioned by Google, Android users were 58% more likely than iOS users to report they had no…
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Google Security Blog
Android Quick Share Support for AirDrop: A Secure Approach to Cross-Platform File Sharing
Posted by Dave Kleidermacher, VP, Platforms Security & Privacy, Google Technology should bring people closer together, not create walls. Being able to communicate and connect with friends and family should be easy regardless of the phone they use. That’s why Android has been building experiences that help you stay connected across platforms. As part of our efforts to continue to make cross-platform communication more seamless for users, we've made Quick Share interoperable with AirDrop, allowing for two-way file sharing between Android and iOS devices, starting with the Pixel 10 Family. This…
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Google Security Blog
Rust in Android: move fast and fix things
Posted by Jeff Vander Stoep, Android Last year, we wrote about why a memory safety strategy that focuses on vulnerability prevention in new code quickly yields durable and compounding gains. This year we look at how this approach isn’t just fixing things, but helping us move faster. The 2025 data continues to validate the approach, with memory safety vulnerabilities falling below 20% of total vulnerabilities for the first time. Updated data for 2025. This data covers first-party and third-party (open source) code changes to the Android platform across C, C++, Java, Kotlin, and Rust. This post…
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Google Security Blog
How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams
Posted by Lyubov Farafonova, Product Manager, Phone by Google; Alberto Pastor Nieto, Sr. Product Manager Google Messages and RCS Spam and Abuse; Vijay Pareek, Manager, Android Messaging Trust and Safety As Cybersecurity Awareness Month wraps up, we’re focusing on one of today's most pervasive digital threats: mobile scams. In the last 12 months, fraudsters have used advanced AI tools to create more convincing schemes, resulting in over $400 billion in stolen funds globally.¹ For years, Android has been on the frontlines in the battle against scammers, using the best of Google AI to build proa…
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Google Security Blog
HTTPS by default
One year from now, with the release of Chrome 154 in October 2026, we will change the default settings of Chrome to enable “Always Use Secure Connections”. This means Chrome will ask for the user's permission before the first access to any public site without HTTPS. The “Always Use Secure Connections” setting warns users before accessing a site without HTTPS Chrome Security's mission is to make it safe to click on links. Part of being safe means ensuring that when a user types a URL or clicks on a link, the browser ends up where the user intended. When links don't use HTTPS, an attacker can h…
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Google Security Blog
Accelerating adoption of AI for cybersecurity at DEF CON 33
Posted by Elie Bursztein and Marianna Tishchenko, Google Privacy, Safety and Security Team Empowering cyber defenders with AI is critical to tilting the cybersecurity balance back in their favor as they battle cybercriminals and keep users safe. To help accelerate adoption of AI for cybersecurity workflows, we partnered with Airbus at DEF CON 33 to host the GenSec Capture the Flag (CTF), dedicated to human-AI collaboration in cybersecurity. Our goal was to create a fun, interactive environment, where participants across various skill levels could explore how AI can accelerate their daily cybe…
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Google Security Blog
Supporting Rowhammer research to protect the DRAM ecosystem
Posted by Daniel Moghimi Rowhammer is a complex class of vulnerabilities across the industry. It is a hardware vulnerability in DRAM where repeatedly accessing a row of memory can cause bit flips in adjacent rows, leading to data corruption. This can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to data, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service. Hardware vendors have deployed various mitigations, such as ECC and Target Row Refresh (TRR) for DDR5 memory, to mitigate Rowhammer and enhance DRAM reliability. However, the resilience of those mitigations against sophisticated attacke…
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Google Security Blog
How Pixel and Android are bringing a new level of trust to your images with C2PA Content Credentials
Posted by Eric Lynch, Senior Product Manager, Android Security, and Sherif Hanna, Group Product Manager, Google C2PA Core At Made by Google 2025, we announced that the new Google Pixel 10 phones will support C2PA Content Credentials in Pixel Camera and Google Photos. This announcement represents a series of steps towards greater digital media transparency: The Pixel 10 lineup is the first to have Content Credentials built in across every photo created by Pixel Camera. The Pixel Camera app achieved Assurance Level 2, the highest security rating currently defined by the C2PA Conformance Program…
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Google Security Blog
Android’s pKVM Becomes First Globally Certified Software to Achieve Prestigious SESIP Level 5 Security Certification
Posted by Dave Kleidermacher, VP Engineering, Android Security & Privacy Today marks a watershed moment and new benchmark for open-source security and the future of consumer electronics. Google is proud to announce that protected KVM (pKVM), the hypervisor that powers the Android Virtualization Framework, has officially achieved SESIP Level 5 certification. This makes pKVM the first software security system designed for large-scale deployment in consumer electronics to meet this assurance bar. Supporting Next-Gen Android Features The implications for the future of secure mobile technology are…
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Google Security Blog
Introducing OSS Rebuild: Open Source, Rebuilt to Last
Posted by Matthew Suozzo, Google Open Source Security Team (GOSST) Today we're excited to announce OSS Rebuild, a new project to strengthen trust in open source package ecosystems by reproducing upstream artifacts. As supply chain attacks continue to target widely-used dependencies, OSS Rebuild gives security teams powerful data to avoid compromise without burden on upstream maintainers. The project comprises: Automation to derive declarative build definitions for existing PyPI (Python), npm (JS/TS), and Crates.io (Rust) packages. SLSA Provenance for thousands of packages across our supported…
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Google Security Blog
Advancing Protection in Chrome on Android
Posted by David Adrian, Javier Castro & Peter Kotwicz, Chrome Security Team Android recently announced Advanced Protection, which extends Google’s Advanced Protection Program to a device-level security setting for Android users that need heightened security—such as journalists, elected officials, and public figures. Advanced Protection gives you the ability to activate Google’s strongest security for mobile devices, providing greater peace of mind that you’re better protected against the most sophisticated threats. Advanced Protection acts as a single control point for at-risk users on Androi…
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Google Security Blog
Mitigating prompt injection attacks with a layered defense strategy
Posted by Adam Gavish, Google GenAI Security Team With the rapid adoption of generative AI, a new wave of threats is emerging across the industry with the aim of manipulating the AI systems themselves. One such emerging attack vector is indirect prompt injections. Unlike direct prompt injections, where an attacker directly inputs malicious commands into a prompt, indirect prompt injections involve hidden malicious instructions within external data sources. These may include emails, documents, or calendar invites that instruct AI to exfiltrate user data or execute other rogue actions. As more…
