Katie Malone

    Senior Reporter

    Katie joined Engadget in 2023 to cover security, that's anything from data privacy to best cyber practices and more. She started her career covering government technology, which still has a special place in her coverage, but has also covered business tech, cloud and cybersecurity at publications like Insider and Industry Dive. A firm believer in logging off, she spends her time baking her way through cookbooks, being outside, and taking on new crafts or home improvement projects.

  • Everyone is selling VPNs, and that's a problem for security

    The sharp spike in VPN ads adds to the confusion and jargon around cybersecurity — and it could be misleading us on how secure we really are.

  • The best password managers for 2023

    These are the best password managers you can use to keep your information safe and secure.

  • The best VPNs for 2023

    VPNs are not a one-size-fits-all security solution. Instead, they’re just one part of keeping your data private and secure. We tested out nine of the best VPNs available now to help you choose the best one for your needs.

  • Google's unknown tracker alerts will soon detect unwanted Bluetooth trackers

    Android updates to its "Find My Device" network will alert users to unknown trackers, even if they aren't Google branded, the company announced at Google I/O 2023 on Wednesday.

  • Google adds more context and AI-generated photos to image search

    Google announced new features to its image search function to make it easier to spot altered content, the company announced at Google I/O 2023 on Wednesday.

  • The government is very hackable, and they have your data

    You can probably trust the federal government to keep your data safe in the same way you trust the companies you interact with everyday. What makes the government so different, though, is that it’s a high profile target.

  • What do AI chatbots know about us, and who are they sharing it with?

    AI Chatbots are relatively old by tech standards, but the newest crop — led by OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard — are vastly more capable than their ancestors, not always for positive reasons. The recent explosion in AI development has already created concerns around misinformation, disinformation, plagiarism and machine-generated malware. What problems might generative AI pose for the privacy of the average internet user? The answer, according to experts, is largely a matter of how these bots are trained and how much we plan to interact with them.

  • The dos and don’ts of location sharing

    Like other kinds of personal information, location data is presented by companies as a trade-off: consumers willingly expose where they are, usually for a more convenient user experience; the companies in turn gather crucial intel about customers and, more often than not, resell that data to third-parties for additional profit.

  • It took a TikToker barely 30 minutes to doxx me

    In 30 minutes or less, TikToker and Chicago-based server Kristen Sotakoun can probably find your birth date. She’s not a cybersecurity expert, despite what some of her followers suspect, but has found a hobby in what she calls “consensual doxxing.”

  • Eight months post-Roe, reproductive-health privacy is still messy

    Data privacy awareness boomed last June when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, limiting access to safe, legal abortion. Privacy experts say not to let your guard down. Legislative bodies have made little progress on health data security.

  • Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

    As far as I know, no one is using an Apple AirTag to stalk me. But if that were to change, I’m not even sure I’d notice Apple’s attempts to warn me because I can't get rid of its safety notifications.

  • Twitter’s 2FA paywall is a good opportunity to upgrade your security practices

    Twitter's decision to pull a popular method of two-factor authentication for non-paying customers could this make your account more vulnerable to attack, and undermine the platform’s security.

  • Hyundai and Kia release software update to prevent TikTok thefts

    Kia and Hyundai released a software update on Monday after a viral TikTok challenge taught users how to hack the vehicles.

  • Update your Apple devices now to patch a security flaw

    Apple released security updates to its operating systems to fix flaws that hackers may have actively exploited.