AfterDawn: Tech news

Google is speeding up Google+ shut down after a security bug

Written by Matti Robinson @ 11 Dec 2018 10:17

Google is speeding up Google+ shut down after a security bug Google revealed two months ago that it was time to shut down their social media platform Google+.
For years Google+ has been considered a dead platform, even though it still has some 100 million users. In October, the search giant announced that it would close Google+ by next August.

Now, after learning about a security hole in Google+ code, they've decided that it should be run down quicker than originally intended.

New schedule is that Google+ will shut down four months earlier in April, 2019. The reason of closure is still the low usage base, but after finding a bug in the code last month that could pose a threat to information security, Google wants to limit the chances of any kind of breach.

The bug was fixes on the spot, and there is no known abuses of the security hole it created. The bug gave app developers access to users' data that wasn't meant public, including names, birth dates and email addresses.



Obviously Google+ has not been the company's priority for quite some time, and thus there's a worry that other bugs might be found, too.

It makes sense that Google doesn't drag out the shut down unnecessarily. Just remember to back up your Google+ data before April.


Previous Next  
Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
1 user comment
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive