The Register – Tech News

Browser extensions pushed malware to 4.3M Chrome, Edge users

A seven-year malicious browser extension campaign infected 4.3 million Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users with malware, including backdoors and spyware sending people's data to servers in China. The attackers, which Koi named ShadyPanda, played the long game: publishing legitimate extensions, accumulating thousands or sometimes millions of downloads over several years, and then pushing a malware-laden update that auto updates across the entire user base.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/01/chrome_edge_malicious_browser_extensions/?td=rt-3a

Dell ends hybrid work policy despite remote work pledge

Dell justified the policy change by asserting a thirty-second in-person conversation can replace an email discussion that goes on for hours or days and by noting that specific groups within the company – sales, manufacturing, and engineering – have already adjusted to being in the office five days per week. Many companies, such as Amazon, have trimmed back or ended remote work arrangements over the past year. These return to office (RTO) mandates, however, have failed to improve corporate financial performance, according to a study last year by University of Pittsburgh business school associate professor Mark Ma and Yuye Ding, a doctoral student.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/31/dell_ends_hybrid_work_policy/?td=rt-3a

Mozilla removing Do Not Track option from Firefox 135

"Many sites do not respect this indication of a person's privacy preferences, and, in some cases, it can reduce privacy," Mozilla said on the updated DNT support page. It directs users to instead make use of newer Global Privacy Control features also present in the browser.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/12/firefox_do_not_track/

Study finds 268% higher failure rates for Agile software projects

A study has found that projects adopting Agile practices are 268 percent more likely to fail than those that do not. Even though the research commissioned by consultancy Engprax could be seen as a thinly veiled plug for Impact Engineering methodology, it feeds into the suspicion that the Agile Manifesto might not be all it's cracked up to be.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/05/agile_failure_rates/

Browser maker love-in snubs Google-shunned JPEG XL

Browser makers Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla, alongside two software consultancies, celebrated a moment of unity and common purpose on Thursday with the announcement of Interop 2024, a project to promote web browser interoperability.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/03/jpeg_xl_interop_2024

Google pays Apple $18B+ a year to keep its search in iPhone

"We believe there is a possibility that federal courts rule against Google and force it to terminate its search deal with Apple," said Bernstein in the report sent to The Register. "We estimate that the ISA is worth $18B-20B in annual payments from Google to Apple, accounting for 14-16 percent of Apple's annual operating profits."
https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/10/google_pays_apple_18_20_claims_bernstein/?td=rt-3a