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Google Adds Memory And Temporary Chats To Gemini

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Google announced new updates to its chatbot, Gemini, this Wednesday, including memory and temporary chat features. The new tools will begin rolling out within the next few days, with the tech giant aiming to provide a more personalized experience for users.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

• Google announced new updates to Gemini to provide a more personalized experience for users.
• Gemini can now learn from past conversations and remember key details or relevant information.
• Google introduced a privacy feature called Temporary Chats, which are stored for only 72 hours.

According to Google’s announcement , Gemini can now remember previous conversations with users. The AI model can also engage in temporary, private conversations through a new feature called Temporary Chats.

“We’re updating the Gemini app so it becomes an even more personal, proactive, and powerful assistant, while also providing you more control over your data,” wrote Michael Siliski, Senior Director, Product Management at Gemini app.

The new features are similar to those introduced by OpenAI for ChatGPT in April , with both companies aiming to deliver more customized interactions and build stronger connections with users.

Google said Gemini is now able to learn from past conversations and remember key details or relevant information previously shared by users. Those who enable the memory setting will be able to ask personal questions and receive more tailored suggestions.

The new setting will first be available for the 2.5 Pro model in select countries and will expand to the 2.5 Flash model and additional regions over the next few weeks. Google clarified that users who are not interested in the memory feature can opt out and turn it off at any time.

Google also introduced another privacy feature called Temporary Chats. Conversations in these chats will not appear in the recent chats section or in the mobile app’s activity log.

“Temporary Chats won’t appear in your recent chats or Gemini Apps Activity, and they won’t be used to personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models,” added Siliski. “They are kept for up to 72 hours to respond to you and to process any feedback you choose to provide.”

Google added that the setting Gemini Apps Activity will be renamed to Keep Activity. Content shared by users with this setting enabled will be used to train the chatbot, though users can turn it off at any time or choose to use Temporary Chats instead.

Image by DC Studio, from Freepik

New Hacker Group Found Hiding in Legitimate Websites

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

“Curly COMrades,” a hacker group with advanced espionage tactics, is targeting governments and energy companies in Eastern Europe.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

• The hackers steal passwords to keep breaking into systems.
• They use a special backdoor to stay hidden on computers.
• Stolen data is sent through real but hacked websites.

Bitdefender Labs has identified a new hacker group, “Curly COMrades,” believed to be operating in support of Russian interests and targeting nations undergoing political change. Since mid-2024, the group has attacked judicial and government bodies in Georgia and an energy company in Moldova.

The hackers’ main goal is to “maintain long-term access to target networks and steal valid credentials.” They repeatedly tried to extract the NTDS database, which stores Windows user passwords, and dump LSASS memory to recover login details, possibly in plain text.

The “Curly COMrades” operation depends on establishing robust access points through Resocks, SSH, and Stunnel tools. The attackers use MucorAgent as their custom backdoor, which hides their access by hijacking Windows .NET Native Image Generator CLSIDs. The unpredictable nature of this persistence method makes it difficult to detect.

The attackers hide their operations by sending stolen data and remote commands through compromised legitimate websites, mixing malicious traffic with typical network activity. Bitdefender says “it’s very likely that what we’ve observed is just a small part of a much larger network of compromised web infrastructure they control.”

The lack of sufficient evidence led Bitdefender to avoid linking the group to any known hacking organizations. The researchers created a new name based on technical indicators, including ‘curl.exe’ usage and ‘COM object’ hijacking, to avoid glamorizing cybercrime activities.

The investigation started after proxy software activity raised suspicions which led to the discovery of a larger espionage operation. The researchers consider this group to be a major threat to high-value political and infrastructure targets given its tactics and persistence.