Malicious Android Apps Target Users in Japan
Cybercriminals targeted Android users in Japan with a number of malware-laced Android apps designed to mimic and masquerade as popular games, according to researchers at Symantec.
Mobile Security
Slideshow: How to Avoid Getting Hacked While Traveling
VIEW SLIDESHOW How to Avoid Getting Hacked While TravelingResearcher Justin Morehouse has logged more than 100,000 miles to eight countries in the last year. His message: business travelers are at greater risk of being hacked than ever before, especially when it comes to smart phones and tablets. Now the security expert has distilled his research and first-hand experiences into some sage advice for travelling executives and VIPs. Here are eight ways you can protect yourself abroad.
Interview: Android Engineered To Enable Data Harvesting
We wrote yesterday about research by Paul Brodeur of Leviathan Security Group on security weaknesses that are built into Google’s Android mobile operating system. Brodeur was able to show, using a proof of concept application, that Android applications without any permissions can still access files used by other applications, including which applications are installed and a list of any readable files used by those applications. In this question and answer session, Brodeur corresponds with Threatpost about his ongoing work studying the Android operating system, and how a combination of loose application coding and insecure design makes Google’s Android a boon for advertisers and others who want to harvest data on mobile users.*
By Tim ArmstrongI really like the new app by OMGPOP called Draw Something. I play this game with my friends possibly a little too much. Draw Something has attracted more than 50 million downloads, and was just acquired by Zynga for $200 million dollars. It was surprising the other day when I noticed an advertisement at the bottom of the screen for a battery optimizer app. In fact, it even told me two upgrades were available!
The term “permissions” may be a relative one for Google’s Android operating system, which grants applications with no permissions access to a wide range of user and device data, according to research from the company Leviathan Security Group.
Corporate executives and other high value employees traveling abroad need to be on guard for attempts to compromise their mobile devices, and could even have their mobile phone compromised before they even disembark the plane following their arrival, according to security researcher Justin Morehouse. A thirst for intellectual property and trade secrets, and a bugeoning market of sophisticated mobile surveillance tools means that executives need to begin thinking and acting like spies in order to avoid being spied upon themselves, according to a presentation at the OWASP AppSec DC 2012 conference in Washington DC on Thursday.
Privacy and security are not the top concerns for Google’s Larry Page, at least if the CEO’s most recent message to investors is any indication.
A new form of Android malware controlled via SMS messages has been discovered and the malware can record phone calls, upload the device’s GPS location, and reboot the phone, among other things.Researchers at NQ Mobile Security working with Dr. Xuxian Jiang’s team at nearby North Carolina State University uncovered the malware, named TigerBot.
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part podcast with independent security researcher Chris Soghoian. In the first part of our podcast with independent security researcher Chris Soghoian, we talked about the way that the proliferation of “free” applications have forced consumers into the position of increasingly trading privacy for access to cool new Web sites and tools.
A new version of Android malware has been tweaked so it doesn’t require user interaction for an attacker to own the device, according to research published by Lookout Mobile Security yesterday.
