Tag Archives: Android

Android Trojan Targeting Over 420 Banking Apps Worldwide Found On Google Play Store

Do you like watching funny videos online?

I am not kind of a funny person, but I love watching funny videos clips online, and this is one of the best things that people can do in their spare time.

But, beware if you have installed a funny video app from Google Play Store.

A security researcher has discovered a new variant of the infamous Android banking Trojan hiding in apps under different

[Infographic] The ultimate student app guide

Study Medicine Europe and Avira: The ultimate student app guide

If you would like to be efficient, it is all about organization. There are a lot of apps which can help you to organize yourself – but what apps do you need to succeed in your studies? This student app guide provides you with the best possibilities to organize yourself. Starting your life as a student […]

The post [Infographic] The ultimate student app guide appeared first on Avira Blog.

‘Ghost Push’ Malware Threatens Android Users

Why should you update your Android device’s operating system? Two words. Ghost Push.

The well known trojan has had various iterations and it’s often updated to bypass new security updates.

At its peak, Ghost Push infected over 600,000 Android devices daily, a colossal number. The trojan is capable of rooting phones, displaying revenue-generating ads that drain your battery, and can be used by hackers as a means of spying on the infected party.

When infected, it is virtually impossible for the device’s owner to remove the virus, even by factory reset, unless the firmware is reflashed.

This is not an easy malware to get rid of.

The good news? A simple update of your Android operating system can make your phone much less penetrable to this type of malware.

However, even though Android has released version 7, Nougat, of its OS, there is still cause for concern. Recently released figures show that Android users are slow on the uptake when it comes to updating their OS. The majority of users are still running Lollipop, or earlier, meaning that they are vulnerable to the Ghost Push virus.

The latest iteration of the Ghost Push trojan.

In fact, the latest iteration of the Ghost Push trojan, which was discovered in September 2015, can infect devices running on Android Lollipop (version 5) or any of the OS that came before it.

In a recent blog post, Graham Cluley drove home the issue, emphasizing the root of what, on the surface, should be an easy problem to rectify. He said, “when you compare the take-up of new versions of Android compared to Apple iOS it’s clear that one ecosystem does a much better job of getting its users to upgrade to the latest version of their OS, protecting against security vulnerabilities, than the other.

There’s a reason for this. Whereas Apple has its own integrated app store, for Android it’s a different story. In their case, carriers, smartphone manufacturers and Google all have to work together to get a new update out to users. As such, the process takes longer, and updates are rolled out with much less frequency than they are for iOS.

Android Users

This, unfortunately, has a knock on effect that only serves to make Android users even more vulnerable. As Cluley puts it, Android users end up feeling abandoned, and this leads to many of them venturing “into the cloudy waters of installing third-party ROMs like CyanogenMod that receive regular updates.”

Recent research, also looked at the type of links that delivered the malware to users. Most were short links and ad links. The country most hit by the trojan infection, meanwhile, was India with more than 50 per cent of infections. Indonesia and the Philippines rank second and third, showing that the trojan is most prevalent in Asian countries. This doesn’t mean it’s not a threat in North America and Europe, though.

Be aware

Putting your trust in third-party sources can of course be risky, and that’s where infections like Ghost Push can be unwittingly installed by users. It’s important to be aware of what’s being installed.

Unfortunately installing third-party ROMs and applications can often lead to the installation of unwanted malicious malware and even ransomware. Android users should do their best to only download applications from reputable app stores and should avoid clicking on those suspect unknown third-party links, however tempting the proposition.

The post ‘Ghost Push’ Malware Threatens Android Users appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Millions Of Smartphones Using Broadcom Wi-Fi Chip Can Be Hacked Over-the-Air

Millions of smartphones and smart gadgets, including Apple iOS and many Android handsets from various manufacturers, equipped with Broadcom Wifi chips are vulnerable to over-the-air hijacking without any user interaction.

Just yesterday, Apple rushed out an emergency iOS 10.3.1 patch update to address a serious bug that could allow an attacker within same Wifi network to remotely execute

Google just discovered a dangerous Android Spyware that went undetected for 3 Years

An Android version of one of the most sophisticated mobile spyware has been discovered that remained undetected for at least three years due to its smart self-destruction capabilities.

Dubbed Chrysaor, the Android spyware has been used in targeted attacks against activists and journalists mostly in Israel, but also in Georgia, Turkey, Mexico, the UAE and other countries.

Chrysaor espionage

Android Beats Windows to Become World's Most Popular Operating System

It’s an impressive milestone for Google — For the first time in decades, Android has been crowned as the world’s most popular operating system in terms of Internet usage, knocking Microsoft Windows off the top spot.

According to a new report from web traffic analytics firm StatCounter, Google’s Android is the most popular operating system worldwide in terms of total internet usage across

Verizon to pre-install a 'Spyware' app on its Android phones to collect user data

If the death of online privacy rules wasn’t enough for Internet Service Providers and advertisers to celebrate, Verizon has planned to pre-install spyware on customers’ Android devices in order to collect their personal data.

The telecom giant has partnered with Evie Launcher to bring a new application called ‘AppFlash’ — a universal search bar that will come pre-installed on the home screens

The best ways to speed up your android device

Six top tips for speeding up a sluggish Android device

It’s soul-destroying and one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to deal with. No, not Sunday lunch with your mother-in-law. We’re talking about Android devices operating at frustratingly slow speeds. It wasn’t like that when you bought it of course. So what’s going on? Why is speed such a big issue half a year down the line? “Is my service provider at fault?” we hear you ask.

It probably isn’t. 88% of all US connections are 3G or 4G, so there should be enough juice available for everyone. Sorry to disappoint you but in all likelihood, your problem is closer to home. Like, with the device itself and the way you are using it. But the good news is that help is available. It’s a fact of life; Android devices will stop performing at top condition after any prolonged period of use. Nobody said you have got to settle for that.

You’ll find below six useful tips to speed up your sluggish Android device.

  1. Back things up. All those photos & videos from that last holiday are so last year anyway… export, weed out, or cull them – whatever you want to call it: it’s time to backup your device. That should be the first step you take. Doing it will free up some space on your phone, and this eventually creates a better working device.
  2. Reboot. When was last time you switched it off? You can’t remember, can you? Well, maybe it’s time to switch it off and restart the device. Your mom will be proud of you!
  3. Clear up that cached data. Cached data will build up in your applications over time. This affects the performance of your device – you’ll find it hard shifting the blame on this one… To delete individual caches simply open up the settings on your phone and go to Storage and press the Cached Data button. It will delete all this useless data choking your beloved cell phone.
  4. Be realistic about your device’s capabilities. Did you overburden your phone with resource-hungry apps gnawing away relentlessly? They’re degrading your phone’s performance, so weed out or cull those apps – whatever you want to call it: it’s time to make some space. Do you really need everything you’ve installed anyway?
  5. Make sure your OS is fully up to date. You should always keep your OS up to date. Yes it’s time-consuming, yes it’s annoying, but just like visiting your mother-in-law it’s got to be done. There are good reasons why Google releases improvements to the Android operating system: those updates deliver stability, higher performance and plenty of benefits. It’s not worth missing out, and they are for free.
  6. Disable unnecessary animations. No matter how great they look, animations and special effects are known to slow things down. Boost performance by taking a closer look at your launcher’s settings.

Panda Mobile Security

If after following all these tips your Android device is still not working at an optimal speed, keep in mind that Panda Mobile Security maximizes the performance and battery life of your smartphone by analyzing in real time the activity of the apps installed on it.

These are just a few tips

There are plenty of other things to consider too. For example, why not use a high-speed memory card to your device? Not only you will increase your storage space (up to 2TB depending on your phone’s capabilities), but your device will start working faster. Also, if you’re are a gamer, check out one of the RAM memory optimizers.
Obviously, we’re all for cleaning things up… but make sure you don’t disable your Panda Security anti-virus software by mistake.

Stay safe!

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