Tag Archives: Android

Location matters … for luxury goods & smartphone apps

Location matters ... for luxury goods and smartphone apps

Location is important when it comes to getting a fashionable wristwatch … and an app for your smartphone. It’s not easy to choose the right store. At the top of every shoppers’ must-visit list is the branded store. Where else can you try on that timepiece in such a beautiful place, under the attentive and […]

The post Location matters … for luxury goods & smartphone apps appeared first on Avira Blog.

Android and Linux, the Technologies with the Most Security Holes in 2016

The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android Nougat, has quite a few security improvements over older versions and, in fact, its arrival on the market is more than necessary. Not for nothing,  Android has managed to win the dubious honor of being the product with the most security vulnerabilities discovered in 2016.

According to the ranking carried out by the CVE Details digital platform, more than five hundred holes in Google’s mobile operating system over the past year have been found. To be exact, there were 523 security errors that put its more than 1.5 billion users at risk.

So Android has overtaken Apple. In 2015, the operating system of Apple computers, Mac OS X, had the greatest amount of vulnerabilities to their credit. However, this year Cupertino seems to have done their homework. They’ve gone from leading last year’s ranking with more than 400 vulnerabilities to closing out 2016 at number eleven on the list, with little more than 200 holes identified throughout the year.

So it turns out having a mobile fleet in your company comprised of Android phones can pose a real risk if you don’t have the right protection. In addition, it is important to update the terminal with the latest version possible, which ultimately will depend on the manufacturer (some are quicker than others, and all are abandoning their older models completely). It’s no wonder there are more than 300 million Android devices that no longer even receive security patches.

Two Linux distributers, Debian and Ubuntu, are the technological products that join Android on the podium of the most error-riddled software. Throughout 2016 over 300 vulnerabilities were found in Debian, while the other distributer came in third place with almost 280 errors.

Choosing your company’s technological tools can be key to preserving both your safety and that of your customers. However, not many are able to escape vulnerabilities: operating systems like Windows 10, browsers such as Google Chrome, or software giants like Adobe are also among the twenty products with the most vulnerabilities discovered in 2016.

The post Android and Linux, the Technologies with the Most Security Holes in 2016 appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Source Code for another Android Banking Malware Leaked

Another bad news for Android users — Source code for another Android banking malware has been leaked online via an underground hacking forum.

This newly discovered banking Trojan is designed to steal money from bank accounts of Android devices’ owners by gaining administrator privileges on their smartphones.

Apparently, it will attract the attention of many cyber criminals who can recompile

How to share your internet mobile connection safely

Are you aware of the dangers of sharing your internet mobile connection?

Most smartphones have a built-in function that allows you to share the mobile internet connection with other people nearby. Acting very much like a traditional WiFi hotspot, mobile internet connection sharing turns your phone into a hub – authorised devices can then connect to your phone and share the data connection.

This “mobile hotspot” feature is particularly useful when your friends cannot get a reliable connection to their mobile network. Or when you need to get online with your laptop really quickly while “out and about”.

But just as you (should) secure your home network to prevent abuse and deter hackers, you need to take a few extra steps to keep yourself safe. If someone does manage to hack your mobile hotspot they may be able to steal the data stored on your phone – or run up a large phone bill simply by using up your data allowance.

Here are our top tips for boosting your security.

1. Use a ‘secure’ passphrase

When someone tries to connect to your mobile hotspot, they will be prompted to enter a password – which is exactly the same procedure as connecting to any other secure WiFi network. This password needs to be “complex” to prevent hackers from guessing it.

Android and iOS both generate long, complicated passwords by default, but it is worth checking your own settings to confirm. You must resist the urge to replace the password with something simple though – if you make it too easy for your friends to get connected, you also make it easier for hackers to jump online.

The Apple iPhone mobile hotspot requires a password at least eight characters long, but you should consider choosing something even longer that uses a combination of upper and lower case letters, mixed with numbers and punctuation marks (like ! Or ?) to deter dictionary attacks from “guessing” the password. The same password tip applies to smartphones running Android.

2. Disable by default

You can toggle the mobile hotspot function on and off – so it’s only available when you actually need it. You should always ensure the hotspot is toggled off when not in use to reduce the risk of unauthorised connections.

A few extra taps on the screen to enable the hotspot may be annoying – but nowhere near as frustrating as an unexpectedly high phone bill run up by people abusing your mobile data connection.

3. Keep an eye on your screen

Both Android and iOS provide helpful on-screen indicators to show when your mobile hotspot is switched on, and how many devices are currently connected. You should keep an eye on that indicator – it will help you spot when someone is connecting without your permission.

If you do detect an unauthorised connection, turn the hotspot off, and change the password immediately. This will help to prevent your connection being hijacked again.

Using these three tips, you can greatly reduce the risk of becoming another mobile fraud victim. For more help securing your mobile device, download a free trial of Panda Mobile Security.

The post How to share your internet mobile connection safely appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Update Right Away or Wait it Out? Android’s Big Dilemma

If your employees are like most users, they most likely postpone updates for their OS. In other words, your company’s mobile fleet could be at risk. This is especially true if they are using Android devices. When the famous little green robot gives a notification of the update, a good deal of people wait for other users to try it first and then gauge their reaction.

It seems sensible enough, but this practice could put your company’s security in danger. First of all, phones with Android are more susceptible to break-ins than ones with iOS. Then there’s the fact that most corporate phones are equipped with Google’s software, which in itself involves a risk — the good people at Mountain View take longer than Apple to launch updates with security patches when a vulnerability is detected.

So Google lags in its response to threats, but the fragmentation of Android devices makes the response time even longer. It’s not enough for Google alone to launch its update, but will later have to be adapted to the specific make and model that your employees are using. Ultimately, an Android patch takes long enough to arrive without the added time of the user postponing an update.

On the other hand, it is true that some people recommend letting some time pass to see how each individual phone reacts to a new update. This advice, which in principle is completely inadvisable for corporate security, does in fact have a reason for being. Some mid-range models could potentially lose some performance or even some functions when a new OS is installed.

Tips on How to Safeguard Your Corporate Devices

The need to protect the confidentiality of corporate data is underscored by this seemingly quotidian matter. For one thing, it’s crucial that employees have a powerful and recent mobile device so as not to run any risks when updating. Also important is that they always have at their disposition the right protection.

The bottom line: your employees should update their mobile software as soon as it’s available. You should also recommend that they make backup copies beforehand. Doing so will reassure them that there is no risk of losing anything. Finally, they should delete cached data to prevent their device’s losing performance. No stone should go unturned in the protection and safeguarding of your company’s data.

The post Update Right Away or Wait it Out? Android’s Big Dilemma appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

New Android Malware Hijacks Router DNS from Smartphone

Another day, another creepy malware for Android users!

Security Researchers have uncovered a new Android malware targeting your devices, but this time instead of attacking the device directly, the malware takes control over the WiFi router to which your device is connected to and then hijacks the web traffic passing through it.

Dubbed “Switcher,” the new Android malware, discovered by