Greater collaboration between the UK’s technology industry and police forces is essential to successfully tackle “high-volume, low-impact cybercrime”, a new report advises.
The post ‘Collaboration needed’ to combat low-impact cybercrime appeared first on We Live Security.
Apple has once again reiterated its claim that it is technically impossible for it to access encrypted data on iPhones that are running iOS 8 or higher and even if it was possible, it would be apprehensive to perform such an action.
The post Apple: It is impossible to access encrypted data on iPhones appeared first on We Live Security.
Sony Pictures Entertainment says that it will pay out $8 million to its employees, over a data breach last year. The studio was attacked by cybercriminals over the release of the movie The Interview.
The post Sony agrees to $8 million settlement over 2014 data breach appeared first on We Live Security.
We all know that excited feeling when you take your new Android phone out of the box for the first time. The possibilities seem infinite – the battery will last forever, your phone will operate at lightning speed and you’ve never had more space for all your photos and music. But, how long until that hopeful feeling fades? Well, just wait until you’ve installed all your favorite apps. You may see your smartphone or tablet slow down to a virtual crawl in no time at all.
Keen to prevent this? In our global AVG Android App Report (Q2 2015), we’ve again, identified the top 10 apps that drain your battery, clog your storage and use up most of your mobile data. 
What are the top app sinners?
These were just some of the highlights that stood out to us. Our top 10 resource-draining apps should give you even more insight into what apps make your phone or tablet slow to a crawl. We’ve divided our top list into apps that you run by yourself, and those that run quietly in the background, which you may not even know about:
Read the entire App Report here.
So what can you do about it?
Now that you know about the top apps, what’s left for you to do? Stay tuned for our next blog on the top tips to optimize your smartphone and tablet.
AMSTERDAM – October 20, 2015 – Although its pictures and videos are gone in an instant, its effect on your smartphone lingers, as Snapchat the image-sharing app has been crowned as the number one smartphone performance killer in the latest AVG Android App Performance Report. Compiled by AVG® Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million monthly active users, the report saw Snapchat dethrone previous top-spot holders, Facebook and Spotify, thanks to its simultaneous use of your device’s camera, Wi-Fi, mobile data and GPS functionality.
Also climbing to the top of the report is the social and blogging platform Tumblr, which has emerged as the highest, traffic-consuming app for the period. Despite the relatively low-level content viewed on the platform – primarily news, short video clips, blogs and some pictures – Tumblr used more data than Netflix and Spotify combined.
Additional findings from the report include:
Though many users make a conscious choice to download and run high-impact apps on their smartphones, AVG’s research has found a host of apps which silently drain smartphone resources in the background without the users’ knowledge or action. These apps are differentiated in the report as those that run at start-up, versus those that are run by the user. The following apps consumed the most, overall battery drain, storage usage and mobile data combined.
“The goal of these reports is not to alarm smartphone users, but rather to enable them to make informed choices about the apps they run on a daily basis,” said Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist, at AVG Technologies. “Apps are meant to enhance, not to detract from your smartphone experience, but with so many options, we are in danger of overloading our devices. If you are one of the people who feels like they are fighting a constant battle with their device’s battery, or never have enough storage to save your favorite clips and images, then we want to help you take back control.”
Analyzing aggregated, anonymous data from over one million AVG Android app users, the quarterly AVG Android App Performance Report aims to reveal the top performance-affecting apps worldwide – analyzing their overall impact and performance against three key categories – battery drain, storage consumption, and data traffic use.
The full report can be downloaded from http://now.avg.com/android-app-performance-report-q2-2015
About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)
AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG’s award-winning technology is delivered to over 200 million monthly active users worldwide. AVG’s Consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection for mobile devices and desktops. The AVG Business portfolio – delivered by managed service providers, VARs and resellers – offers IT administration, control and reporting, integrated security, and mobile device management that simplify and protect businesses.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts:
North America:
Deanna Contreras
Tel: +1 415 371 2001
Email: [email protected]
Rest of World:
Zena Martin
Tel: +44 7496 638 342
Email: [email protected]
Press information: http://now.avg.com
Vulnerabilities that have been found in LTE networks leave Android devices open to a DDoS attack, according to the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (CERT/CC) at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Facebook has revealed that it will let its users know if their accounts have been subject to state-sponsored cyberattacks.
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Android users will be well aware of the fact that the Google Play store, and their Android device, are constantly under the watchful eye of cybercriminals. Thanks to the wide usage of the Android operating system, these criminals use this in the favor and use the Google Play store to help spread their malware to unsuspecting victims.
The latest case is called Kemoge and, similar to another recent malware that affected iOS users, has its roots in China. This follows Google removing many apps from the online store that disguised themselves as legitimate applications but actually began to push out adware and, eventually, more malicious things. Some of the popular apps that were disguised as Kemoge include Smart Touch, Calculator, Talking Tom, Light Browser, Privacy Lock, Easy Locker and others including adult apps. The malware then collects information from the infected device and starts sending ads in an aggressive manner. The eight root exploits are more worrisome because the attackers can use them to download, install and launch apps on the infected device.
Once the campaign was discovered, Google set about deleting the infected applications from its online store and issued warnings to users. The infection covered a large spectrum of devices, but the root exploits are not one-to-one mapping. Furthermore, some of the root exploits are device oriented, like motochopper which targets Motorola devices, but some others are general root, like the put_user exploit, which can root unpatched devices from Samsung, HTC or Motorola.
Once the device is infected, Kemoge beings to install different components which help it gain root access. It, for example, registers MyReceiver in the AndroidManifest which invokes another component called MyService, both of which are disguised as legitimate Google code because they include Google’s com.google component prefix. This means that the device is under constant control without the victim realizing it.
As always, the best way to avoid being the victim of malware, regardless of what device you are using, is to be protected with an antivirus for Android. As we have seen before, there are many different ways that you could have your or your loved ones’ privacy or information compromised, and prevention is the best form of protection.
The post Kemoge: Google Play faces new app attack appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
On Tuesday, October 13, The United States Department of Justice announced that they had taken down and seized multiple command-and-control (C&C) servers that were part of a network used by the Dridex trojan to upload stolen information and distribute malware.
U.S. Attorney Hickton said, “Through a technical disruption and criminal indictment we have struck a blow to one of the most pernicious malware threats in the world.”
Dridex, also known as ‘Bugat’ and ‘Cridex’, is a malicious trojan used by criminals to steal bank login credentials from an infected PC, in order to gain access to a victim’s bank account—it’s been quite successful too, with losses in the UK estimated at £20 million and in the US at $10 million.
Dridex is commonly distributed in the form of a phishing email, and often contains an infected Word doc attachment. When a victim opens the Word document they unknowingly infect their PC, thereby allowing attackers to eavesdrop on their computer’s activity and automate the theft of data.
Head of Operations at the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU), Mike Hulett, said: “This is a particularly virulent form of malware and we have been working with our international law enforcement partners, as well as key partners from industry, to mitigate the damage it causes. Our investigation is ongoing and we expect further arrests to be made.”
While the FBI and other international agencies continue their investigations, UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is still warning UK internet users to be aware of and protect themselves against Dridex.
Even though the distribution network has been crippled, the actual malware still exists and can be used by other criminals.
Mike Hulett goes on to provide sound advice for everyone, “We urge all internet users to take action and update your operating system. Ensure you have up to date security software and think twice before clicking on links or attachments in unsolicited emails”.
If you don’t already have a suitable antivirus solution in place, we recommend you install one today. Download our award-winning AVG Protection for your PC to help prevent malware and viruses.
If you or anybody you know has been affected by cybercrime fraud you can report it to:
US
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaints Center
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
UK
ActionFruad – National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk
AUS
ACORN – Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network
https://report.acorn.gov.au
Many American homes have a false sense of security when it comes to their devices and networks – their digital doors could do with better protection.
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