Tag Archives: smartphone

Avast

“Good Samaritans” return lost phones from Avast experiment

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Twenty Android mobile phones were intentionally lost in The Lost Phones social experiment that Avast security analysts ran for 5 months.

The story is about how Avast Anti-Theft was able to track the phones and follow the journey that some of them took after being found. But four of those phones were returned to Avast because of good Samaritans who didn’t feel it was right to keep them.

Quiana W. returned a lost phone to Avast

Quiana W. returned a lost phone to Avast

We spoke to two of them; Quiana W., who found a phone on a park bench in Harlem, New York City and to Michael D. who found one in a public restroom in San Francisco. We asked what they thought when they first spotted the phones.

Quiana: I wanted to check it to see if it was on and see if I would be able to contact someone to return their phone. I know what it feels like to lose things, wallet or a phone, so I was just trying to pay it forward. It doesn’t necessarily have to happen back to me in this way, but it was just something that kind of took my heart.

Michael: My initial reaction was to leave the phone where it was. It seemed a little suspicious – how could someone not hear the phone drop onto the floor? I also thought that someone might mistake me for a thief if I walked out with the phone. But then, partially out of boredom and partially out of honesty, I decided to play detective and find the phone’s owner.

Lost_Phones

Michael D. found a lost phone in a public restroom

Why is your phone so important?

Quiana: Everything revolves around technology. The most valuable piece of information on my phone is probably my contacts, because I try not to keep too much private stuff, or stuff that is sensitive, but I guess my contacts or things I may discuss with people via text messages are most important to me.

Michael: My own phone is important to me because it keeps me in contact with family and friends. The most valuable data on my phone is the contact list. Then the old messages saved to memory.

Why did you return the phone?

Quiana: I lost my phone a couple of months ago and I didn’t even know I lost it. I was in a car and my cousin kept asking me why I was calling her? So, I’m like, Wait a minute, I don’t have my phone! Where is my phone?

I dropped my phone in a parking lot of the grocery store that we were just at, so I went back to get it. So, I kinda would feel lost (without my phone), I would feel definitely lost.

Michael: I returned the phone because I don’t take things that aren’t mine.

What would you fear about losing your phone?

Quiana: The amount of money I would have to pay to get it back.

Michael also thought about what would happen if he lost his own phone. If that happened, he would be more concerned about losing the device itself rather than the data on his device.

Protect your data and the device it’s on

Even though four honest people returned a lost phone to Avast, 15 stolen phones are still out there. We were able to track 11 phones immediately because they stayed online for more than 24 hours after losing them, we were able to track 7 phones for several months, and 4 phones are still online and being used.

“More than 3 million phones are lost each year,” said Gagan Singh, president of mobile at Avast. “Fortunately with Avast Anti-Theft, users have the means to track and recover a lost phone – or remotely wipe the data on it if it’s not recoverable.

You have a better chance of getting your phone back if you install  Avast Anti-Theft. Get it for free from the Google Play Store.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

 

Avast

How the Avast ‘Lost Phone’ experiment worked

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We trust our free app Avast Anti-Theft to track down lost phones, but we wanted to put it to the test in a real-world situation. So five months ago, we bought 20 Android smartphones and installed three security apps on all the phones: Our free Avast Anti-Theft app, Lookout Mobile Security, and Clean Master. Each phone was marked with contact information on where to return the device if found. After all was prepared, Avast security analysts traveled to New York City and San Francisco to randomly “lose” them in public places.

Here’s a video that shows what happened.

Over the months, the analysts used the Avast Anti-Theft app to track the lost devices and observed the following:

  • 15 phones were wiped clean using the factory reset feature
  • 11 phones stayed online for more than 24 hours after losing them
  • 7 phones we were able to track for several months
  • 4 phones were returned
  • 4 phones are currently online and used
  • 2 phones ended up abroad
  • 1 phone was never factory data reset

The majority of lost devices were wiped clean using the factory reset feature, but only the Avast Anti-Theft app survived the factory reset.

You can track your missing mobile phones and tablets with Avast Anti-Theft. Get it for free from the Google Play Store.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Avira

Dissecting MKero, the premium SMS service subscriber trojan found on Google Play

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Since Android already became the most used operating system among devices worldwide, it indirectly caught the attention of malware creators as well – around 97% of malicious mobile software is now targeting Android.

The post Dissecting MKero, the premium SMS service subscriber trojan found on Google Play appeared first on Avira Blog.

Avast

Life beyond the screen: Coming face to face with technology addiction

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Photo via Telegraph online

Photo via Telegraph online

Believe it or not, there’s more to life than what’s happening online! In its beginnings, technology was intended to make our lives simpler and more convenient. When technology becomes an addiction, however, it can become dangerous to our mental and physical health, not to mention our personal lives.

Avast is a technology and security company. At the same time, we’re also human beings. By sharing cybersecurity news on our blog, alongside our forum and social networks, we aim to make things simpler for our users — providing them with safety tips to avoid headaches and losses of time. In other words, we’d like everyone to reserve as much time as possible for the parts of life that truly matter.

Recently, a study found that students’ performance can significantly decline due to technology addiction. To fight students’ urge to be active on their devices when they shouldn’t be, there are several apps that have been created that close and prevent other apps to be opened, ensuring users to be able to stay focused and concentrated on their classes, research or homework.

Since it has become this difficult to pry ourselves away from our screens, it’s sometimes a good thing to occasionally be left without battery or network coverage. This way, we’re essentially forced to put off our thoughts about what’s being published on social media and focus on the things that are taking place around us.

Here in Brazil, it’s not uncommon to see signs at bars or restaurants that read something similar to “we don’t have Wi-Fi, talk among yourselves” or “we don’t have Wi-Fi, bring a friend to talk to”. These places don’t do this because they need to save money on their Internet bill — instead, it’s about providing their guests with human interactions and a genuine experience.

It’s our job to use our current technology wisely. When it’s time to concentrate and focus, Avast is there to keep our users safe from spam, scams, and hackers — things that cause us to lose time and energy.

You can depend on us to keep your security (and peace of mind) in tact. We urge our users to recommend Avast to the ones who they love and who they want to spend quality time with.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Avira

Copy & Paste Password Bug in Android Makes It Easy to Hack Your Phone

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If you have any kind of smartphone you probably know that when your phone is locked it requires some kind of passcode to enter – be it a password, a PIN or a pattern. It’s there to make your phone secure and disallow strangers from getting access to your data.

The post Copy & Paste Password Bug in Android Makes It Easy to Hack Your Phone appeared first on Avira Blog.

Avira

Fix for 600 Million Galaxy Phones Available Soon

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You might have heard of the security issue with Galaxy phones that was everywhere in the media this week. If not, let me fill you in:

Samsung phones come preinstalled with SwiftKey, a very popular alternative keyboard for Android and iOS. Security researchers from NowSecure discovered a vulnerability in the update mechanism for the customized version the company uses and which is being distributed on most of the Galaxy phone models.

According to NowSecure „a remote attacker capable of controlling a user’s network traffic can manipulate the keyboard update mechanism on Samsung phones and execute code as a privileged (system) user on the target’s phone. This can be exploited in a a manner that requires no user interaction — a user does not have to explicitly choose to download a languagePack update to be exploited.“

Samsung itself played the issue down and stated that a “very specific set of conditions” needs to be met in order for the attack to be successful. Nonetheless a patch will be made available soon – after all more than 600 million Samsung Galaxy phones are affected. The drawback is that only devices that have Samsung’s Knox security platform installed will profit from the updates. “For the devices that don’t come with KNOX by default, we are currently working on an expedited firmware update that will be available upon completion of all testing and approvals” the company says in their statement.

The post Fix for 600 Million Galaxy Phones Available Soon appeared first on Avira Blog.

Avira

Millions of Android Phones Fail to Purge Data

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That basically means that your login data, mails, contacts, SMS, images, and videos can be retrieved at least partially. Not even a Full-disk encryption is of much help here: The flawed Android factory reset leaves behind enough data for the key to be recovered.

The study unveils five critical failures:

  • “The lack of Android support for proper deletion of the data partition in v2.3.x devices
  • The incompleteness of upgrades pushed to flawed devices by vendors
  • The lack of driver support for proper deletion shipped by vendors in newer devices (e.g. on v4.[1,2,3])
  • The lack of Android support for proper deletion of the internal and external SD card in all OS versions
  • The fragility of full-disk encryption to mitigate those problems up to Android v4.4 (KitKat)”

The researcher examined 21 Android phones that used version 2.3.x to 4.3 of the OS and were sold by five different vendors. Apart from being able to recover said data, they could also recover Google authentication tokens: “We recovered Google tokens in all devices with flawed Factory Reset, and the master token 80 percent of the time. Tokens for other apps such as Facebook can be recovered similarly. We stress that we have never attempted to use those tokens to access anyone’s account.”

So what to do if you want to sell your mobile? The study recommends filling up the partition of interest with random-byte files, to overwrite all unallocated space. In order for this to work you would have to install the third-party app that would fill the partition manually though because otherwise the Google credentials stored on the file system would not be erased.

Take a look at the study to find out more.

The post Millions of Android Phones Fail to Purge Data appeared first on Avira Blog.

Avast

Avast Mobile Security is the #1 choice for Android users

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The most popular mobile security product in the world is Avast Mobile Security.

In their annual IT Security Survey, AV – Comparatives asked, Which mobile anti-malware security solution do you primarily use on your smartphone?

Avast took 1st or 2nd place on four continents: Europe, North America, Asia, and South/Central America.

Avast Mobile Security is #1 Android protection.

Don’t get burned! Protect your Android with Avast Mobile Security.

 

How great is the risk of infection on an Android smartphone?

The risk of your Android smartphone becoming infected depends on several factors. In the US and Europe most people use official stores such as Google Play for installing apps. The risk is much lower than in many Asian countries, especially China, where app stores are not subject to stricter controls. Because of these unofficial app stores, along with numerous rooted phones, the chance of installing a dangerous app is highly increased.

In Asia, the smartphone is often used as an alternative to the PC. People frequently use it for online banking which make them vulnerable to Zeus Trojan malware. Zeus is commonly delivered via a link or an attachment in a phishing message or through a text message via WhatsApp, SMS, or Twitter. This threat will similarly increase in Europe and the US as banking apps get more popular.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

The Avast Virus Lab has more than one million samples of mobile malware in its database, and reports that 2,850 new mobile threats are created every day by hackers. The threat situation can change quickly and dramatically so it is best to use preventative protection and install security software on your smartphone. At this point though, protecting important data in the event that your phone is lost or stolen is more critical than malware protection.

The AV-Comparatives survey says that Android users in North America protect their phones more than anywhere else in the world with 31 percent of respondents reporting they have protection. South America, Asia, and Europe are much lower at 17 percent.

Protect your Android smartphone and tablet with Avast Mobile Security and Avast Anti-Theft: Free from the Google Play store.

 

Avast

10 Spring Cleaning Tips to Combat Grime

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After a long winter, it’s time to throw open the windows and let the fresh air in. But first, you need to do a good Spring Cleaning to wash away the grime that has accumulated. Here’s our favorite tips that go beyond the ordinary vacuum and dust routine. Choose the ones you want to do, and don’t forget that your mobile devices can use a good cleaning too (see tip #10)!

house cleaning service

Spring cleaning is not only for your house. You can clean grime from your mobile devices too!

 

Starting from the top down:

  1. 1. Dim light fixtures and dull lamps.  See the gleam again from your light fixtures. Get a soft microfiber cloth or duster and wipe away dust from ceiling lights, fans, and table lamps. I even use a vacuum attachment on lamp shades.
  2. 2. Greasy window treatments. Dirt, dust, grease, and bacteria collect on draperies, blinds, verticals, and shades. It is recommended to have your fabric window treatments dry-cleaned every 5-7 years. For metal or plastic blinds, you can take them down and wash them with dishwashing soap in a bucket of water or a solution of half water, half vinegar. Clean wooden blinds with a soft dry cloth wear a pair of cotton gloves or old socks and wipe the slats down.
  3. 3. Dusty bookshelves. A dusty old library sounds like a romantic notion, but it’s not good in your own home.Working from the top down, remove books and decorative objects from one shelf at a time, dust and return. Maybe you’ll find some old books that are ready to donate while you’re at it.

You walk by it every day:

  1. 4. Grimy doors, knobs, and handles. Grubby hands and jumping dogs can make your doors pretty awful looking, but because you are walking in and out, you don’t even see the grime. Give knobs and handles a quick wipe down with your favorite cleaner and some paper towels. Make your front door welcoming again by cleaning it inside and out with warm, soapy water. Dry it with a soft cloth.

How does that get there?!

  1. 5. Crumby kitchen drawers. I can’t ever figure out how the crumbs get in there; but spring cleaning is a good time to remove everything, wipe out the drawers and return only the items you still use.
  2. 6. Upholstered furniture. After a season of snuggling on the sofa with the dog and a good movie, stick your hand between the cushion and you’ll find old popcorn and plenty of dirt, sticks and leaves. I even found a dead lizard! Get out the vacuum attachments and vacuum upholstered furniture, including under and between cushions. Fluff and rotate cushions and pillows.
  3. 7. Underneath the rugs. You’ll be surprised what’s under there, so move the furniture off the rug and vacuum underneath. You may want to take your rug outside and give it a good old-fashioned beating too.
  4. 8. Underneath beds and behind furniture. Dust bunnies as big as the cat are hidden away, so make an extra effort to get the vacuum way up under there. Allergy sufferers have enough to deal with when the pollen comes, so help them out by minimizing dust.

You will feel cleaner, too. Trust me.

  1. 9. Scummy shower and tub walls.  Soap scum builds up after a season of long, hot showers. Choose your favorite cleaning product and leave it on for at least 10 minutes before scrubbing down the tiles.

This is the easiest one!

  1. 10. Spring Clean your Mobile Devices. We may not be great at washing windows and cleaning floors, but we know how to Spring Clean you Android device! Over time, unnecessary data, system caches, gallery thumbnails, installation files, and residual files can accumulate on your smartphone and tablet. You can regain performance and speed when you clean away all the grime with our free app, Avast GrimeFighter Safe Clean for Android.  Install Avast GrimeFighter free from Google Play.
Avast GrimeFighter for Android is a free app.

Install for Free!