Tag Archives: Mobile Security
Republican National Convention delegates unknowingly use fake Wi-Fi networks
More than 1,200 RNC attendees unknowingly connect to Avast’s bogus Wi-Fi hotspots outside the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Google Simplifies Two-Step Verification
Google has simplified its 2-step verification feature with a basic prompt users can take advantage of as a second form of authentication.
GoToMyPC Suffers Major Password Reuse Attack
Citrix Systems is forcing all its GoToMyPC remote desktop access service customers to reset their passwords because of a “very sophisticated attack” that targeted the service over the weekend.
Four things to do before you go on vacation
Here’s a plan to keep your mobile phone and PC safe when you’re on the road.
Preparing for a summer trip used to be pretty simple. The biggest challenge was remembering
Why It Is Easier To Control Your Company’s iPhones With iOS 9
It is increasingly common for employees to use their personal technological devices to complete job-related work, whether it is responding to a corporate email from their Smartphone, managing a client relationship from the ease of their tablet, or performing typical work tasks at distance from home, using a personal laptop.
Teleworking, and a trend called BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), are at rise and have made the people in charge of security companies increasingly aware of the risks involved with the use of these devices. These devices should be treated with the same protection measures as office computers and systems.
Apple is aware of this and has included a set of tools to facilitate what is called MDM (Mobile Device Management) in iOS 9. This will help employees control their devices and access company resources more securely.
Thanks to these developments, companies can control the traffic of any employee’s iPhone, track IP addresses or install an application to track their location, for example. To respect employee privacy, the Smartphone will show their users that these actions are being taken on their devices, like someone is browsing their history or seeing the location of their device.
Companies can see any employee’s iPhone location.
In addition, the latest version of iOS allows for application white lists or black lists, which makes it possible for IT security managers to decide what can run and what cannot in employee devices. Same with passwords: If a website is not on the list of trusted sites, the user will not be able to save their user name and password for upcoming sessions (“Do you want to remember your username and password?”).
The MDM tools that Apple has added to its mobile operating system also allow managers to configure notifications that employees can receive on their phones; they can decide what will be displayed and what won’t, by adjusting the permissions of each app. Lastly, the person in charge for the company can block devices or erase their contents, remotely.
The person in charge for the company can block devices or erase their contents, remotely.
Thus, Apple has strengthened the security of their devices for the business environment, which requires even higher standards than usual for sensitive company information. It is a great step forward, but it is not the only measure that should be taken by IT security managers. They should always install a good anti-virus in each employee device, which is also essential to avoid malware and cyber-attacks. Let’s remember: a single infected mobile could cost your company thousands of euros.
The post Why It Is Easier To Control Your Company’s iPhones With iOS 9 appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
WordPress Patches Zero Day in WP Mobile Detector Plugin
WordPress patched a zero day vulnerability in the WP Mobile Detector plugin that had been publicly attacked for close to a week.
Are you among the 300 million Android users that don’t receive security updates?
One of the best things about Android’s operating system is the variety of options available with dozens of manufacturers from all backgrounds, hundreds of models on the market, prices for all budgets and features for all tastes. However, the same breadth and depth of product and service offerings which makes Android attractive is, at the same time, one of their main disadvantages compared to iOS.
With so many parts of this company involved in its chain of updates, the things Google fixes can take months to reach its many users, if it arrives at all. Android’s features make things a little easier for attackers: the security holes take a long time to be patched-up because these “fixes” have to go through several hands before finally getting to you.
Android’s features makes it a little easier for attackers
The annual Android security report that was published by Google reveals an alarming conclusion: the company recognizes that the monthly updates are not reaching that many terminals, more concretely, that 29.2% who do not have the latest software version, Kit Kat 4.4.4 onwards.
If there are more than 1 billion devices using this green robot, as said by the company itself, then we are almost 300 million people who are unprotected while waiting for patches.
There are almost 300 million that are unprotected while waiting for security updates
This reality tarnishes Google’s efforts to strengthen its standard security during this mobile era. The Mountain View brand claims to have analyzed 400 million devices a day in search of threats through Google Mobile Services. Meanwhile, the program Verify Apps has been able to keep the vast majority of phones and tablets away from malware, or at least to those whose owners who only download Apps from Google Play. Only 0.15% of the apps that were installed last year have a potentially harmful application.
Google did a great job with security improvements in its operating system’s latest version, Marshmallow 6.0, which includes full-disk encryption, an advanced permit system for Apps, fingerprint scanner support and other important developments that, unfortunately, many users are not able to enjoy these features yet.
This Internet giant promises to do everything possible to ensure that manufacturers quickly send these updates to their terminals, but while the system remains vulnerable, Android’s greatest virtue, variety, will continue to be its greatest disadvantage compared to iOS.
The post Are you among the 300 million Android users that don’t receive security updates? appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
Microsoft Moves Against Bad Passwords
Microsoft says enterprises need to ban common passwords and rethink outdated ideas about what makes a strong password.
Crypto Innovator, Entrepreneur Jon Callas Rejoins Apple
Apple has hired cryptography pioneer Jon Callas for a third time. Callas, who previously at Apple helped design and implement encryption systems for Macs, was most recently at Silent Circle.