Security News

How to move Google Authenticator from one iPhone or Android device to another
2020-09-04 18:54

If you migrated to a different iPhone or Android device and need to transfer Google Authenticator to the new hardware, follow these steps. If you have not enabled two-step authentication, your Google account is at a much higher risk of being hacked; if you have enabled the service, you're familiar with Google Authenticator.

Fake Android notifications – first Google, then Microsoft affected
2020-08-28 13:49

If you're a Google Android user, you may have been pestered over the past week by popup notifications that you didn't expect and certainly didn't want. Abss noticed that many mainstream Android apps use a notification interface provided by Google known as FCM, short for Firebase Cloud Messaging, formerly Google Cloud Messaging, formerly Android Cloud to Device Messaging.

How to enable guest accounts from the lock screen in Android
2020-08-27 18:51

If you frequently hand your phone over to others, Guest Mode is a feature you should be using on Android. Jack Wallen shows you how to access the feature from your lock screen.

Vivaldi composes sweet ad-blocking symphony for users of browser's Android version
2020-08-13 18:02

Oslo-based Vivaldi has released an update to its Android browser replete with additional weaponry for the ongoing Tracker and Ad Blocker arms race. Version 3.2 for Android devices ups the ante by allowing users to select additional blocking lists as well as including custom lists in a manner that will be very familiar to those running the company's desktop browser.

TikTok Surreptitiously Collected Android User Data Using Google-Prohibited Tactic
2020-08-12 12:16

TikTok has been collecting unique identifiers from millions of Android devices without their users' knowledge using a tactic previously prohibited by Google because it violated people's privacy, new research has found. The app bundled the MAC address with other device data and sent it to ByteDance upon the app's first installation and opening on a new device, according to the report.

Flaws in Samsung Phones Exposed Android Users to Remote Attacks
2020-08-12 03:45

New research disclosed a string of severe security vulnerabilities in the 'Find My Mobile'-an Android app that comes pre-installed on most Samsung smartphones-that could have allowed remote attackers to track victims' real-time location, monitor phone calls, and messages, and even delete data stored on the phone. Portugal-based cybersecurity services provider Char49 revealed its findings on Samsung's Find My Mobile Android app at the DEF CON conference last week and shared details with the Hacker News.

Qualcomm Bugs Open 40 Percent of Android Handsets to Attack
2020-08-07 22:11

Six serious bugs in Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile chipset impact up to 40 percent of Android phones in use, according research released at the DEF CON Safe Mode security conference Friday. The researchers further focused on the communications between Android handset CPU and the Qualcomm DSP within the Hexagon framework.

Android user chucks potential $10bn+ sueball at Google over 'spying', 'harvesting data'... this time to build supposed rival to TikTok called 'Shorts'
2020-08-07 12:23

The putative class-action suit, filed on Wednesday in the Northern district of California [PDF] also alleged that Google was gathering info from TikTok specifically in order to "Unfairly compete against TikTok [with a] competing video platform app called 'Shorts'." The suit further alleged that Lockbox worked "Through Google Mobile Services and allows Google employees to spy on how Android Smartphone users interact with non-Google apps. For example, Google is able to collect data on when and how often an Android smartphone user opens and runs non-Google apps and the amount of time spent in non-Google apps."

Android phones could spy on users via flaws in Qualcomm chip
2020-08-06 19:47

Vulnerabilities were found in a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip that could let attackers obtain photos, videos, call recordings, and other data on Android phones, says Check Point Research. A new report by cyber threat intelligence provider Check Point Research explains how vulnerabilities found in a chip in many Android phones could allow hackers to spy on users.

Twitter Says Android App Vulnerability Exposed Direct Messages
2020-08-06 08:54

Twitter informed customers on Wednesday that a vulnerability in its Android app could have been exploited by malicious applications to access private data. According to the social media giant, the flaw is related to a vulnerability that affects Android 8 and 9, which Google patched in October 2018.