Security News

Apple says no to unlocking shooter’s phone; AG and Trump lash back
2020-01-15 10:52

No surprise here: Apple has yet again said no to the FBI's request to break iOS encryption - this time, as it investigates the 6 December mass shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida. We have asked Apple for its help in unlocking the shooter's phones.

Lifeline Assistance Phone Users Targeted with ‘Uninstallable’ Adware
2020-01-10 17:16

Government-funded, low-cost cell phones are shipping with pre-installed malware aimed at bombing users with unwanted ads, according to researchers. The UMX U686CL Android-based phone, which is made available to low-income citizens in the U.S. via the Lifeline Assistance Program for $35, uses a "Settings" app that researcher claim is actually a "Trojan dropper." According to Nathan Collier, a researcher at Malwarebytes, its function is to fetch and install other applications or malware.

Google scolded for depriving the poor of privacy, accused of preloading malware on phones for hard-up Americans
2020-01-09 21:51

On Wednesday, more than 50 advocacy groups accused Google of exploiting poor people by failing to police misbehaving Android apps on cheap phones. The advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Privacy International, to name a few, published an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking him "To take action against exploitative pre-installed software on Android devices."

Google scolded for depriving the poor of privacy after Chinese malware bundled on phones for hard-up Americans
2020-01-09 21:51

On Wednesday, more than 50 advocacy groups accused Google of exploiting poor people by failing to police misbehaving Android apps on cheap phones. The advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Privacy International, to name a few, published an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking him "To take action against exploitative pre-installed software on Android devices."

Threat From Pre-Installed Malware on Android Phones is Growing
2020-01-09 18:03

Update] Pre-installed malware on Android phones is a growing menace - so much that on Wednesday this week, Privacy International and around 50 other international NGOs sent an open letter to Google demanding a stop to the habit. The pre-installed malware comprises a Wireless Update app detected by Malwarebytes as Android/PUP.Riskware.

FBI Asks Apple for Phone Data From Saudi Shooting Suspect
2020-01-08 21:01

The FBI asked Apple this week to help extract data from iPhones that belonged to the Saudi aviation student who investigators say fatally shot three sailors at a U.S. naval base in Florida last month. Apple said in a statement that it has already provided investigators with all the relevant data held by the company.

Burner phones are an eavesdropping risk for international travelers
2020-01-07 06:30

In recent years, burner phones have become an obligatory part of the international business traveler's toolkit. Though these devices are designed to minimize the amount of stored data available for capture by malicious actors in a foreign country, burner phones actually give attackers an opening to another, potentially more valuable, form of data: conversations that occur during key meetings in the vicinity of the device.

TikTok boom: US Army bans squaddies from using platform on government-issued phones
2020-01-02 18:04

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social apps, with more than 1.5 billion downloads. Now the US Army has banned soldiers from downloading the app on government-issued phones.

TikTok boom: US Army bans squaddies from using trendy app on govt-issued phones
2020-01-02 18:04

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social apps, with more than 1.5 billion downloads. Now the US Army has banned soldiers from downloading the app on government-issued phones.

Spam over phone and email is changing consumer communication preferences
2019-12-20 05:00

Of today’s main communications mediums – text, phone calls and email – consumers get the most spam over phone and email: 70% said they receive spam often over email and 51% said the same for phone...