Security News
Academics at Tel Aviv University in Israel have found that recent Android-based Samsung phones shipped with design flaws that allow the extraction of secret cryptographic keys. These TEEs run their own operating system, TrustZone Operating System, and it's up to vendors to implement the cryptographic functions within TZOS. The Android Keystore, the researchers explain, offers hardware-backed cryptographic key management via the Keymaster Hardware Abstraction Layer.
Microsoft says Samsung devices enrolled in Microsoft Intune using a work profile will experience email and VPN connectivity issues due to missing certificates after upgrading to Android 12. Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed to help admins manage Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and Android apps and devices in enterprise environments.
Samsung's official Android app store, called the Galaxy Store, has had an infiltration of riskware apps that triggered multiple Play Protect warnings on people's devices. Scammers bet on the popularity of the pirate app, and indeed their cloned apps enjoyed a welcoming reception by the Samsung user community.
The balance between hands-free payments and the security standards required to protect those transactions has tipped too far in the wrong direction, according to a security expert. At a session at Black Hat Europe 2021 this week, Timur Yunusov, a senior security expert at Positive Technologies, explained flaws in contactless payment apps that could lead to fraud using lost or stolen mobile phones.
Microsoft says some Samsung Galaxy devices will be marked as non-compliant with the organization's security requirements in Microsoft Intune's management interface after automatic restarts or after installing managed updates. Microsoft Intune is a cloud service that allows admins to manage Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and Android applications and devices in their enterprise environment.
Samsung is being sued for selling the Samsung Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 even though they allegedly knew for years of a defect that caused displays to break. The class action lawsuit has been filed by Tony McCoy out of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and claims that Samsung concealed the defect of the Chromebook and denied covering repair costs, even though the flaw affected numerous customers.
A Register reader triggered a kerfuffle for Samsung after asking the electronics biz if he could disable large and intrusive adverts splattered across his new smart TV's programme guide. "If you press the menu button to change between like TV or Netflix or, or whatever, even different sources, there's an advert panel," lamented McKillop to The Reg.
Trend Micro's ZDI has awarded $1,081,250 for 61 zero-days exploited at Pwn2Own Austin 2021, with competitors successfully pwning the Samsung Galaxy S21 again and hacking an HP LaserJet printer to play AC/DC's Thunderstruck on the contest's third day. Sam Thomas from team Pentest Limited was the one who compromised the Samsung Galaxy S21 running the latest Android 11 security updates on the third day using a unique three-bug chain and earning $50,000.
Contestants hacked the Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone during the second day of the Pwn2Own Austin 2021 competition, as well as routers, NAS devices, speakers, and printers from Cisco, TP-Link, Western Digital, Sonos, Canon, Lexmark, and HP. So far, Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative has awarded $777,500 over the first two days of Pwn2Own Austin, with $415,000 awarded during the second day and $362,500 won during the first day. The Synacktiv team maintains a slight lead in the Master of Pwn standings with 15 Master of Pwn points and $150,000 won so far, one point ahead of the DEVCORE team that has 14 points and has earned $140,000.
Researchers have discovered 19 mobile apps carrying rooting malware on official and third-party Android app stores, including Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Store. "By using the rooting process to gain privileged access to the Android operating system, the threat actor can silently grant themselves dangerous permissions or install additional malware - steps that would normally require user interaction. Elevated privileges also give the malware access to other apps' sensitive data, something not possible under normal circumstances."