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Mobile Security

January 10, 2013, 1:52PM

California Attorney General Fighting for Mobile Privacy Rights

UPDATE - In an attempt to reign in the tendency of indifference toward consumer privacy among mobile application developers, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today made public a list of guidelines regulating the ways in which mobile application developers and technology companies handle user data and educate users about what they intend on doing with that data. Read more »

January 9, 2013, 3:30PM

Researcher: Nokia HTTPs Traffic Proxied, Data Stored in Clear Text

by Michael Mimoso

Nokia Nokia mobile devices redirect Web requests to Nokia-owned proxy servers where header information including credentials are stored in clear text, putting anything from banking sessions to social media accounts at risk, a researcher claims. Read more »

January 4, 2013, 12:56PM

Samsung Pushes Exynos Flaw Fix on Galaxy Phones

by Christopher Brook

Samsung has started to push software updates to some users of its Galaxy branded phones this week, fixing a flaw that was found affecting devices containing Exynos processors shortly before Christmas. Read more »

December 20, 2012, 11:48AM

Samsung Acknowledges Exynos Root Exploit

by Brian Donohue

Samsung downplayed a root exploit vulnerability in some of its Exynos processors, and promised a patch for the flaw, according to a company statement acquired by AndroidCentral. Read more »

December 18, 2012, 1:56PM

Android Trojan Apps Build SMS Botnet

by Brian Donohue

A rudimentary, SMS-based botnet is ensnaring Android users into its web with a series of text messages offering free downloads for popular, paid gaming applications, according to Cloudmark researcher Andrew Conway. Read more »

December 12, 2012, 10:50AM

SMS Extortion Trojan Targeting Apple Machines

by Brian Donohue

In yet another blow to the tenuous false sense of security among Apple users, the Russian antivirus firm Dr. Web has uncovered what it claims is a first-of-its-kind fake installer Trojan targeting Mac machines and extorting their users with SMS fraud. Read more »

December 10, 2012, 10:38PM

FTC Launches Investigations into Mobile Apps for Kids

by Anne Saita

FTC The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said it's launching "non-public investigations" to determine if mobile application providers are violating federal laws by collecting information on children without their parents' permission.

A report indicates almost 60 percent (235) of the children-centric mobile apps the agency reviewed from Google and Apple app stores collected device IDs and other private data often shared with an advertising network, analytics company or other third party. More than half also displayed advertising, such as one children's app that showed an advertisement for an adult singles club. Only 20 percent disclosed their privacy policy. Read more »

December 10, 2012, 2:44PM

Low Detection Rates Mar Google Android Application Verification Service

by Michael Mimoso

Google’s brand new application verification service for Android, released in JellyBean 4.2, fails to measure up to its commercial counterparts, according to researchers from North Carolina State University.

The new service determines whether applications installed on Android devices are malicious, yet in comparisons with 10 leading antivirus engines, and even Google’s newly acquired VirusTotal scanner, the new service detects at best 20 percent of Android malware. Read more »

December 6, 2012, 1:20PM

Google Launches Private Android App Stores

by Dennis Fisher

Malicious apps have emerged as perhaps the most serious threat to mobile devices at the moment, and the major players, such as Apple and Google, have tried several different methods of preventing them from getting into their app stores and into the hands of users. Now, Google is taking one more step with the launch of a new service called the Private Channel for Google Apps, which gives enterprises and other organizations the ability to create private app stores and control the apps their users can download. Read more »

December 4, 2012, 10:13PM

Twitter Resolves SMS Bug (For Some Users)

by Anne Saita

UPDATE--A day after an independant security researcher disclosed a vulnerability in SMS-enabled Twitter accounts, the social network giant announced it's fixed the flaw - at least for some users. Those who use a "long code" and/or cannot use a PIN code remain at risk. Read more »