Just don’t download any apps..

Guys, I have long told people, if you don’t absolutely need it, don’t install it (and you sure as shooting don’t need five media players..). Well now there’s even more reason to repeat that advice.

* More than 1,000 Spyware Apps Found On Android App Stores

“If you think you are downloading apps from Google Play Store and you are secure, then watch out! Someone has managed to flood third-party app stores and Google Play Store with more than a thousand malicious apps, which can monitor almost anything a user does on their mobile device from silently …” Read More..

Update: 500+ Android apps found containing program that can download spyware plug-in

“More than 500 mobile apps on Google Play were recently discovered containing an advertising software development kit capable of downloading malicious plug-ins that can spy on Android users’ call histories.. Apps using the ad SDK, a product called Igexin, were downloaded over 100 million times by Android device owners before Google removed these programs from its store..” Read more..

Tell your friends.

Addenda: I have been asked my thoughts on Wikileaks and the (alleged) CIA hacking tools (such as this one, posted today) often enough now that I think I should mention them here.. please don’t think the CIA are the only folks who can do/are doing these ‘exploits’. They basically copied from the hackers. These things are possible because all our devices/technologies are inherently, fundamentally, insecure. (Don’t believe me? Read this.)

* * *

Today’s quote: “I am thankful the most important key in history was invented. It’s not the key to your house, your car, your boat, your safety deposit box, your bike lock or your private community. It’s the key to order, sanity, and peace of mind. The key is ‘Delete.'” ~ Elayne Boosler

Copyright 2007-2017 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

A few items for your Friday

Here are a few items for your consideration:

First up, yesterday I alerted iPhone users to the fact that Apple is urging all owners to ‘upgrade’ to the latest version of iOS. Here’s more on why that’s a really good idea:
[ NOTE: “zero-day” is Geekspeak for “an attack for which we currently have no defense”.]

* Three zero-days found in iOS, Apple suggests users update their iPhone

“Pegasus is highly advanced in its use of zero-days, obfuscation, encryption and kernel-level exploitation and the malware has been active for some time..” Read more..

And a couple more..

* Every Android App You Need

“Whether you’ve got a brand-new Galaxy Note 7 or an older Android phone or tablet you just want to spruce up, these are the apps that matter.” Read more..

* The Best Laptops for College

“Need a light, affordable laptop you can carry all over campus? These 10 affordable picks make the grade.” Read more..

And last but certainly NOT least…

* WhatsApp to Share Your Data with Facebook — You have 30 Days to Stop It

“Nothing comes for Free, as “Free” is just a relative term used by companies to develop a strong user base and then use it for their own benefits. The same has been done by the secure messaging app WhatsApp, which has now made it crystal clear that the popular messaging service will begin sharing … ” Read more..

[ NOTE: that “sharing” includes your phone number.. but sheeze, you don’t think FB doesn’t already know your phone number?? ]

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ~ Steve Jobs

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

The top 100 Android apps

Folks, PC Magazine has published its “Best of” review for Android apps. Click the link, then choose a category (I suspect many of you will check out the “Games” category.. )

* The 100 Best Android Apps

“Whether you’ve got a brand-new Galaxy Note 7 or an older Android phone or tablet you just want to spruce up, these are the apps that matter.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” ~ Harvey Fierstein

… that’s a nice one. But, it’s the nail that sticks up which gets hammered down… So I would (try to) choose my battles wisely.

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

How to prep your smartphone for emergency situations

Folks, the author of this article is a bit wordy, (like, you can skip the first 4 paragraphs..) but there is some good info here… And we all know, we should be somewhat prepared ahead of time, as a Rule.

* Zombie apocalypse? Prep your smartphone for emergency situations

“Learn how to equip your phone to help steer you through disaster scenarios, whether a zombie apocalypse or a Donald Trump rally.” Read more..

* * *

* Side business: August, check your Junk folder.

Today’s quote: “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” ~ Zig Ziglar

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

50 Best Free iPhone Apps + More

For those of you iGadget types..

* 50 Best Free iPhone Apps

“Plenty of iPhone apps are worth paying for, but there are plenty of great free ones, too. Here are 50 of the best.” Read more..

[ Note: most of those are available for Android devices as well. ]

Others may be more interested in..

* Analysts’ Favorites: 10 Best Bluetooth Speakers

“Laptops and phones are smaller and thinner than ever, and so are their speakers. We tested dozens of wireless speakers and can recommend these 10 as the absolute best.” Read more..

And of course there’s scary ‘news’..

* Windows 10 Upgrade Become More Creepy, No Option to Opt-Out

“If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and have no plans to switch to Windows 10, then Microsoft could force you to install Windows 10*, making it harder for you to cancel or opt-out of upgrading…” Read more..

* emphasis mine. It’s time to turn off Automatic Update, and switch to “Notify me”, and manually reading each Update to make sure this *crud* isn’t allowed to happen. Sad. Just sad. Shame on you Microsoft! (Other option, image your C: drive daily..) Because unless you’re a kid needing improved XBox streaming, I see no real advantage to Win X.

And, it’s the weekend, so..

Click on image to see more by this artist.

“Little lion” by Giordano Vasconcelos, courtesy of Flickr Commons

* * *

Today’s quote: “Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance – the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it; better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.” ~ Thomas Carlyle

Let’s all have a safe and marvelous weekend, okay?

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Headlines of note

Interesting ‘news’ items today.

* PayPal Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Steal All Your Money

“A critical security vulnerability has been discovered in the global e-commerce business PayPal that could allow attackers to steal your login credentials, and even your credit card details in unencrypted format.” Read more..

* Supercookies are back, and they’re as unappealing as ever

“Supercookies are back in force. But if supercookies are so great for consumers, why aren’t mobile carriers bragging about using them?” Read more..

* Scanner identifies thousands of malicious Android apps on Google Play, other markets

“A team of researchers have created an app vetting scanner referred to as “MassVet,” and they used it to identify more than 127,000 potentially harmful applications (PHA) in more than 30 Android markets – including Google Play.” Read more..

* The Internet of Things is a safety issue, and therefore a business risk

“When you merge the physical and the digital, it’s not just about InfoSec any more. People’s lives could be at risk.” Read more..

* Adobe Flash steadily heading toward demise

“After multiple malvertising campaigns on major ad networks, including Yahoo and AdSpirit.de, as well as the disclosure of major vulnerabilities, companies have begun banning Adobe Flash ads on their websites.” Read more..

[ Well.. that’s about 5 years too late.. But, better late than blah blah. ]

* Here’s How Iranian Hackers Can Hack Your Gmail Accounts

“Hackers are getting smarter in fooling us all, and now they are using sophisticated hacking schemes to get into your Gmail. Yes, Iranian hackers have now discovered a new way to fool Gmail’s tight security system by bypassing its two-step verification – a security process that requires a security code (generally sent via SMS) along with the password in order to log into Gmail account.” Read more..

* Warning! How Hackers Could Hijack Your Facebook Fan Page With This Trick

“Facebook bounty hunter Laxman Muthiyah from India has recently discovered his third bug of this year in the widely popular social network website that just made a new record by touching 1 Billion users in a single day. At the beginning of the year, Laxman discovered a serious flaw in Facebook graphs that allowed him to view or probably delete others photo album on Facebook, even without …” Read more..

Oh, yes, there’s more, but…

Today’s quote: “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Android Games and Apps Giveaway

For a limited time, Amazon is giving away some paid apps for free.

click on image

which may be worth a look-see. Click on the image to see today’s batch of freebies. (There’ll be a different assortment each day of the giveaway.)

* Someone told me today is the first day of Spring.
Which, if it’s true, is good news to me.
And I always vote For good news.

This Just In: China reveals existence of cyber warfare hacking teams

“The country has finally admitted to the existence of units dedicated to cyber warfare.” Read more..

[May as well admit it. There’s no one who didn’t already know …] [Still, an important read.] [And in this case, “cyber warfare” includes espionage.]

Today’s quote: “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” ~ Dave Ramsey

Paul’s Tip: Don’t be like that. Be smart.

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.