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.
Headlines of note
Interesting ‘news’ items today.
* PayPal Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Steal All Your Money
* 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.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
New Rogue Uses Fake PC Magazine Review
Yesterday, the good folks at BleepingComputer posted removal instructions for a rogue antivirus (please see, Internet Plague – Rogue Antivirus) that is demonstrating a new behavior…
Quote: “Anti-virus-1 is a new rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Antivirus 2010 and Antivirus 360. This program is promoted primarily through two methods. The first is through the use of advertisements that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners. These advertisements go through what appears to be a scan of your machine and then when finished, state that your computer is infected and that you should download Anti-virus-1 to protect yourself.
Remember, though, that this is just an advertisement and it has no way of knowing what is running on your computer. The second method that is used to promote this rogue is through the use of Trojans. When certain Trojans are installed on your computer they will display security alerts stating that your computer is infected or that you have some other security risk. When you click on these alerts, it will download and install Anti-virus-1 onto your computer…”
But that is not the new part, the new behavior adds entries to your HOSTS file so that if you go to any of a number of technology sites, including pcmag.com, you are instead brought to their site and are shown the malware author’s content. This content includes a doctored PCMag review of their fake anti-malware product.
For more on the story, click here.
And for removal instructions, click here.
A big tip of my geek hat to BleepingComputer.
Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix
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