Category Archives: mobile security
Lookout launches app for tracking security threats
Rating: See global security threats as they happen
Lookout has launched a new app – its Mobile Threat tracker software. It is a real-time visual tool that allows users to view the thousands of mobile threats that the company identifies and catches every day. The app enables users to see the current mobile threat activity as well as viewing the top three threats that Lookout is protecting against at any given time. Since the data is in real time, users can also see as threats as they appear and disappear around the world. The company believes that this tool will provide a great resource for mobile analysts and enthusiasts to gain insight into the current level of mobile threats. Continue reading
Redmenu accidentally develops love cheat’s charter app
To B2C or not to B2C but B2B – that is the question
Some people have a brilliant idea for a mobile app but don’t know where to find the R&D dollars. The dilemma facing Gyan Ghuman – md with Redmenu Ltd – goes way beyond that. He already has achieved proof of concept for his app; obtained a patent for the technology; and has now identified a reliable source of R &D funding. His problem is deciding exactly which sector of the mobile industry to attack first. Does he go B2C and create a iOS/Android app to generate a bit of cash flow initially? Or does he take a more B2B stance and target high paying verticals – like defence and government – with a much more tailored product? GoMo News has seen a working version of the app running on a bog standard Nokia handset. We think the consumer version of the product would be the most fun as it’s a love cheat’s charter. The alternative is the kind of app Q would develop for James Bond’s smartphone. Continue reading
Apps help Bristol police recover stolen mobile devices
Rating: Three apps – Locatemyphone, Findmyiphone and Prey seem particularly effective
It seems that the Avon and Somerset police in the Bristol area are enjoying considerable success re-uniting smartphone and laptop owners with their stolen property. A report on the Avon and Somerset Constabulary blog here shows that three apps in particular have enabled them to [...]
Android security app from Avast goes gold in just 16 days
Rating: As recommended by GoMo News
A security app for Android mobile phones which GoMo News has been unashamedly recommending – avast! Free Mobile Security – has been installed by over one million smartphone users in just 16 days. As Ondrej Vlcek, Avast Software‘s CTO put it, “It required Lookout a full six months to reach the one-million level for their mobile security product.” But Avast managed it in virtually a fortnight. It might have been quicker if Avast had formally informed us the full – rather than beta – version had finally been released. Continue reading
Fully-featured Android security app comes out of beta
Rating: At a pricepoint you’ll like – it’s free
The app’s author has kept pretty quiet about it but the Android security app which we have been raving about – avast! Free Mobile Security – has finally come out of beta. You can get it from the Android Market here. GoMo News is particularly amused by this comment from Ondrej Vlcek, who is CTO with Avast Software. “We’ve developed our [app] at a price everyone can afford.” Precisely – it’s free and there’s nothing missing from this app. Actually, it’s the other way around. There are facilities buried away in this software which you wouldn’t believe. This is largely due to its recent acquisition of the Theft Aware app developed by IT Agents which has been merged with regular anti-virus software. Continue reading
Maybe PhonepayPlus has got something to hide
Rating: Watchdog still hasn’t learnt how to bite, though
Usually when you put out a Press release on 22nd December [2011] at 5.45 pm which says it has an “embargo 00.01 am 27 December 2011″, then the issuer is definitely trying to bury some news. (See here). PhonepayPlus did this very thing but try as hard as we could, we couldn’t see anything in the information which needed to be hidden. But – and this is a big but – the regulator is still displaying a remarkable lack of courage in trying to control the industry is has been put in charge of. Basically that’s the Premium Rate SMS sector. Now, it’s very laudable that PhonepayPlus has sponsored the PhoneBrain social enterprise competition challenges for 11 – 19 year olds. The finalists will present their ideas in January to a panel of industry experts at ITV’s London headquarters. ITV, eh? Isn’t that the TV company which perpetrated some of the worse cases of premium rate fraud (here). Yup, it is. Who’s the compere? Gary Glitter? Continue reading
Android performance tools discovered inside antivirus app
Rating: Avast! Software Mobile Security beta app has hidden depths
Experienced Android handset users will have encountered the problem long ago. The handset which they now own is currently running Android OS v2.2 (Froyo), when it was originally shipped with Éclair (v2.1). Additionally, you’ve loaded up every useful app which came across you path in the last 12 months. The result? The handset has slowed down to a snail’s pace and you’ve no idea why. If you also happen to be a long suffering user of Windows XP (or even worse, Vista), you’ll know the common symptoms. The handset is running out of free memory and its processor is being pressed to the limit. Continue reading
Mobile security apps are all down to a question of semantics
Rating: The market for Android antivirus software will get very hot
GoMo News is just back from two days of heavy duty discussions (in Prague) over mobile security software and has come to the conclusion that a lot of the controversy surrounding this subject is down to semantics. There’s no getting away from the fact that in popular parlance the category into which these apps fit is antivirus. No matter if the actual battling with viruses is only a tiny part of the whole protection such apps provide. The general public basically doesn’t differentiate between a virus, a phishing attempt or an item of malware. Maybe they even include spam in the mix as well. Just say your app offers antivirus protection and consumers are happy. The next hurdle to overcome is what happens if your app is free – like Avast! Software‘s is? Is it inferior to paid-for apps? The short answer is No. Continue reading
Google’s Chris DiBona gets egg on face
Rating: No point in having antivirus software, eh Chris?
Talk about making comments that you’ll live to regret. Just a few weeks ago, Chris DiBona who is Open Source Programs manager for Google, alleged that no real mobile malware actually exists. He insinuated that anti-virus companies are playing on consumers fears to try to sell you security software for Android, RIM, and, iOS. GoMo News remembers a Psion executive making a similar claim about the OS which became Symbian. DiBona is going to have to eat his words because today [December 13th 2011], Google had to remove a set of malicious applications from the official Android Market. Why? Because they were blatantly malware. Continue reading
Cyber criminals move from email to SMS
Rating: Don’t call phone numbers embedded in a bank’s text
Research from Cloudmark reveals that cyber criminals are moving from email onto SMS and using increasingly sophisticated methods to swindle US handset owners. The company is presently tracking over 20 unique, financial related SMS attacks in the USA with thousands of variants on each attack. Such trends are now expected to make an appearance in the European and UK security spaces. Consequently, mobile users worldwide need to be aware of the telltale signs of SMS frauds and know how to protect themselves. Curiously, Cloudmark doesn’t say if there are any anti-phishing apps available for iOS or Android, for example, which would prove effective. Instead it focuses on solutions which prevent mobile network operators delivering the fraudulent SMS messages in the first place. Continue reading
SecureSafe adds SecureCamera to its iPhone app
Rating: Access your travel docs anytime, anywhere
A new feature has just been added to Apple iOS high security file system app – SecureSafe from DSwiss. It now features SecureCapture, an integrated camera upload feature that turns an iPhone or iPad into a SecureSafe Camera. Securesafe is an online data storage service which is designed to keep files highly secure for Apple device owners. In effect, SecureCapture does away with the need for separate scanning and thus becomes a multi-purpose storage app. The most important feature – from a security perspective – is that photos are not stored in the phone’s camera roll. This app is therefore capitalising on the growing demand for cloud based secure storage facilities. Continue reading
GoMo News discovers why DNS matters for operators
Rating: As data traffic grows, so do the threats
Here’s something which GoMo News hardly ever considers – the Domain Name System (DNS) – a key element to the whole internet. Initially, we weren’t quite sure why F5 Networks sent us a Press release on its carrier-grade DNS services which enable CSPs “to scale their DNS infrastructures more efficiently, significantly reduce costs, and more quickly deploy critical new revenue-generating services.” Then we realised that CSPs include mobile network operators. It appears that smartphones may be capable of wreaking far more havoc on the internet than we might first have assumed. And there’s a growing threat from mobile malware. Continue reading
Malware threat maybe exaggerated
Rating: Beware of Netflix malware – Android.Fakeneflic
There’s a healthy debate going on as to how vulnerable mobile phones are becoming to attacks from viruses and malware. The FT (here) has just reported figures from Lookout Mobile Security which claims that between January and June [2011], there was a 250 per cent increase in the likelihood of users encountering malware on their mobile devices. By comparison, Juniper Networks says Google Android malware samples grew 400 per cent between June 2010 and January 2011. Against this, Craig Scroggie who is md for the Pacific region operations with Symantec, has stated that the overall volume of mobile threats remains low compared to computer-based threats. Writing in the Technology Spectator here, he claimed, “It is not accurate to say the anticipated ‘explosion’ has occurred.” Continue reading
HTC embarrassed by Android vulnerability
Rating: Enthusiast Eckhart says I told you so
It seems that sloppy programming techniques are to blame for a serious vulnerability in HTC Android smartphones has been identified by enthusiast, Trevor Eckhart. It means that any application given permission to access the internet can take a look at quite sensitive information stored on the handset. Included here are email addresses but more importantly your GPS location. Apparently Mr Eckhart identified the problem a while back but wasn’t taken very serious by the-powers-that-be at HTC. The handset vendor has rapidly changed its tune and has told the BBC that, “We are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible.” Security guru, Rik Ferguson from Trend Micro reckons that it won’t be too difficult for HTC to come out with a fix. Continue reading
UK watchdog aims to counter threats from apps
Rating:mBlox fined for aiding Battery Booster UK scam
The UK’s regulator of premium rate telephone services (PRS), PhonepayPlus, has acted to tackle hidden threats to consumers from apps on smartphones.The watchdog is primarily concerned about apps which maliciously charge consumers without their knowledge or consent. Hence – in order to protect the digital and m-commerce markets (as well as the interests of consumers) – Phonepayplus has been consulting with industry stakeholders. It has now come up with a series of key recommendations. Paul Whiteing, PhonepayPlus’ CEO, commented, “We know that the best regulation is one that works collaboratively with industry to pre-empt before problems occur that harm consumers and damage markets.” Sadly, industry stalwart – mBlox – managed to perpetuate one of the worst instances of app malware so far. Continue reading
