mobile apps Archives - Cyber Security Minute

Bugs in Signal, other video chat apps allowed attackers to listen in on users

Issued by: Help Net Security

Bugs in several messaging/video chat mobile apps allowed attackers to spy on targeted users’s surroundings. The vulnerabilities – in Signal, Google Duo, Facebook Messenger, JioChat, and Mocha – could be triggered by simply placing a call to the target’s device – no other action was needed. Searching for bugs in video chat apps In early…

Application Security

40% of COVID-19 contact tracing apps lack basic protections

Issued by: Help Net Security

Guardsquare announced the release of a report which reassesses the levels of security protections and privacy risks of COVID-19 contact tracing apps. The report found that of the 95 mobile apps analyzed, 60% use the official API for secure exposure notifications. For the remaining 40% of the contact tracing apps, the majority of which gather…

Application Security

Pradeo Security In-App Protection: Neutralizing clones and fake apps to prevent fraud

Issued by: Help Net Security

Despite being built with various shielding techniques, mobile apps are easily cloned or mimicked. As a result, fraud figures have kept growing since the advent of mobile banking and payments, and counterfeit apps infiltrating stores generates serious reputation and trust issues. On these statements, Pradeo R&D team focused on the issue and came up with…

Application Security, Malware & Threats

The FBI expects a surge of mobile banking threats

Issued by: Help Net Security

The increased use of mobile banking apps due to the COVID-19 pandemic is sure to be followed by an increased prevalence of mobile banking threats: fake banking apps and banking Trojans disguised as those apps, the FBI has warned. The problem The pandemic and the resulting social distancing brought about many changes. Among them is…

Mobile Security

Hackers using hidden mobile apps and unique distribution methods to target consumers

Issued by: Help Net Security

Hackers are using hidden mobile apps, third-party login and counterfeit gaming videos to target consumers, according to McAfee. Last year, hackers targeted consumers with a wide variety of methods, from backdoors to mining cryptocurrencies. Hackers have expanded the ways of hiding their attacks, making them increasingly difficult to identify and remove, which makes it seem…

Application Security

Blacklisted apps increase 20%, attackers focus on tax-branded key terms

Issued by: Help Net Security

In 2018, global app spending hit $101 billion and is expected to surpass that this year. Mobile is a significant portion of the overall corporate attack surface where security teams often suffer from a lack of visibility. For the second consecutive quarter, blacklisted apps increased with a 20% spike, accounting for over 2% of all…

Mobile Security

The privacy risks of pre-installed software on Android devices

Issued by: Help Net Security

Many pre-installed apps facilitate access to privileged data and resources, without the average user being aware of their presence or being able to uninstall them. On the one hand, the permission model on the Android operating system and its apps allow a large number of actors to track and obtain personal user information. At the…

Mobile Security

Vulnerable Android password managers make phishing attacks easier

Issued by: Help Net Security

Android password managers can be tricked into entering valid login credentials into phishing apps, a group of researchers has discovered. They have also found that Instant Apps, a Google technology that allows users to “try” Android apps without the need to fully install them, can make phishing attacks more practical. The research Simone Aonzo, Alessio…

Mobile Security

Apple’s intermittent password prompts prime iOS users for phishing

Issued by: Help Net Security

By asking iOS users to enter their AppleID password intermittently and with no regard of environment, Apple has laid the groundwork for phishers to go after the sought-after login credentials. Where’s the problem? “iOS asks the user for their iTunes password for many reasons, the most common ones are recently installed iOS operating system updates,…

Mobile Security

How to spot malicious mobile apps

Issued by: Help Net Security

The pervasiveness of smartphones has resulted in an onslaught of mobile apps, and it’s pretty safe to say that, by now, there is an app for every imaginable purpose. Unfortunately, among the many helpful ones are also many malicious apps – no app market is safe from them. Fortunately, there are ways to spot such…