Is My Fitness Band Protected? An Exercise in IoT Security
I recently bought a fitness band to track my daily workouts and quickly got hooked. The invaluable insights it provided through data analysis, coupled with the constant reminders it pushed out to help me achieve my fitness goals, got me thinking about how the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming our way of life and shaping our…
Google Discloses Critical Wi-Fi Flaws Affecting iOS, Android
Google Project Zero has disclosed the details of two critical remote code execution vulnerabilities affecting the Broadcom Wi-Fi chips found in many Android and iOS devices. The flaws, identified as CVE-2017-11120 and CVE-2017-11121, were patched in Android on September 5 with this month’s security updates and in iOS on September 19 with the release of…
iOS 11 Patches 8 Security Vulnerabilities
Apple this week announced the availability of 8 security patches for its iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and iPod touch 6th generation users, released as part of the iOS 11 platform upgrade. The bugs affect 7 platform components, namely Exchange ActiveSync, iBooks, Mail MessageUI, Messages, MobileBackup, Safari, and WebKit. Exploitation of these…
Internet-Connected Toys: Cute, Cuddly and Inherently Insecure
After the FBI issued a warning on internet-connected toys in July, researchers began digging into these devices to assess their functions as they relate to cybersecurity. But before describing what one of these toys can do, it might be helpful to explain how they work at a very high level. The first component of an…
Google Patches 81 Android Vulnerabilities With September 2017 Updates
A total of 81 security vulnerabilities have been addressed in this month’s set of security patches for the Android platform. 13 of the flaws were rated Critical severity. The security bulletin has two security patch levels, each focused on addressing vulnerabilities in specific components. The 2017-09-01 security patch level fixes a total of 30 vulnerabilities, 10 of…
The Time for IT Asset Management Is Now
The benefits of a comprehensive IT asset management (ITAM) program may seem obvious since it provides the data needed to strategically and tactically manage the life cycle of IT assets from purchase to end of life. Of course, companies can leverage IT asset management to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, determine the full cost of…
iOS 11 in the Enterprise: Get Your iPads Ready
While some are in back-to-school mode and others are getting ready for football, we’re gearing up for the latest mobile operating systems to hit the market. With the Apple iOS 11 release right around the corner, the time is now for IT and security leaders to zero in on their Apple iOS management strategy to…
Fighting Financial Fraud in an Increasingly Digital World
Everywhere we look, we see some form of digital technology. People have access to computers, cellphones, televisions and even Wi-Fi-enabled smart appliances. Technology advances every day, giving way to exciting, innovative and life-changing experiences. Take cellphones, for example. Not too long ago, cellphones were a luxury. They were used simply to call people — texting…
Hacking smartphones with malicious replacement parts
Smartphone users can now add a new entry to the list of things they need to worry about: their phones being compromised via replacement parts. A group of researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has demonstrated that hardware replacements – e.g. touchscreens, NFC readers, wireless charging controllers, and so on – can be equipped…
How to spot malicious mobile apps
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…