Can Biometrics Solve the Authentication Problem?

When Apple introduced the Touch ID fingerprint access button, commentators believed it would kick-start the ever-promising, never-quite-delivering biometric market. But Touch ID was defeated by hackers within days. When Apple introduced the FaceID biometric, the same happened – it was defeated within weeks. In November 2017, F-Secure demonstrated that Android’s Trusted Face Smart Lock can be defeated by…

Android’s December 2017 Patches Resolve Critical Flaws

The December 2017 Android security patches that Google released this week resolve 47 vulnerabilities, including 10 rated Critical severity. The patches affect a variety of platform components and were split in two packages, or security patch levels, as Google calls them. The first addresses 19 vulnerabilities while the second resolves 28 issues.

Preparing for the iPhone X and the Future of Facial Recognition Technology

As we approach the holiday season, both consumers and IT professionals are considering replacing their old devices with a whole new lineup of smartphones, phablets and tablets. Whether you’re treating yourself, adding to your wish list or considering options for your next enterprise rollout, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of introducing the…

Samsung, Apple, Huawei Phones Hacked at Mobile Pwn2Own

Researchers have managed to hack the Samsung Galaxy S8, the iPhone 7 and the Huawei Mate 9 Pro on the first day of the Mobile Pwn2Own 2017 competition taking place alongside the PacSec conference in Tokyo, Japan. The prize pool for the event organized by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) exceeds $500,000 and participants…

Android malware on Google Play adds devices to botnet

We have encountered a new and highly prevalent type of Android malware (detected as Android.Sockbot) posing as apps on Google Play and later adding compromised devices into a botnet. So far we have identified at least eight such apps, with an install base ranging from 600,000 to 2.6 million devices. This malware appears primarily targeting…

Android Ransomware Abuses Accessibility Services

A newly discovered ransomware family targeting Android devices is abusing the platform’s accessibility services, ESET warns. Dubbed DoubleLocker, this innovative Android malware doesn’t merely encrypt users’ data, but also locks the infected devices down, security researchers from ESET say. The ransomware is based on the source code of BankBot banking Trojan, which is already known for misusing…