Month: September 2015

Adblock Browser Goes Mobile

September 19, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here is a great news for all you busy cyber little mobile bees, who can stand to be constantly bombarded by the endless annoying ads. The famous Adblock Browser app has decided to go mobile. Both Android and IOS users are going to appreciate this decision so much.

How efficient this app is going to be in the mobile environment? Well, this is a tough question to answer to. Apparently, Adblock Browser offers much more with its mobile edition. For example, there is a solid promise that your battery’s life is going to be improved. Seriously?

What is the connection between ads and a smartphone’s battery? Adblock Browser should do, what is does the best. Fight the ads. This may seem as only the one and insufficient thing to offer to spoiled and demanding smartphone users, but mark our words, it is more than enough.

We can only wish for the favorable mobile winds and rewarding profit sea for this popular app. Yet, the mobile money can make apps do funny things. We sure hope our Adblock Browser is not going to be among them. Otherwise, this is going to become one more sad mobile story.

Be Smart With Your vCard

September 19, 2015 — Leave a comment

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The WhatsApp Web application had a nice promotion and a relatively short virtual existence, before it has experienced a malware-related trouble. It seems that the invaluable vCard feature can be a source of great trouble for millions of users of this extremely popular app.

Why? Well, the hackers have found a way to install both malware and ransomware in a tiny vCard file. To make the things even worse for WhatsApp users these malicious visitors do not have to ask your permission, when it comes to installation in your device.

The good news is that WhatsApp team was prompt in its response, and you can rest assured that this security flaw is already being fixed. On the other side, our hats off to the busy little bees, who have located and identified this cyber-trouble. We sure hope, they will get something in return.

From what we know, WhatsApp has not been involved in bug bounty reward systems, so far. Yet, its new owner Facebook is always interested for security improvements, and notably very generous in this field. Therefore, the Check Point team could get a reward for its efforts. Right?

KIS Multi-Device 2016

September 17, 2015 — Leave a comment

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If you are looking for seeing the KISS word in our post’s title, then you are definitely a huge fan of heavy metal and rock music. We have to disappoint you a little bit. The KIS stands for Kaspersky Internet Security. This Multi-Device thing definitely rocks, and there is also one more detail.

Under these extremely difficult circumstances for Kaspersky, caused by the Reuter’s controversial announcement, the busy little bees in Kaspersky need to focus and do things they do the best. Therefore, this new Multi-Device is more than welcomed in this situation.

This package is supposed to work and protect you on all mobile platforms, including Android, IOS, and Windows Phone. Yet, for what is worth, Kaspersky admits that a Windows Phone is the safest thing you can get right now. One may say, only because it is not so popular as Android or IOS.

On the other hand, we sure hope that one day, the guys involved in the Multi-Device project are not going to say that there were some “artificial” viruses and malware developed by the same people for some “controversial” purposes. Otherwise, all of these are going to be in vain. Right?

The Project Sonar

September 14, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Grandpa Microsoft is up to something serious. It turns out that Grandpa Microsoft is working on a new anti-malware solution called – the Project Sonar. So, what is this Sonar thing all about? Well, this is not a new concept, but it is pretty much revolutionary in terms of protection.

From what we have heard, the main job of top quality protection is supposed to be done among the clouds. In other words, certain malware threat is supposed to be eliminated, even before it reaches you, in the first place. When you put it this way, it certainly sounds lovely.

However, there are quite a few practical problems and questions that keep pumping out. How much grandpa Microsoft needs to know about us, in order to provide us this kind of quality protection? Are we trading one trouble for another one? Somehow, our enthusiasm is lost.

Or, maybe we should let grandpa Microsoft do its homework. Let us see how this Project Sonar is going to work in the real life, and then we will have plenty of time to judge it. This way, we are only spoiling the party, and one intriguing idea. Good luck grandpa Microsoft, our fingers are crossed.

Top UK 40: Was It Worth It?

September 13, 2015 — Leave a comment

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It seems that the UK is going to become the toughest country for cyber pirates. The latest news has it that one “pirate” was arrested for uploading the UK 40 songs on the Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrent pirate websites. What is this supposed to mean for the pirate content industry?

Well, the first invaluable lesson is that the larger the data package is, you are uploading online, the greater the chances are, you will be eventually caught. In other words, if the “hero” of our story could have been satisfied with only a couple of songs, then he had not had some time to spend in the police station.

Europe has obviously become tremendously intolerant, when it comes to cyber piracy and copyright violations. We cannot tell for sure, who or what is more responsible for this new anti-piracy-tide in Europe, the Hollywood itself or the new approach of the EU Commission?

Either way, the busy little bees in the Pirate Bay again have quite a challenge to deal with. So far, their abilities to adapt and strike back with a vengeance have been quite remarkable. Let us see, how they will respond to the serious of damaging legal blows sent with love from both Hollywood and EU Commission.

iVirus iTrouble

September 9, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here comes the new trouble called the KeyRaider. This is the latest virus, which prefers jailbreaked iPhones. What is even more interesting, this threat can be associated with the jailbreak solutions made in China, in the overwhelming majority of all cases. So, how does it work?

Well, as soon as your iPhone starts communicating with an iTunes and Apple Store the hackers jump in. Your iPhone will pay and do what you do not want or do not approve. So, what is the moral of our disturbing KeyRaider story? You should avoid jailbreak options for your smartphone?

Does it also mean that somewhere out of our sight the busy little bees in Apple are laughing at us? They told us, but we failed to listen and comply? No, it would not be fair to say such a thing. You are absolutely free to do whatever you like with your iPhone. You just need to be extremely careful.

Executing a jailbreak operation can be a risky operation, if you are reckless and impatient. Some hacker has obviously done his homework properly. Apple can, but still does not have an obligation to help you in this case. Do not accept a free ride of the notorious KeyRaider. That is the only advice we can give you.

125 Billion Reasons

September 5, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here are some mind blowing data about the brave new future of mobile transactions. In no more than two years from now, you can expect a turnover of more than $125 billion on a yearly level. In other words, mobile payments and transactions are going to explode by the end of 2018.

Yes, cyber boys and girls, our precious money has become mobile, and there is nothing we can do about it. Our precious shiny gadgets are going to rain money for all kinds of service providers and product distributors. Everything and anything related to mobile sphere has a fantastic lucrative potential.

However, it would be tragically wrong to hope and expect that hackers are going to miss or sleep over this tremendous change. You can rest assured that they are already working hard on the next generation of malicious mobile solutions. This is a gold rush for them as much as it is for us.

Which brings us to the third participant of our story. If you are working or plan to work in the cyber security industry, then this is the right moment for you yo become a true cyber-star. Oh dear, there will be plenty of work for the cyber security busy little bees. Probably more they can handle.

Snapchat Snaps Money

September 4, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here is an intriguing, but also, almost an unexplainable thing with the tech startups. There is a mind blowing disproportion between their market value and their profit capacity. Snapchat is definitely among the most obvious examples in this field. This app has reinvented disproportion.

How? Well, for what is worth, the current estimated market value is somewhere around $20 billion. If we are not mistaken, the last time Facebook knocked at Snapchat’s door, we had an offer of almost nine or it was “only” six billion dollars? So, what is happening with the profit side?

Believe it or not, we are talking about only $3 million, not billion, just to make sure. It does not make any sense, does it? Who would pay $20 billion, for something that makes only $3 million a year? Well, you can rest assured that there is quite a long line of potential business bachelors.

Here is the last piece of the puzzle. It does not matter how much money you make as long as investors have a blind faith in your product or service. The Snapchat has more than $300 million in its bank account. So, they can certainly afford to turn down all takeover offers they do not like. Right?

The End Of Flash Days

September 1, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Oh dear, this is going to be such an earthquake for the advertising dreamland. Google has decided. Its final verdict is, no more Flash ads on Chrome platform. Almost one in two web users strongly rely on Chrome. That is why, this is an extremely important event in the cyber history.

On the other hand, the rest of major IT players are also not in the pro-Flash mood, including Mozilla, Amazon, and Apple. The age of HTML5 has just begun. Are we to blame these cyber lords? Should we feel sorry for the Flash, and its imminent and unavoidable sad destiny?

Well, for what is worth, the busy little bees behind Flash had plenty of time to deal with the constant hacker’s attacks and security failures. Obviously, some of the biggest IT guys simply had enough. Mozilla Firefox was among the first to share its security concerns with the series of Flash failures.

Now, the Flash crew has plenty of time to regret. Google and other major brands simply cannot themselves a luxury of endless security troubles with Flash plugins. Who knows,maybe this can become a story with the happy end, after all. Security does matter, doesn’t it Flash?