Apps

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.

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?

$32 For 32 Million Problems

August 22, 2015 — Leave a comment

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The latest DefCon event witnessed one both surprising and disturbing presentation. Just when you dare to think that you are safe from harm, there is a gadget to spoil the fun. In this case, we are talking about the RollJam. So, what is this notorious and affordable gadget all about?

Well, according to his inventor and numerous successful tests conducted at Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Nissan, and Lotus models, you can unlock a car or even a garage, with this little “helper”. In other words, with something worth only $32, you can steal the other thing worth $32,000 or more.

There is only one thing we can do. We should offer a job to RollJam’s inventor as soon as possible, otherwise we are going to end up in a serious trouble. It is simply amazing that someone can make this kind of a cheap device, which can steal so efficiently our car and garage lock codes.

Luckily for us, this brilliant mind has decided to present its dangerous gadget at DefCon rather than some real Grand Theft Auto players. Such a shame, when you can collapse an entire safety and protection system with a couple of bucks worth gadget. How inconvenient, indeed.

Private, More Private, Mozilla Firefox

August 21, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Mozilla is eager to reshape the challenging landscape of private browsing with the new Firefox Aurora private surfing feature. What is the big deal with it, you may ask? Every single browser has it. So, what is so special about the Aurora? Well, when Mozilla says private, it really means it.

You open a new private browser, and you think that you are invisible. Little did you know that all kinds of trackers and scripts are still following you. So, what kind of private browsing is that? This is what we used to have before Mozilla decided to do something about it. And, now we are safe?

To tell you the truth, there is no privacy online. It has never been. At least not the one you are expecting to get. However, we have every right to get the privacy, when a browser claims we have it. Right? Otherwise, we have been fooled badly. And, the unwanted consequences can be devastating.

OK Firefox, we have heard enough. You can rest assured that we are going to put your private browsing stuff to a real test. We sure hope you were telling the truth. Otherwise, we cannot handle one more disappointment. That would be just more than enough. Happy private browsing Firefox cyber guys.

175 Million Reasons To Be Worried

August 20, 2015 — Leave a comment

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We all know that Windows Server 2003 retired. This not a good nor a bad news. This is how it had to be, eventually. This platform did a remarkable job, and it was about time for it to enjoy the careless retirement days. Unfortunately, the users themselves are still trapped in time. How?

Well, for what is worth, and it is obviously worth a lot, more than 175 million websites worldwide still depend on Windows Server 2003 architecture. In the cyber world, the most serious consequence associated with retirement is an inability to get updates. Any kind of updates.

Especially the ones related to security. In plain English, you are using an outdated platform with the obsolete security measures, the hackers have had plenty of time to study and prepare for thoroughly. So, what can we do about it? We should embrace new systems. This is obvious.

Yet, our laziness, and unwillingness to invest in improved systems, are responsible for this problematic number of almost 200 million websites. That is almost an entire continent of websites, which are left on their own. Grandpa Microsoft is in trouble. Its retirement plan does not work.

Your Monthly Superhero

August 17, 2015 — Leave a comment

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It turns out that one of the worst, most recent Android security troubles called the Stagefright, has one more or less expected consequences. Are you eager to find out what happened, eventually? Well, for what is worth, both Google and Samsung are going to deliver security updates on a monthly basis.

So, it is a double bubble protection. Right? This is a simplified version, which is not too far away from the truth. On the other side, we had to face a cyber threat of epic proportions, in order to come to our senses. Then, it is better this way, than to wait for some security updates indefinitely, or which will come too late.

In plain English, if our math is right, we can expect one security update from Google, and one more from Samsung, for each and any month. Right? That is like, two security improvements per month, or Samsung is going to do some copy/paste of the things Google plans to deliver first? Either way, this is an invaluable win-win.

So, what is the moral of our sweet double-bubble security story? Well, sometimes something bad has to happen, in order to get something good. If the Stagefright was the price we had to pay, for our improved security, then let it be. It was worth it. But, no more bad things giving us good changes. Please.

The Stagefright Detector App

August 13, 2015 — Leave a comment

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The busy little bees, who discovered one of the most serious Android vulnerabilities, have done nicely their cyber-security homework. If you have a Nexus, then you do not have to use this app. You will know, when you are in the Stagefright trouble. But, what about the others?

Well, this app comes to the rescue. If you are aware about the problem on your Android smartphone, then you are almost half cured, so to speak. However, there is a catch, you should be fully aware about. Can you guess what it could possibly be?

Unfortunately, this app does what its name says it does, no more, no less. This is a detector, not a fixer of the problem it so successfully detects. That is why, we are extremely worried. Quite a few people are going to be disappointed or even angry. With no justifiable cause, of course.

Detection is the first, but definitely not the only step, on your road of cyber recovery. We should be grateful for this essential feature of this app, rather than to complain, why it does not fix what it detects at the moment. Our hats off to this app, the rest is up to you, as always.