Money Makes The Mobile Go Malware Round

November 12, 2014 — Leave a comment

You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that the numerous hacker groups are not the NGOs nor the non-profit organizations. They are after our money, that is for sure. They will do all what is necessary in order to get it. Kaspersky Lab has some bad news about this story. Are you prepared?

Your mobile will be used to make the money for your friendly neighbor hacker directly or as a resting place to a greater financial target. In the first case you are very likely to be infected by the Trojan SMS. In the second case, you will get some unexpected visitors, such as the Trojan Banker. Either way you lose.

What is even worse, you can easily end up with both of these on your phone. The Trojan SMS will use your phone to send messages and pay for services without your knowledge or approval. The Trojan Banker will get an access to all banking related data on your phone. Malicious busy little bees, aren’t they?

What can we do about it? It does not mean that Kaspersky is going to protect you necessarily, just for being able to warn you in time. You will have to do something about it yourself. For a start, make sure that your smartphone has only the necessary information. Do not put all eggs in only one mobile gasket.

Pavlock With An Electric Stroke

November 11, 2014 — Leave a comment

There is no such a thing as the crazy startup. With only one condition. As long as it delivers the truly efficient results everything and anything is allowed. In order to read this post you are strongly advised to Google a little bit, including some Wiki research about the Russian scientist Pavlov and his experiments.

This is how we have ended up with the new startup called the Pavlock. This is a new type of a smart bracelet. Its way of motivating you is through electroshocks. Yes, you heard it nice and clear. Either you will comply with your schedule and goals or you will suffer pain. Oh dear, what is next?

In addition, what are the possible implications? We do not even dare to think about it. What if someone comes up with an idea about the smart collars? Do we really have to apply these drastic measures in order to achieve our goals? Yet, if it is going to work for you to live a healthy life, let it be.

Smart bracelets with electroshocks for smart people. What is wrong with this picture? If you are a smart and reasonable person, why do you need electroshocks to remind you about what you need or must not do, in the very first place? Smart devices and dumb people. Or, smart people and dumb devices.

Mobile Games, Real Pains

November 9, 2014 — Leave a comment

Time for some Kaspersky Lab reports. You know how it goes, don’t you? After reading one, you can write off your day, because you will feel terrible for a good reason. This time the Kaspersky Lab has teamed up with the Interpol itself to draw our attention to some malicious mobile things happening in our neighborhood.

If the mobile users in your country are getting used to pay for various services on a huge scale, then you should be aware of the SMS Trojans for a change. These bad boys make you pay for the services you have not ordered in the first place. One in five smartphones gets some of these unwanted guests at some point in time.

So, what is the moral of this report? Follow the cash flow, and you will be able to see where a certain malware is very likely to strike next. It sounds simple, but somewhere on the mobile phone line, we got lost in translation. Our ignorance and reckless behavior are our worst enemies in the cyber world.

Until the next Kaspersky Lab report and some new how-to-ruin-your-mood discoveries. We hope that this next report will not catch by a surprise. It would be a nice thing to witness something like, oh I knew about this one and I am so lucky it has missed me. This was the best case scenario. How about the other one?

Here Comes FIDO

September 28, 2014 — Leave a comment

If you thought that FIDO is a new Hobbit’s name, then you should do some extra IT Security 101. Without any exaggeration we can say that the FIDO technology and standard is the next big thing in the world of smartphones. It stands for the Fast IDentification Online or simply FIDO.

So, what is this FIDO all about? Well, we are talking about the next generation of mobile payment solutions, which will definitely send to a retirement all password-based payment systems. This so-called biometric e-business is based on the fingerprint technology, eye scanners, and voice recognition systems.

It is supposed to be a win-win situation for us, the proud users of smartphones. On the one side, we will enjoy greater freedom with simplified and more efficient mobile payment technology. On the other side, we would certainly appreciate the significantly improved sense of cyber security.

So, what is still left to do? We need to remind our dearest major IT league players to invite FIDO on their devices as soon as possible. For what is worth Samsung is already there with its Galaxy S5 smartphone. On the other hand, Apple is determined to introduce its ApplePay. Do you feel protected already?

California Kill Switch Bill

September 4, 2014 — Leave a comment

It has been cooking for quite some time. Now, it is time for us to see some actual working in this matter. California is the first state with the kill switch bill in force. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know what is this bill all about, do you? You cannot have the absolute anti-theft guarantee.

However, you can make all smartphone thefts absolutely pointless. With this feature you can log into your web account and kill your stolen smartphone literally. Its interior will become a melted and useless material in a matter of seconds. How can you be sure with this one?

Well, for what is worth, this is supposed to be a default feature for all smartphones bought in California. Although, some elements which can survive the kill-switch can still be used for spare parts, the damage for the thieves has already been done. It is simply not worth all the risk and trouble.

On the other side, we sure hope that the feature itself is protected enough. The last thing we need is some hacker killer, who decides how many smartphones to eliminate with a simple push of a kill switch button. Let us hope that we have not created the ultimate weapon against the smartphones.

Are You Talking To My Smartphone?

July 12, 2014 — Leave a comment

This is how it should be done. No warrant – no smartphone. According to the Supreme Court’s decision police will not longer be able to examine the very content of your smartphone without a proper warrant. Well, it is about time. This news is much more serious than you might have thought.

Here is a name of case, which started an entire avalanche in this story, Riley v. California. The person from this case with a name Riley got himself convicted for a murder based on the evidences found by the police in his smartphone. The Supreme Court Judges were prety much determined about this one.

For them modern smartphones were much more than one additional gadget at our disposal. They have a greater legal potential in terms of evidences compared to your wallet or purse, for instance. No one can enter your home without a warrant, and no one can examine your smartphone without a warrant.

This is quite an unexpected, but extremely important recognition, which will definitely shake things a little bit. Police will from now on think twice once they get their hands on your smartphone this way or another. We have just won a battle in an endless war for our privacy.

The Blind Man Who Taught Himself How To Hack

July 3, 2014 — Leave a comment

Although, you may find this story hard to believe, we are actually referring to a true event, which took place in Zambia. Believe it or nor, a blind hacker is facing a two years imprisonment for his crimes. Yes, you got that one right. He is a blind person. He lives in one of the last countries you could possibly expect for a hacking to occur.

And yes, he was able to successfully hack one of the leading Zambian telecommunication companies. In addition, this extraordinary hacker was able to ensure access to mobile phones used by the Zambian minister of defense and minister of foreign affairs. So, what was the damage caused by his hacking activities?

Well, no more than $4,000 for the period of four years. Pay attention, only for the phone bills on the “borrowed” phones. For what is worth, we do not favor or support crime in any form or situation. However, this remarkable individual, who was able to overcome his disability, definitely deserves a better fate than a jail time.

At least what Zambian government can do in his case, is to offer him a well-paid full-time job in either some telecommunication department or in the police. He has proven his talents already, hasn’t he? A man like him you definitely need to have as your most trusted ally. Never as your worst enemy. Right?

Bosnia vs The World

June 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

No, we are not referring to the World Cup in Brazil. It may come as a surprise, but Bosnia is the richest country in the world when you take only one criteria into consideration – the number of mobile phones. In Bosnia you have an average of 100 people using 91 mobile phones. As you can see Bosnia is an unofficial winner of the mobile phones world cup.

Here is some additional information to illustrate this intriguing phenomena. For example, in Turkey you have an average of 90 mobile phones for 100 people. For quite a long time China has been considered as one of the leading countries in the world when we take into consideration the average number of mobile phones. It is shocking that they have an average of “only” 89.

It seems that the moral of this interesting story is quite an indicative one. Perhaps when you are examining certain market, you should take into consideration the readiness of people to acquire your product or service, rather than to focus on the amount of an average salary. For what is worth, the citizens of some of the wealthiest countries in the world proved us all wrong about this one.

It is worth mentioning that apparently the smaller a country is, the higher the probability is that more mobile phones will be used by its citizens. One very serious rumor has it that there are some countries, which challenge this ratio with an unprecedented number of devices. Montenegro has more mobile phones than its citizens. One of the least likely places in the world for the mobile phones world cup finals to take place – the Balkans.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2

June 3, 2014 — Leave a comment

It seems that everything related to Samsung has to be mega, literally. Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 is going to definitely live up to its reputation and name. This model will redefine our ideas about the size of smartphones. With the 7-inches display it is going to be the biggest guy in the neighborhood, including the former king of king-size Smartphones Sony Xperia Z Ultra with a 6.4-inch display.

When it comes to the price itself, we can only guess based on what we know about the Mega #1. Its price was somewhere around $500 give it or take. This is definitely a refreshing surprise. Just because it is mega in its size, it does not necessarily mean that the price itself will be mega, as well. Having this in mind, we can say that everything up to $600 or $650 for this model will be hard to resist.

On the other side, if your model’s display size is your best argument, then you are very likely to fail in the market. We have every reason to believe that the guys at Samsung are pretty much aware about this simple fact. For what is worth, they will certainly do their best to include some breathtaking features in order to justify the mega name itself.

It is worth mentioning that with these gigantic models over the border line of 6.5-inches, we are really testing the patience and understanding of all potential smartphone users. What are you supposed to do with mega model of amazing 7-inch display? Do you need to have an impressive size of the-basketball-hands in order to successfully use it? We sure hope that this mega-size model will not end up as one more mega-disappointment.

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