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In the mob of Smart Devices, after Smartphones... Google glass would definitely be the next must-have device. It's non-other than a small computer you wear like eyeglasses allows you to surf the Web, email, text, take photos, live videos and more, -- all hands free. Google Glasses are yet in very limited release, but researchers have developed the world's first spyware that could hijack your Google's Glass computer eyepieces. Two Polytechnic graduate researchers, 22-year-old Mike Lady and 24-year-old Kim Paterson , from California designed an app that has the capability to convert the Google Glass into a Spy Camera, click a photo every ten seconds without giving any visible sign to the wearer, Forbes reported yesterday . The malware app developed by the researchers, masquerades itself as a fair piece of note-taking software, ironically dubbed as ' Malnotes ', that trick users accept the permissions which allow them to capture images of whatever the glass wearer is l

I am quite sure that you must be syncing your Smartphone with your Computers for transferring files and taking backup of your device. If you are using windows operating system and Android devices, then it's a bad news for you, because FireEye Security Researchers have identified a new piece of windows malware that can also infects your Android Devices. During an investigation of a targeted attack on a US based financial institution, researchers spotted a new version of Windows Remote Access Trojan (RAT) called ' Win-Spy Software Pro v16 ', a spying and monitoring tool.  WinSpy was embedded in macro documents to kick off a spam campaign via a spear phishing email. " The recent surge in Android-based RATs such as Dendroid and AndroRAT shows a spike in the interest of malicious actors to control mobile devices.  GimmeRAT  is another startling example of malicious actors venturing into the Android ecosystem ," security firm said. The Researchers dubbed the

Identities now transcend human boundaries. Within each line of code and every API call lies a non-human identity. These entities act as programmatic access keys, enabling authentication and facilitating interactions among systems and services, which are essential for every API call, database query, or storage account access. As we depend on multi-factor authentication and passwords to safeguard human identities, a pressing question arises: How do we guarantee the security and integrity of these non-human counterparts? How do we authenticate, authorize, and regulate access for entities devoid of life but crucial for the functioning of critical systems? Let's break it down. The challenge Imagine a cloud-native application as a bustling metropolis of tiny neighborhoods known as microservices, all neatly packed into containers. These microservices function akin to diligent worker bees, each diligently performing its designated task, be it processing data, verifying credentials, or

Last Weekend Google Play Store was crashed twice by a Turkish hacker when he tried to test vulnerability he discovered on the Android  apps  publishing system, known as Google's Developer Console . Turkish hacker ' Ibrahim Balic ' claimed responsibility for the Google Play Store attack and told ' The Hacker News ', he found a flaw in the Android operating system while working with Android tools i.e. Compiler, debugger on his Emulators, that was crashing again and again.  ' I successfully confirmed that it affects Android 4.2.2 , 4.3 and 2.3 ' he said. Then he created an Android app to exploit the vulnerability, ' causes a possible memory corruption '  and uploaded it to the Google's Developer Console. Unfortunately, OR Luckily the malformed Android app crashed whole Google's Developer Console, and he didn't expect that the app will knock everyone offline from Play Store. He was not sure about the outage caused by him or not,

Google's Android operating system may be open source, but the version of Android that runs on most phones, tablets, and other devices includes proprietary, closed-source components. Phone makers, including Samsung ships its Smartphones with a modified version of Android, with some pre-installed proprietary software and because of lack in independent code review of those closed-source apps, it is complex to authenticate its integrity and to identify the existence of backdoors . Paul Kocialkowski , the developers of the  Replicant OS  has uncovered a backdoor pre-installed on Samsung Galaxy devices and the Nexus S, that provides remote access to all the data in the device. Replicant OS is an open source operating system based on the Android mobile platform, which aims to replace all proprietary Android components with their free software counterparts. In a blog post , He explained that Samrtphones come with two separate processors, one for general-purpose application

Since mobile has become a basic need for every common as well as important figure now a days. So, every company is highly working to find more effective ways to protect sensitive data of their users and in the race, Vodafone lead the game. In collaboration with its security partner Giesecke & Devrient ( G&D ) which is an international leader in mobile security solutions, Vodafone is offering an end-to-end encryption for mobile communication based on the phone SIM card. Secure Data such as emails, documents, data carriers, and VPN connections will be signed and encrypted by the SIM in such a way that they are unreadable to unauthorized third parties assuring your security and privacy. SIM users have to encrypt the data by simply using a PIN and a digital signature, and the same is needed in order to decrypt the communication. " The solution uses the widespread S/MIME encryption program for email exchanges, and in the future, encryption via PGP will also be

Smartphones are always ready to connect to the Internet and contains sensitive information such as Contacts, SMS, Photos, and GPS information and this sensitive information is always in danger of leakage. According to a report, Cyber criminals and state-sponsored hackers are developing 55,000 new malware variants, each and every day; and many of them try to elevate privileges for unfettered control of the user device. North Carolina State University Researchers have developed a new software, called Practical Root Exploit Containment ( PREC ) , with the sole purpose of detecting mobile malware that attempts to run Root exploits in Android devices. Root exploits take control of system administration functions of the operating system that gives the hacker an unrestricted control of user's Smartphone. That means, an application has not permission to read your messages or contacts or the GPS location, but after getting root access it will be able to steal any data from your d

Android platform is becoming vulnerable day by day and hackers always try to manipulate android by applying novel techniques. In this regard, Symantec researchers have found a new android malware toolkit named " Dendroid ". Previously Symantec found an Android Remote admin tool named AndroRAT is believed to be the first malware APK binder. However, Dendroid runs on HTTP with many malicious features. Dendroid toolkit is able to generate a malicious apk file that offers amazing features like: Can delete call logs Open web pages Dial any number Record calls SMS intercepting Upload images, video Open an application Able to perform DoS attack Can change the command and control server The author of Dendroid also offers 24/7 customer support for this RAT and Android users can buy this toolkit at $300 by paying Bitcoin , Lifecoin. Experts at Symantec said that Dendroid has some connection with the previous AndroRAT toolkit . Dendroid being an HTTP RAT offers PHP

With revelations of NSA spying and some of the most jaw-dropping surveillance leaks, many people feel unencrypted and central-server service is bad in most of the cases, but end-to-end encryption can be used to reduce this problem. Worldwide Government surveillance raises privacy concerns and acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook also made us think about the security concern with chat applications as well; though it was not so secure previously. People who care about having their SMS and Instant messages protected from prying eyes, now they can use end-to-end encrypted services, like  TextSecure .  It is a free Android-based messaging app, completly open-source , easy to use and designed with privacy in mind. Encrypting the stored data on the servers is as important as transferring data over an encrypted connection, but the most important factor of the encryption is that ' who has the decryption key '. If the company has the keys, then Government could snoop through your fi

Looking for a Secure Smartphone? World's biggest Aerospace company - Boeing is finally close to the launch of its high-security Android Smartphone, called " Boeing Black (H8V-BLK1) ", primarily designed for secure communication between Governmental agencies and their contractors. Encrypted email, Secure Instant Messaging and Other privacy services and tools are booming in the wake of the National Security Agency's recently revealed surveillance programs. Encryption isn't meant to keep hackers out, but when it's designed and implemented correctly, it alters the way messages look. Boeing is the company which is already providing secure communications for US Government officials, including the president. Don't mess with it, It can  Self-Destruct:  Boeing Black Smartphone can Self-Destruct  if it is tampered with, destroying all the data on it. The device is delivered in complete sealed form, any attempt to open the seal of the device will destruct the operati

We use our Smartphone devices to do almost everything, from Internet Banking to Sharing private files and at the same pace, the mobile malware sector is also growing. The number of variants of malicious software aimed at mobile devices has reportedly risen about 185% in less than a year.  Security researchers have observed a growth in the numbers of computer malware families starting to use TOR-based communications, but recently the Security Researchers at anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab have spotted  the world's first Tor-Based Malware for Android Operating system. The Android Malware dubbed as ' Backdoor. AndroidOS .Torec.a ', using Tor hidden service protocol for stealth communication with Command-and-Control servers. Researchers detected that the Trojan is running from .Onion Tor domain and working on the functionality of an open source Tor client for Android mobile devices, called ' Orbot ', thus eliminating the threat of the botnet being de

Earlier this year encrypted communications firm Silent Circle and Spanish Smartphone maker Geeksphone  announced a  privacy-focused  encrypted  S martphone  called ' Blackphone ' and today the company has revealed it as ' Mobile World Congress ' in Barcelona. The Blackphone titled as, " world's first Smartphone which places privacy and control directly in the hands of its users, " has a fully customized version  customized version of Android called PrivatOS   and pre-installed with lots of  privacy-enabled applications, is now available for pre-order for about $629 . Silent Circle was co-founded by a respected Cryptographer  Phil Zimmermann,  best known as the creator of  Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) , which is a widely used email encryption software. The Blackphone handsets main focus is keeping all of your data secure, and to stop government agencies snooping on your communications. Blackphone will come with a set of application developed by Silent Circle , incl

Spying on the world by injecting sophisticated backdoors in software, systems, and mobile phones, leads to violation of the Privacy and Security of every individual. Yes, we are talking about Surveillance , but this time not about NSA . Instead, Countries including some with poor human-rights records and a much less technically advanced nation are the likely culprits, as they apparently used commercial spyware in making surveillance capabilities that once were the exclusive expertise of the known spy agencies, such as National Security Agency (NSA) and GCHQ. Citizen lab , a nonprofit research lab has  found traces of a remote hacking tool  in 21 countries , developed by  Hacking Team,  including Ethiopia, Sudan, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, which the team had already  denied  back in 2013. Hacking Team, also known as HT S.r.l , is an Italian company, which is known for its powerful surveillance software, Remote Code System (RCS) that it sells to Governments and law enforcement

WhatsApp for Android added most awaited privacy option for all who do not want to display information about when they last used the app. This is the first impressive update of the  WhatsApp after acquisition by Facebook , who   has paid a lot of money in cash and stock to acquire it. The Popular Smartphone messaging application  WhatsApp version 2.11.169 will provide you more ability and control over privacy options i.e. Hiding ' last seen at ' time, Profile picture, status updates from others, which are currently visible for all WhatsApp users. Currently, these options are set to  'everyone'  by default, that allows any WhatsApp user to find out exactly when you used WhatsApp for the last time, also reveals your image and Status message. Most of the times we don't want it to be shown to anyone or to non-contact users. How to hide WhatsApp 'last seen at' time and Profile Picture? WhatsApp now allows you to Modify your Privacy settings in three wa

Smartphone  is the need of everyone today and so the first target of most of the Cyber Criminals . Malware authors are getting to know their market and are changing their way of operations. Since last year we have seen a rise in the number of hackers moving from the Blackhat into the Greyhat. The Head of knowledge delivery and business development for  RSA's FraudAction Group ,  Daniel Cohen  warned users about the new threat via a company  blog  on Thursday, that explains everything about the malware app, called  iBanking . iBanking , a new mobile banking  Trojan app which impersonates itself as an Android ' Security App ', in order to deceive its victims, may intimidate a large number of users as now that its source code has been leaked online through an underground forum. It will give an opportunity to a larger number of cybercriminals to launch attacks using this kind of ready-made mobile malware in the future. Since many banking sites use  two-fac

Popular Smartphone Messaging app  WhatsApp 's $19 billion acquisition by Social Network giant Facebook  made Headlines this week. While Some are applauding the move, and many other users are worried about WhatsApp's future and their privacy after this acquisition. Why So Serious? WhatsApp currently having 450 million active users and processes 50 billion messages a day. Service charges a nominal service fee of $1/year, that means Facebook is buying at $42.22 per user. $19 Billion / 450 million users  = $42.22 per user These figures show ,  obviously future revenue from WhatsApp can't cover the acquisition cost in the short or mid-term. " You can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication. There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision and our product. " WhatsApp founder said in a  blog post . So, What Facebook is

Get bored with the older versions of Google's Android Operating system? Then there is Good News for Android lovers ! Google is putting an end to the older versions of Android newly manufactured Smartphone Handsets. According to a leaked Google Document, the Smartphone Manufacturers will be forced to provide the latest version of Android, i.e. version 4.4 KitKat installed in the new handsets, under Google's new policy. If an OEM wants to qualify for Google Mobile Services (GMS) or Google Apps, they should install the up-to-date version of Android in the handset and If true, then Google will no longer authorize devices running versions older than Android 4.2. In the leaked memo, Google states, " Starting February 2014, Google will no longer approve GMS distribution of new Android products that ship older platform releases. Each platform release will have a GMS approval window that typically closes nine months after the next Android platform release is publicly available. " The rep

After the developer of Flappy Bird pulled the gaming app from both the Apple and Google app stores, it led to the creation of dozens and dozens of Flappy Bird clones that are trying to cash in on the popularity of the original title. Also Security researchers from multiple anti-malware firms have recently identified a number of malicious versions of Flappy Bird apps. In Order to protect Smartphone users from installing malicious applications that pretend to be the one associated with the previous Flappy Bird app, Google and Apple have finally decided to reject all games and application that contain ' Flappy ' in the title on app Stores. Ken Carpenter, another app developer with Mind Juice Media, posted on his Twitter account that his newly developed app, which he named Flappy Dragon , got rejected from Apple's app Store because the name " attempts to leverage a popular app " According to Ken, 'Flappy' in app title are being rejected by Apple under a violatio

Downloading various apps blindly from Google play store may bring you at risk in terms of money.  PandaLabs , the Cloud Security Company, has identified malicious Android apps on Google Play that can sign up users for premium SMS subscription services without their permission and so far it has infected at least 300,000 Android users, although the number of malicious downloads could have reached 4 times higher i.e. 1,200,000 users. The four apps found free in the app store that came packaged with a premium SMS scam that dubbed as "Easy Hairdos", "Abs Diets", "Workout Routines" and "Cupcake Recipes" and are among the malicious apps available for free download on Google Play store . From the above app, say if 'Abs Diet' has been installed on your phone and once the user has accepted the terms and conditions of the service, the app displays a series of tips to reduce abdominal fat and then without the user's knowledge, the app l