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Have you ever been wanting to take a picture of something you're looking at under your microscope but you just can't? Well, but now the Microphone Lens turns your iPhone or Android camera phone into a portable handheld microscope. By attaching a lightweight, inexpensive device to the back of a smart phone, researchers at the University of California (UCLA) can convert the phone into a sensitive fluorescence microscope. Microphone Lens allows the phone's camera to take pictures of single nanoparticles and viruses, possibly providing a portable diagnostic tool for health care workers in developing countries. In an experiment, A Nokia 808 PureView smartphone has been used to do fluorescent imaging on individual nanoparticles and viruses. By clipping on a 3D-printed attachment that included a laser bought on eBay Their work is funded by Nokia university research funding, the Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation, and other sources.

Just two days back Apple has yet fixed a security flaw in iOS 7 that allows anyone to bypass the lock screen to access users' personal data and the next one has already appeared. The new vulnerability was discovered by Karam Daoud, a 27 year old from the West Bank city of Ramallah in Palestine, that allows anyone to make calls from a locked iPhone , including international calls and calls to premium numbers. In a video, Daoud showed that calls can be made to any number from a locked iPhone running iOS 7 by using a vulnerability in the device's emergency calling function. The person needs to dial a number and then rapidly tap the call button until an empty screen with an Apple logo appears and makes the call to the particular number. The Forbes writer tested the flaw on two iPhone 5 devices on separate networks and it worked both times. This is the second malfunction found in the lock screen since iOS 7 was seeded to all iPhone owners this past Wednesday.

It comes as no surprise that today's cyber threats are orders of magnitude more complex than those of the past. And the ever-evolving tactics that attackers use demand the adoption of better, more holistic and consolidated ways to meet this non-stop challenge. Security teams constantly look for ways to reduce risk while improving security posture, but many approaches offer piecemeal solutions – zeroing in on one particular element of the evolving threat landscape challenge – missing the forest for the trees.  In the last few years, Exposure Management has become known as a comprehensive way of reigning in the chaos, giving organizations a true fighting chance to reduce risk and improve posture. In this article I'll cover what Exposure Management is, how it stacks up against some alternative approaches and why building an Exposure Management program should be on  your 2024 to-do list. What is Exposure Management?  Exposure Management is the systematic identification, evaluation,

Like most iOS lock screen vulnerabilities, the passcode lock screen on iOS 7 also suffers from a bug that allows anyone with direct access to the iPhone or iPad. Although Apple claims to have fixed 80 security vulnerabilities with iOS 7, including the ability to bypass the lock screen in iOS 6.1.3, the same person who found the previous vulnerability has found yet another in iOS 7. Discovered by ' Jose Rodriquez ', an iPhone user reported a security flaw in iOS that lets anyone bypass the lockscreen passcode and access sensitive information stored in photos, Twitter, email and more. The flaw resides on users who lock their devices with a traditional PIN code or password. The security flaw is demonstrated in the video below and it works as follows: Swipe up from the bottom of the Lock screen to open Control Center and Launch the Clock app. Open the Alarm Clock section of the Clock app and Hold down the power button. Quickly tap Cancel the immediately doubl

WebView is an essential component in Android and iOS. It enables applications to display content from online resources and simplifies task of performing a network request, parsing the data and rendering it. Today AVG Security expert reported a critical vulnerability in Android's WebView feature that allows an attacker to install malicious software, send SMSs and performing more tasks. WebView uses a number of APIs which can interact with the web contents inside WebView. So this allows the user to view a web application as a part of an ordinary Android application. Users can be infected when they click on a URL link using a vulnerable application that allows opening a Java enabled browser or web page. The commands in the JavaScript code can enable attackers to install malicious software, send SMSs, steal personal information and more. To exploit the flaw, attacker can trick users to click a malicious link from a vulnerable WebView application and which will

It's been nearly three months since Edward Snowden started telling the world about the National Security Agency's mass surveillance of global communications. After the last week report that the National Security Agency has leveraged its cooperative relationships with specific industry partners to insert vulnerabilities into Internet security products. Bitcoin , a virtual currency, a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, which is generated on a logarithmic scale by dedicated miners who run software that generate the complex hash codes which make up a Bitcoin.  The integrity of Bitcoin depends on a hash function called SHA-256 , which was designed by the NSA and published by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). Is it hard to believe that could the intelligence community have a secret exploit for Bitcoin? While there is no evidence yet to support the speculation. " If you assume that the NSA did something to SHA-256, which no outside resea

A Russian Exploit writer and underground Hacker who goes by the handle " fil9 " put up an Android Firefox Zero-Day Exploit for Sale in an open Exploit Market. Author claims a Zero Day vulnerability in Firefox for Android, which works on Firefox versions 23/24/26 (Nightly). The advertisement was spotted by Joshua, Malware Intelligence Analyst at Malwarebytes. Hacker Selling exploit with a starting price of $460 only. According to the proof of concept video uploaded by the Hacker, the exploit forces the mobile Firefox browser to download and execute a malicious app, on just visiting a malicious link only. What's worrisome is that many major websites are compromised frequently and a large number of visitors of those hacked sites can fall victim to this attack. " The biggest problem in this situation is that Firefox automatically executes certain known files once they're downloaded, and doesn't give users an option to disable this. Without some sort of

As we reported yesterday that, your Smartphone is a goldmine for the US National Security Agency (NSA), they have the full access to your Data available on your Smartphones including Android , iPhone and Blackberry. But among other Smartphones,  iPhone apparently is the most popular with the National Security Agency. Another NSA presentation leaked by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden and published by German paper Der Spiegel , describing Steve Jobs as the real Big Brother and iPhone buyers as the "zombies" . By cracking mobile operating systems and eavesdropping on mobile communications, the data obtained in this way includes contacts, call lists, SMS traffic, notes and location information. " Such as a iPhone picture of a foreign government official who took selfies while watching TV, and a picture of an unknown man, apparently an Afghani fighter, in the mountains of Afghanistan. And remember the iPhone's location bug? That enabled tracking of people over exten

National Security Agency (NSA)  has the capability to access a broad range of data on most Smartphones out there, including iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices, according to the  documents provided by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden to the  German news agency Der Spiegel report. A 2009 NSA document states that it can " see and read SMS traffic ". This data includes Contact, call lists, SMS traffic, notes and location data about where a user has been, the NSA has set up teams to specialize in cracking each operating system. The leaked information also revealed that the NSA has organized a working group for each operating system. The documents also state the NSA has successfully accessed BlackBerry email data, a system previously thought to be very secure. Recently, two Guardian reporters , the Newspaper primarily responsible with leaking NSA documents, discovered a mystery app on their iPhones . It has no title, no identifying image,

Security firm ESET has discovered  a new and effective banking trojan , targeting online banking users and designed to beat the mobile multi-factor authentication systems. Hesperbot detected as Win32/Spy.Hesperbot is very identical to the infamous Zeus and SpyEye Banking Malwares and infects users in Turkey, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Trojan has functionalities such as keystroke logging , creation of screenshots and video capture, and setting up a remote proxy. The attackers aim to obtain login credentials giving them access to the victim's bank account and getting them to install a mobile component of the malware on their Symbian, Blackberry or Android phone. Some other advanced tricks are also included in this banking Trojan, such as creating a hidden VNC server on the infected system and can do network traffic interception with HTML injection capabilities. So far, the Trojan hasn't spread too far. The campaign was first detec

Code repository GitHub  offers two-factor authentication to beef up security around its users' accounts. Github is a coding repository where developers used to build their projects projects that may turn out to be valued knowledgeable assets. Two-Factor Authentication adds another layer of authentication to the login process, Now users have to enter their username and password, and a secret code in the second step, to complete the sign in. If a hacker manages to steal a user's credentials through phishing or trojans, cannot do anything, as they do need a second key to enter. " We strongly urge you to turn on 2FA for the safety of your account, not only on GitHub, but on other websites that support it, " the company says . This two-factor authentication for Githu can be turned on in your account settings. GitHub hit 3.5 million users' landmark along with 6 million repositories deposited on its 5th anniversary in April. Two-factor authentication can protect you

Cybercrime costs organizations millions of dollars and to protect business from the consequences of security breaches, vulnerability intelligence and patch management are basic necessities in the toolbox of any IT team, as emphasized by organizations like the SANS Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology under the US Department of Commerce (NIST). The Secunia CSI 7.0 is the Total Package: Vulnerability Intelligence, Vulnerability Scanning with Patch Creation and Patch Deployment Integration. To help IT teams counter the threat, vulnerability research company Secunia merges the in-house vulnerability expertise with a sophisticated patch management solution into the Secunia Corporate Software Inspector (CSI 7.0). The foundation of the Secunia CSI is a unique combination of vulnerability intelligence and vulnerability scanning, with patch creation and patch deployment integration. The Secunia CSI integrates with Microsoft WSUS and System Center 2

Recently, The Social Media is buzzing over reports that Apple has invented a new technology that now can Switch off iPhone Camera and Wi-Fi, when entering a 'sensitive area'. Technology would broadcast a signal to automatically shut down Smartphone features, or even the entire phone. Yes ! It's true, On June 2008 - Apple filed a patent ( U.S. Patent No. 8,254,902 ) - titles " Apparatus and methods for enforcement of policies upon a wireless device " that defines the ability of U.S. Government to remotely disable certain functions of a device without user consent. All they need to do is decide that a public gathering or venue is deemed sensitive and needs to be protected from externalities. Is it not a shame that you can't take a photo of the police officer beating a man in the street because your oppressive government remotely disabled your Smartphone camera? Civil liberties campaigners fear it could be misused by the authorities to silence 'awkward citi

The recent "disconcerting" reports that India was being spied upon by American intelligence agencies has opened an all new chapter in the cyber security space. The revelation that the Indian embassy in the US was among the list of 38 diplomatic missions which were being spied upon by American intelligence agencies, as per the latest top secret US National Security Agency documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden has raised questions like How much of liberty should the cyber space grant to maintain national security and at what cost?  So far, legality is the main rationale US officials have used to defend the government's PRISM spying program. It's all perfectly legal, approved by govt. and the courts, but a more potent argument might be just because something is legal doesn't necessarily make it a good thing. In the context of the recent findings and the debate that it has just drawn, The Hackers Conference 2013 will raise important questions on the th

The Kaspersky Lab researchers recently have discovered a number of Android malware apps are abusing the Google Cloud Messaging Service (GCM) as Command and Control server . The GCM  service allows Android app developers to send messages using JSON Format for installed apps, but hackers exploited it for malicious Purposes. Using Google Cloud Messaging Service (GCM) as Command and Control server for Android Malware is not a new concept, as last year Security researcher and Hacker ' Mohit Kumar ' demonstrated ' Android Malware Engine ' - One of the Most Sophisticated Android malware during Malcon conference. The Kaspersky Lab researchers have detected at least five Different Android Trojans that used JSON format: 1. SMS.AndroidOS.FakeInst.a 2. SMS.AndroidOS.Agent.ao 3. SMS.AndroidOS.OpFake.a 4. Backdoor.AndroidOS.Maxit.a 5. SMS.AndroidOS.Agent.az. The authors of the malware in Every case took advantage of Google Cloud Messaging Service to Exchange messag

What would you do if a European Cybercrime Agency locked your PC until you paid a fine? A new Police Ransomware  family dubbed Trojan : HTML/Browlock by F-secure Antivirus firm, known as Browlock , which spreads by tricking unsuspecting web surfers into believing the police are after them. Ransomware is malware that, when installed on a device, can be locked down from remote locations by cyber criminals . Usually, ransomware appears to be an official warning telling the user that the computer has to be locked because it showed illegal activities and payment is necessary to access files. Ransomware is a global phenomenon, but the criminals have learned to localize and customize their software to make the threat seem scarier so that victims act quickly before they have time to think. Researchers said they are tracking this Malware from a while ago and now crooks behind the malware ate targeting users from some new countries including the United States, Canada and th

A critical vulnerability in the Android implementation of the Java SecureRandom random number generator was discovered , that leaves Bitcoin digital wallets on the mobile platform vulnerable to theft. Before the announcement was made, users on the forums had noticed over 55 BTC were stolen a few hours after the client improperly signed a transaction using the compromised random number generator. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that makes use of cryptography to create and transfer bitcoins. Users make use of digital wallets to store bitcoin addresses from which bitcoins are received or sent. Bitcoin uses public-key cryptography so that each address is associated with a pair of mathematically linked public and private keys that are held in the wallet. Because the problem is rooted in the operating system, every Bitcoin digital wallet generated by an Android app is affected by the weakness, including Bitcoin Wallet , blockchain.info wallet , Bitcoin Spinner , and Myc

As time goes on, though, the Malware Risk on Mobile Platforms appears to be increasing. A flood of scammy apps that are difficult for Google to detect, and therefore stays available for download for several days before being removed. The Russia-based firm Dr Web today said it has discovered several malicious  Android apps found on Google Play  which send SMS to premium numbers and  about 25,000 devices are infected by these malwares . A number of malicious programs have been discovered by Dr Web's analysts belong to the Vietnamese developer AppStoreJsc . These programs are published in the form of audio players and a video player that generally display adult content. Dr Web explains, " While running these carrier applications, dubbed Android . MulDrop, Android.MulDrop.1, and Android.MulDrop.2 by Dr . Web, can prompt the user to download the content they need, but their consent initiates the installation of another application rather than the downloadin

It's not the new facts that the FBI has used hacking methods in the past to spy on suspected criminals, including keyloggers and remotely turning on the microphones in mobile phones, in order to spy on suspected criminals. Computer viruses and spyware are an unavoidable part of life. You can protect against them, but they'll always be out there lurking. The Wall Street Journal posted the story that FBI agents hacking people's Android devices and personal computers (PCs) using malware , so that they can turn the MIC on and listen in on conversations. The FBI hires people who have been hacking skill, and they purchase tools that are capable of doing these things, and develop some hacking tools internally or purchases others from the private sector. It's also important to note that the US government is now the world's largest buyer of malware . The FBI has also developed custom " port reader " software to intercept Internet metadata in real

A Georgia Tech researcher has found a weakness in Apple's iOS mobile platform that could let hackers to hide malicious code inside apps and can be surreptitiously planted on the Apple App Store. Researchers team created a proof-of-concept attack that was published in the Apple App Store and used to remotely launch attacks on a controlled batch of devices , enabling them to post unauthorized tweets, take photos and even go after other apps. " Our research shows that despite running inside the iOS sandbox, a Jekyll-based app can successfully perform many malicious tasks, such as posting tweets, taking photos, sending email and SMS, and even attacking other apps all without the user's knowledge. " Using a BeagleBoard, team created a USB malicious charger called Mactans  that can install apps without user knowledge within a minute of being plugged in. In one demonstration, the attacker was able to hide the iPhone Facebook application and install a malicious copy in

Famous poker player 'Masaaki Kagawa' who won about $1.5 million in poker tournaments has been arrested by Japanese authorities for allegedly distributing Android malware. According to Symantec , He is just one of nine men arrested for distributing spam that included emails with links to Android malware ' Android.Enesoluty ', used to collect contact details stored on the owner's device. Security researchers discovered Android.Enesoluty first time in September 2012, it steals information and sends it to computers run by hackers. The operation began around September, 2012 and ended in April, 2013 when authorities raided the company office. Around 150 domains were registered to host the malicious apps and the group was able to collect approximately 37 million email addresses from around 810,000 Android devices. The company earned over 3.9 million US dollars by running a fake online dating service called Sakura site. " His passion for taking chances