Blog – Page 28

Issue With Android Could Let Someone Record Screen And Audio

December 6, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Do you have an Android phone? Is it running either Lolipop, Marshmallow or Nougat? Those three account for slightly more than 75 percent of the Android phones in service today, so odds are excellent that you do. If so, you should be aware of a nasty vulnerability that could allow a hacker to perform at-will screen captures and audio recording without your knowledge.

The issue resides within Android’s MediaProjection service, which has been a part of the OS since its earliest days. The reason that it has only recently become an issue, though, is that prior to the release of Android Lolipop (version 5.0), third-party apps couldn’t make use of it. It required both root-level access and the app in question had to be signed with the device’s release keys, which meant that only system-level apps deployed by Android OEMs could utilize MediaProjection.

That changed with the release of Lolipop, which opened the service up so that anyone could use it. Unfortunately, when Google relaxed access to the service, they didn’t put it behind a permission that apps could require from users. All a third-party developer needs to do to access MediaProjection is to make an “intent call” that would show a System UI popup, warning users that an app wanted to capture the screen and/or system audio.

Here’s the problem, though. Security researchers discovered that an attacker could detect when the system popup would appear, and knowing that piece of information, they could trigger some other message to appear on top of it, effectively blinding the phone’s owner to the fact that screen captures and audio recordings were in process.

Since the discovery of the security flaw, Google has released a patch that addresses it. Unfortunately, the patch only applies to Android Oreo (8.0). Older phones are still vulnerable.

If there’s one saving grace, it is the fact that the attack is not completely stealthy, and observant users will note the screencast icon in the phone’s notification bar. It’s far from perfect protection, but it’s something, so be aware if you’ve got an older Android phone.

Joseph Martin

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Google Can Still Track You With Location Services Disabled

December 5, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Google recently found itself in a bit of hot water after an investigation by Quartz revealed that the company was intrusively collecting location data on literally every Android device in use today. That’s billions of devices all over the globe.

There are many instances when there’s an expectation that location data can and will be tracked. In fact, one of the most commonly used features of smartphones in general (GPS and directions) demands it. After all, Google Maps can’t tell you how to get where you’re going if it doesn’t know where you are, to begin with, so that’s all fine and good.

The problem, as revealed by the recent investigation, is that for all of 2017, Google was collecting location data on every Android device. This was happening even if the user took a series of frankly heroic measures in an effort to prevent it, including turning off location services, not allowing any apps to track their location and even pulling their SIM card from the phone.

The practice, as Quartz rightly pointed out, goes far beyond any reasonable expectation of consumer privacy and is wildly intrusive.

When Quartz made inquiries of Google regarding the matter, part of the official company response, sent via email, was as follows:

“In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivers. However, we never incorporated Cell ID into our network sync system, so that the data was immediately discarded, and we updated it to no longer request Cell ID.”

In recent years, all the major tech companies have come under fire for the vast amounts of data they collect on consumers of their products. Although Google made it clear that they were formally ending the practice, the current climate makes their intrusive data collection effort (which, again, went completely undetected for the better part of a year) even more disturbing, especially given the lengths the company has gone to in an effort to position themselves as champions of user privacy.

Joseph Martin

Epson Printer Having Issues? It Could Be A Microsoft Update

December 3, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Do you have an older Epson printer that suddenly stopped working? If so, it may not be the printer at all, but a recent Windows update that lies at the heart of the issue.

German engineer Gunter Born tracked the problem to the following Microsoft Patches:

KB4048953 for Windows 10, Ver. 1607

KB4048954 for Windows 10, Ver. 1703

KB4048955 for Windows 10, Ver. 1709

KB4048957 for Windows Server 2012, R2

KB4048958 for Windows 8.1

KB4048959 for Windows Server 2012

And KB4048960 for Windows 7, Service Pack 1

These recent updates caused a malfunction where Epson dot matrix printers are not recognized if they are connected via USB cables.

Epson users noticed the problem immediately, of course, and the issue was reported on a wide range of support forums across the internet as users cast about desperately for a solution. Microsoft ended speculation into the matter fairly quickly, confirming the recent patches as the root cause of the issue, and promised that a patch to the patches was coming. As of now, though, we don’t have an ETA on when the fix can be expected.

In the interim, users can still make use of their printers by uninstalling the faulty updates. Gunter Born recommends running the following command in a cmd.exe window:

Wusa /uninstall /kb: xxxxx /quiet /warnrestart

If this command is run as Administrator, and “xxxxx” is swapped out for the faulty KB update you installed, printer functionality will be restored.

It’s far less than optimal, though, because those updates contained a variety of patches for security issues. However, if you need immediate access to that printer until Microsoft issues a revised patch, it’s about the only option you’ve got. Just make sure your IT staff is aware so that they can be on the lookout for the update.

Joseph Martin

More Bad News For OnePlus Phone Users

December 2, 2017 by Joseph Martin

OnePlus phones have been getting plenty of bad press lately, thanks to malicious apps found to be factory-installed on a percentage of the devices, along with some intrusive data collection features the manufacturer has installed. As it turns out, though, the story gets worse.

Recently, a security researcher going by the alias “Elliot Alderson” discovered a factory-installed application called “Engineering Mode” that can perform a series of intrusive hardware diagnostic routines and can even be used to root the device. What’s worse is that security flaws in the app make it easy for hackers to exploit.

Alderson believes that the likeliest scenario for the existence of the Engineering Mode application is that it was a diagnostic app installed and used at the factory to test OnePlus phones prior to shipment. Somehow, the app was never uninstalled after the initial testing was completed, exposing OnePlus users to the extreme danger of losing control over their devices and any data stored on them.

According to Alderson, all a hacker would need is physical access to the phone. Once he has it in hand, one simple command is all it takes to root the phone. Other researchers have independently verified Alderson’s findings. Since he first published them, the company has admitted their mistake and promised to remove Engineering Mode from all OnePlus phones in a future update, although no ETA was given for when that might occur.

If you currently own and use a OnePlus phone, be aware of this and use with caution. Keep on the lookout for the update from the manufacturer which will remove the “feature” for you, but if you’d rather not wait, you can go into the phone’s settings and manually remove it.

Physical security of smart devices has always been vitally important, but in the case of the OnePlus, that’s doubly true. Keep it close!

Joseph Martin

Malware Infections Grow 4X In Just One Quarter

December 1, 2017 by Joseph Martin

The world’s hackers have been busy according to the latest report by Comodo security, which tracks the total number of threats around the globe, quarter by quarter. The latest statistics are alarming, showing a massive jump in the total number of malware infections reported in the third quarter of 2017. Reports show nearly 400 million infections.

What’s worse is that the infections have spread to literally every corner of the globe. No nation is completely safe.

Digging more deeply into the statistics offered by Comodo, we find that the top five countries for malware infections this quarter were:

Russia

The United States

Poland

The United Kingdom

And Germany

These five nations combined accounted for fully 80 percent of the total number of infections reported.

Breaking the infections down by type, we find the following as the top 5:

Trojans (13.7 million)

Viruses (5.4 million)

Worms (2.8 million)

Backdoors (553,000)

And Packed Malware (284,000)

Diving even more deeply into the statistics yields more good information, including the fact that poorer nations tend to be afflicted more often by viruses and worms as these nations tend to use the older, unpatched or unlicensed software. These types of infections tend to run rampant in Southeast Asia, Southeastern Europe, Africa and South America.

The report also details that the number of large-scale email phishing attacks is on the rise, due in no small part to the recent popularity of Locky and other strains of ransomware, with the largest phishing attack having been conducted from August to September 2017. According to the report:

“This attack was unique in its combination of sophistication and size, backed by a botnet spread across more than 11,000 IP addresses in 133 countries in just the first stage of the attack. Also, the malware was designed to avoid detection by sandboxing and artificial intelligence technologies common in many endpoint protection systems.”

All in all, it’s a fascinating, though disturbing read, and points to the rapidly increasing sophistication of the world’s hackers that will no doubt continue to spell trouble for security professionals around the globe.

Joseph Martin

Latest Store With Payment Breach Is Forever 21

November 30, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Unfortunately, another high-profile data breach has surfaced. The latest company to fall victim is US-based fashion retailer Forever 21, operating more than 800 stores in 57 countries.

The company became aware of the breach when they were notified of “unauthorized access to data from payment cards that were used at certain Forever 21 store locations.”

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and we don’t have full details yet, but here’s what we know so far:

• Although the company had attempted to bolster security by implementing a token and encryption-based system that was designed to protect transaction data on the company’s point-of-sale system, an implementation issue at some store locations left POS equipment vulnerable, and these were the devices the hackers gained access to.

• Anyone who shopped at a Forever 21 location between March and October 2017 may have been impacted.

At this point, three significant pieces of information are missing. We do not yet know exactly which stores were impacted, nor how many of Forever 21’s customers may have seen their credit card information exposed, or what level of access the hackers may have had to the transaction data. We also don’t yet know if the group responsible got any personally identifiable information from the affected terminals.

The company’s official announcement regarding the breach included the following statement:

“Forever 21 immediately began an investigation of its payment card systems and engaged a leading security and forensics firm to assist. We regret that this incident occurred and apologize for any inconvenience. We will continue to work to address this matter.”

If you’ve shopped at any Forever 21 location during the timeframe mentioned above, be aware that your payment data may have been compromised. For now, the best thing you can do is monitor your credit card statements closely for any unusual activity and report it immediately if you find it.

Joseph Martin

Firefox Doubles Its Speed With Latest Release

November 29, 2017 by Joseph Martin

The new version of Firefox is out, and if you’ve moved away from the browser in recent years, it may be time to give it another look.

Dubbed “Quantum,” Firefox’s latest offering has been completely redesigned and has a lot to like, not the least of which is its raw speed. This latest version is twice as fast and now handily beats Google Chrome in speed tests, thanks in no small part to its next-gen CSS engine, and the fact that it is the first browser to fully utilize the power of multicore processors.

It also consumes 30 percent less memory and positively sips battery power, making it a great choice for laptop and smartphone users.

In addition to that, the revamped browser offers improved tracker blocking, built-in screenshot functionality and of particular interest, support for WebVR, which enables webmasters to take full advantage of the capabilities offered by virtual reality headsets.

You can get Mozilla’s latest offering from their website right now if you’re a PC user, though you’ll have to wait a bit if you’re on a smartphone. The latest release is scheduled to appear on the Google Play Store in a matter of days, but there is, as yet, no ETA on when it will be appearing in Apple’s App Store.

Speed is life in business, and if you’re looking to squeeze out a bit more efficiency and performance from the machines on your network, the new Firefox browser is definitely worth checking out. It’s only a matter of time before the other major players catch up, but until they do, Firefox’s Quantum browser looks to be the new reigning king of the hill and represents a big win for mobile users, given the power savings on offer. Kudos to Mozilla for an exceptional update!

Joseph Martin

Be Careful Of Downloads – Google Play Store Sees Malware Increase

November 28, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Google’s Play Store is under siege. In recent month, there has been a sharp spike in malware campaigns launched against the store, with a shocking number of poisoned apps slipping past Google’s robust system of checks designed to prevent, or at least minimize such occurrences.

The spike in poisoned apps has been reported by three different security companies: Dr. Web, McAfee and Malwarebytes.

According to the latest McAfee report, 144 Play Store apps have been identified as containing malware. To give you a sense of the scope and scale of the attack, McAfee analyzed a sample of 34 of the malicious apps and found that they had been downloaded between 4.2 million and 17.4 million times.

Of the malware strains found to be present on the Play Store, far and away the most common is Grabos, which is designed to push fake notifications that trick unsuspecting users into installing other apps. Based on the observed behavior, it’s likely that Grabos’ authors generate revenue based on the number of installs achieved. Based on the sheer number of downloads, it’s a model that’s paying handsome dividends for the hackers.

The second most common malware strain identified in the McAfee report is AsiaHitGroup, which utilizes an IP blacklist to specifically target users in Asian countries. This malware was initially found in an app named “QR Code Generator,” and once it infects a user’s machine, it will download a second-stage threat in the form of an SMS Trojan, which auto-subscribes infected users to premium phone numbers using SMS text messages.

Since its initial discovery in QR Code Generator, the AsiaHitGroup malware has been found in a variety of other apps, including alarm clock, photo editor, and internet speed test apps.

The security firm Dr. Web found a third distinct malware strain called Android.RemoteCode.106.origin, which was found to be embedded on nine different Play Store apps that had been downloaded between 2.37 million and 11.7 million times.

This campaign opens an “invisible” browser page that shows ads and is the least intrusive of the malware strains found. It’s likely that the hackers controlling this one get paid via ad impressions which are spoofed on the invisible browser window.

In addition to these, ESET has identified a fourth threat, having identified eight different apps that are infected with the MazerBot banking Trojan. This one is potentially the most damaging of the recently identified threats.

Google’s Play Store is clearly a fair bit more dangerous currently than its users are accustomed to. Be very careful when downloading apps until Google can beat back these recent attacks.

Joseph Martin

Black Friday Brings Major Increase In Fraud

November 26, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Retailers are gearing up for the year’s busiest shopping weekend, which runs from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, but another group is also gearing up.

Scammers.

Security experts are warning that retailers should brace for impact because the best estimates are that there could be as many as fifty million fraud-based attacks between those spectacularly busy shopping days.

The estimate is higher than it’s ever been and is driven in large part by the sheer number of high profile data breaches that have occurred over the last twelve months.

Account data for hundreds of millions of users flooded the Dark Web on the heels of those attacks. The scammers happily stocked up on them and are more than ready for the holiday season.

According to details provided by ThreatMetrix, the attack will shake out something like this:

• In advance of Black Friday, the scammers will use bots to test the stolen credentials they’ve purchased, tossing the ones that no longer work, and keeping the ones that are still active.

• Once they’ve culled their lists, they’ll spend a bit of time conducting a few million test attacks.

• After they successfully test their software with the valid IDs, they’ll launch large-scale fraud attacks with new user account registrations and attempted fraudulent payments.

According to security researcher Vanita Pandey:

“Many e-commerce merchants choose to accept a greater degree of risk on these key days in order to accept more transactions and reduce the chance that good customers experience friction when placing orders….fraudsters see peak shopping days as the opportunity to make larger purchases/attempt to redeem bigger basket sizes, which are less likely to be flagged as suspicious in among the sea of other high value purchases being made by good customers.”

The long and the short of it is that if you expect to see a spike in sales during the Black Friday – Cyber Monday shopping weekend, brace for a big spike in fraud attempts, too.

Joseph Martin

Apple Is On Track To Become A Trillion Dollar Company

November 25, 2017 by Joseph Martin

Recently, Apple’s stock closed at $175.88, giving it a market valuation slightly above $900 billion. A Drexel Hamilton analyst named Brian White predicts that over the course of the next twelve months, the company’s stock could be trading as high as $235 per share, and at that price, Apple’s market valuation would be over one trillion dollars, making it the only trillion-dollar company on the planet.

“With a market cap of over $900 billion, we believe Apple is on its way to becoming a ‘trillion dollar baby’ as reflected in our price target. We were the first on Wall Street to project that Apple would reach a $1 trillion market cap as reflected by a price target; our current price target of $235 equates to approximately a $1.2 trillion market cap.”

Mr. White is not alone. Another analyst, Amit Daryanani, working for RBC Capital Markets, has made a similar prediction, stating:

“In our view, Apple’s quarterly results will be less important this summer as investors are focused on the iPhone 8 this fall, along with the company’s raised capital distribution initiative, depressed valuation, and potential new innovations. We believe Apple remains among the most underappreciated stocks in the world.”

If you don’t yet own stock in the company, now would probably be a great time to buy. As Apple edges closer to the one-trillion-dollar threshold, it’s sure to generate an increasing number of headlines, which will increase interest in the company and push the stock price higher still, hastening the day when it hits the mark.

If you already own a stake in the company, hold onto it, and if you concur with Daryanani’s assessment, add to it as you’re able. You could soon be the proud owner of a tiny slice of investment history.

Joseph Martin

Issue With Android Could Let Someone Record Screen And Audio

Google Can Still Track You With Location Services Disabled

Epson Printer Having Issues? It Could Be A Microsoft Update

More Bad News For OnePlus Phone Users

Malware Infections Grow 4X In Just One Quarter

Latest Store With Payment Breach Is Forever 21

Firefox Doubles Its Speed With Latest Release

Be Careful Of Downloads – Google Play Store Sees Malware Increase

Black Friday Brings Major Increase In Fraud

Apple Is On Track To Become A Trillion Dollar Company

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