Tag: smartphone security

New malware is now causing problems, particularly with Android users who speak Russian.

Just as smartphone users are beginning to realize that their small screen devices could suffer just as big a malware threat as their laptops and desktop computers, a new mobile security announcement has been made which has revealed that Android users who speak Russian are being targeted by a new type of text based attack.

This specific form of mobile malware moves right in to the device contact list to spread and infect others.

According to Eset, a security vendor, the malware is a worm-like virus called “Android/Samsapo.A”. Once it has made its way into a device, it can download other malicious files into that device, as well, making it a mobile security problem that only gets worse. It can also steal an individual’s personal information from his or her smartphone or tablet, including from text messages, and it can block phone calls from being made or received.

This mobile security threat is a very new one and it is important for device users to be aware of it.

According to a malware researcher from Eset, Robert Lipovsky, this virus uploads the data that it obtains from a device into a domain that is less than a month old. The spread of the Samsapo virus occurs by automatically sending out text messages from the infected mobile device so that they will be received by other people whose contact data is saved within the address list.

The virus has a rather worm-like characteristic in that has been used in other forms of malware that have been infecting smartphones and even tablets. In this specific case, the text message that spreads the virus currently says, in Russian, “Is this your photo?”. It provides a link that directs the device user to an Android app package file (.APK), which contains a copy of the virus, which will then be downloaded into the new device, starting the process over again.

Lipovsky stated that “This technique wouldn’t raise an eyebrow on Windows, but is rather novel on Android.”

The best way to avoid this type of mobile security breach is to avoid the download of third party platform apps, and to keep away from websites that provide sketchy, illegal, threatening, or dangerous content.

The controversial “kill switch” for smartphones could bring massive savings, according to a study.

Lawmakers, consumers, and law enforcement officials have been considering the idea of an added mobile security feature for smartphones in the form of a kill switch, particularly since the launch of last year’s Secure Our Smartphones initiative.

Now, a study has shown that by introducing the feature, the outcome would be considerable savings.

The idea of the kill switch is relatively simple. The “complicated” part would be that it would require handset manufacturers and wireless carriers to take part in this mobile security effort that would provide a way to render stolen smartphones completely useless. The hope is that this would help to notably reduce the rate of cell phone theft.

The only party who would not benefit from this mobile security kill switches would be wireless carriers.

The reason is that the carriers would risk losing a very large amount of money every year. At the moment, they are making a solid supplementary income through the sale of insurance plans that provide coverage against the theft of cell phones. According to professor William Duckworth from Creighton University, who recently conducted a study on the subject, consumers would save an estimated $2.5 billion every year simply through the implementation of kill switches.

When looked at even more closely, this represents a savings of $500 million in replacing the handsets that have been stolen, and a savings of $2 billion on the insurance coverage to provide protection against possible theft. This helps to explain exactly why wireless carriers may not be quite as excited about this feature as consumers.

That said, it is important to point out that these findings have generated some controversy of their own. For example, Asurion, a cell phone insurance company, has estimated that approximately 60 percent of phones that have gone missing turn out to have simply been lost, not stolen. Moreover, they also have suggested that phones may still be targeted for theft and use for spare parts, which would still provide thieves with enough incentive to continue stealing. Still, the FCC says that 30 to 40 percent of all robberies that occur in major cities involve phone theft.