Android DoS Vulnerabilities- Oct 2009
December 10, 2009Two separate DoS issues have been independently reported to oCERT. The most recent report concerns Android handling of SMS messages: a specific malformed SMS message can be crafted to trigger a condition that disconnects the mobile phone from the cellular network.
Wi-Fi Breaches Found in iPhone, Android Devices
November 18, 2009Internet News
Public Wi-Fi hotspots spell trouble for smartphone data protection, according to a mobile security firm that successfully hacked several high-end handsets through unprotected wireless networks.
A team of security experts from SMobile Systems recently issued a research paper outlining the steps they took to successfully breach data on four popular smartphones using “man-in-the-middle” (MITM) attacks…
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Don't Be Dumb About Smart Phones
The Wall Street Journal
Given how much information can be found in people’s smart phones—contact lists, emails littered with details about their personal lives and their work, company documents and data, personal financial information and passwords—it’s startling how little most users feel the need to protect the devices.
“People have a false sense of security” about their phones, says Daniel Hoffman, chief technology officer of SMobile Systems Inc., a provider of security software for mobile devices…
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BlackBerry Vulnerability
Research In Motion (RIM) has released details of a vulnerability that exists in their implementation of Microsoft’s CryptoAPI in the default BlackBerry browser application. The vulnerable API could allow an attacker to trick a user into following a link to a malicious website, under the premise that the site is legitimate. Specifically, the vulnerable API could allow the attacker to craft an SSL certificate that contains null characters, tricking the browser into not alerting the user to the fact that the site they are being directed to is not the legitimate website. All BlackBerry Device Software versions, containing the BlackBerry Browser, Internet Browser, WAP Browser, and Wi-Fi (Hotspot) browser are affected and should be updated to the most current version. For complete details of the vulnerability, click here.
Just How Safe Is Mobile Banking?
MyBankTracker
Word is out that mobile banking may soon become the new black. Account balance and recent transaction inquiries, and fund transfers may be the most common mobile banking transactions nowadays, but with the development of better and more advanced phone banking applications, it certainly won’t be long before you’re using your phone more than your local branch for banking matters.
If you think about it, it’s not surprising at all that more people would be encouraged to take up mobile banking. It is after all, the ultimate in banking convenience. Even when you’re on a road trip or having fun under the sun in the Caribbean, a forgotten payment due date or an account running low on funds isn’t that much of a problem as payments and transfer are just a few cell phone keys away. But once you’ve established how convenient and time-saving the technology is, you’d most likely ask yourself, “How safe is mobile banking?”
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SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection for Google Android wins Handango's 2009 Best Phone Tool Award.
Mobile phone shopping site, Handango announced it’s Android Champion Award Winners for 2009. SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection for Google Android won in the category of Best Phone tool which includes security applications for Google Android phones.
SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection protects against Spyware and Viruses while enabling users to remotely locate, lock, wipe and backup lost or stolen devices.
more about Handango’s 2009 Best Phone Tool Award>>
CIOs must take steps to safeguard mobile devices
Many companies in South Africa are starting to roll out mobile devices to boost the productivity of their mobile workers. However the lure of empowering employees and making them more efficient (for example BlackBerry smartphone users save an average of 60 minutes a day, according to Ipsos Reid) should be balanced with the need to secure the information that can be accessed on them.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) must pay close attention to the new security risks that mobile devices such as smartphones are prone to, and ensure that they have the right measures in place to protect the enterprise.
One threat that is growing in significance as more users count on smartphones for business applications is mobile malware. Just like PC viruses, malicious code has the potential to run undetected on a smartphone and wreak havoc within a corporate network.