Tag: mobile security

The new smartphone from Gionee will be equipped with a new encrypted chip for higher security.

Gionee M6 has a hardware security solution that could result in this Android phone solving privacy problems. Shenzhen-based Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee is the creator behind the new yet-to-be-released smartphone. The company is working on solving mobile security privacy issues by focusing on hardware instead of software. Gionee intends to achieve this goal with a new encrypted chip that will be incorporated directly into the design of the M6 smartphone.

Gionee claims that no other smartphone manufacturer works on hardware encryption.

Recently there have been may rumors regarding Gionee developing hardware security tech. Now, the company’s vice president Yu Lei confirmed that they are releasing the new Gionee M6 with an encrypted chip.

The basic idea behind this type of hardware encryption is that it is self-contained. It has the potential to minimize the attack surface for a device.

The company claims that its new security system will not be compromised like software level security. Software security is at a greater risk of attack because encryption takes place at the operating system level.

According to a news article from Hindustan Times, a source from Gionee said that “Most smartphone companies, such as those building Android phones, tend to focus their privacy and security efforts on the software side.”

The source pointed out that although some companies have implemented certain hardware security measure, such as Apple’s Touch ID, such features are still inefficient when it comes to protecting information stored on the smartphone.

“As soon as someone manages to pass through the lock screen, the information can be freely viewed,” said the source.

Gionee M6 is expected to be priced lower than its competition.

Gionee has not yet released the price of their new device, which is expected to launch in China on July 26. It is likely that the Gionee M6 will be more affordable than its competitors the Turing phone, Blackphone and Blackphone 2. If this is the case, it would mean that more consumers would have access to an Android phone with high security.

Presently, less than 10% of Android smartphones are sufficiently encrypted. Millions of current Android devices are infected with malware strains. If the Gionee’s M6 encryption chip works as well as they claim, this could be very good for Android’s mobile security future.

Recent research reveals that biometrics will be essential for speeding up mobile payments adoption.

A study conducted by Lux Research has concluded that biometrics security technologies will play a vital role in the growth of smartphone payments and that current mobile payment system will need to include biometrics to hasten adoption and meet expectations of huge growth rates. According to Tiffany Huang – a Lux Research analyst and author of the 50-page report, “Securing Mobile Payments with Biometric Authentication” – in order to be successful in the future, developers of payment software and smartphone vendors need to consider a variety of new biometric techniques and the multimodal approach.

Biometrics technologies could make mobile payments more appealing to smartphone users.

According to a US Federal Reserve survey published back in 2015, 75% of the 2,137 people surveyed said that they didn’t use mobile payments because they felt it was easier to pay with credit/debit cards or cash. Meanwhile, 59% refrained from paying with their mobile device because they were worried about privacy and security, reported Computerworld.

“Once biometrics are adopted to assure users [and banks] of security, it will help drive mobile payment adoption,” said Huang.

Essentially, until American consumers see the value in using a mobile device to make payments instead of a credit card, and view it as safe, m-payments adoption will never take off on a large scale. However, biometrics could change that.

Huang stated in an interview that “Biometrics are needed to improve mobile payment usage,” adding that “It’s hard to see one biometric usage winning in the medium-to-far-term.”

Different biometric approaches would be needed depending on the smartphone payments.

Huang researched many companies in the mobile payments ecosystem, such as credit companies and banks as well as software and hardware designers, and evaluated new biometrics technologies based on cost, security and ease of use. Among the technologies examined were fingerprint scans and scans of palm veins, irises, eyeprints, electrocardiograms (ECGs), faces and voices.

What was found was that different biometric approaches are required depending on the type of mobile transaction. For instance, the vast majority of customers wouldn’t want to pose for a few seconds for a voice or facial scan in front of other customers waiting behind them in line. On the other hand, while palm vein sensors would be a far more ideal in-store point-of-sale biometrics technology, the cost of such authentication technology is far too high to be considered a practical option.

In her report Huang noted that as new smartphone payment platforms are introduced by companies like Walmart, it becomes harder for a single biometric approach to dominate. Nevertheless, she believes that the mobile payments industry will play a role in shaping which biometrics technology gains popularity.