Tag: mobile security technology

Many are looking at the latest version of the operating system as an indicator that Google is serious about safe devices.

As the largest operating system in terms of the number of users, it means that Android mobile security can be one of the biggest challenges as it is one of the most obvious targets by cyber criminals as it provides the largest opportunity in terms of users.

The popularity of attacks and threats on this operating system has been compared to Windows for desktops.

Being the most popular means that Android mobile security needs to be exceptionally high in order to fend off threats. The latest version of the operating system, KitKat, has considerable increased its settings to keep its users safe from malware. Until now, one of the primary problems with the OS is that fragmentation in its ecosystem among the various manufacturers has complicated the standards that it is able to offer. Considering that 79 percent of threats for smartphones and tablets are aimed at Android users, this is a considerable issue.

The fragmentation means that Android mobile security could be different from one device to the next.

Therefore, the protection on a Samsung device may be quite different from what an LG phone user might have. Therefore, a vulnerability may be addressed on one device, but it doesn’t mean that all of the device versions will corrected. Google is not unaware of this issue and has decided that its latest release, the version 4.4 KitKat, would include a number of security features that are enterprise focused.

Although Android mobile security has been increasingly building a reputation for being less powerful than that available through the Apple iOS, Google is highly focused on changing that trend. Although the solution is far from perfect, considering the open source nature of the operating system, the additional options such as in the form of KNOX and SAFE are helping to boost the protection in the devices. At the same time that this effort has been made, Google has also been expanding the reach of the devices based on its operating system beyond traditional mobile markets and into gaming, as well.

A new form of password entry has now been designed to help people who struggle to remember their codes.

Researchers in Taiwan have determined that device and computer users truly dislike passwords, and that they could be replaced with more robust mobile security by allowing a device owner to sign his or her name in the air.

This helps to overcome the problems related to using the same password everywhere or forgetting the many that are kept.

These days, we have so many passwords that it can be very difficult to remember them all. However, if we use the same ones over and over, then if a thief gains access to one, then he or she will also be able to tap into every other account or profile. In the name of online and mobile security, many researchers have been seeking out new ways to allow users to access their accounts while eliminating the drawbacks of using passwords.

The latest technology would provide mobile security through signatures drawn in the air with smartphones.

Computer scientists named Pokai Chen and Meng-syun Tsai at the NationalChiao Tung University (NCTU) believe that mobile security’s solution to the password problem is to step back to the time in which the only identification that a person ever needed to provide was his or her signature. They have developed an application that allows a user to log in by drawing something distinct – such as a signature – in the air while holding a smartphone.

The name of the app is AirSig, and it has been downloadable at Google Play since September. It received the first price in the Cloud Innovation and Application Contest in October. This competition was held by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan.

The AirSig mobile security app uses a type of gesture recognition technology in order to sense the accuracy of a person’s creation of their signature. It was developed following research conducted by the NCTU team. Although there are a number of other groups that have been investigating this same type of technology in various different parts of the world, it is AirSig that is – by far – the most successful to date.