Tag: tablet security

The vulnerability that has been identified in some of the tech companies handsets could affect up to 600 million.

The mobile security news involving a flaw in many Samsung smartphones is spreading around the globe as estimates have stated that this issue could impact as many as 600 million people worldwide.

The mobile technology flaw could potentially allow Samsung Galaxy users to be spied upon by hackers.

The phones that could be impacted by the mobile security issue include the Samsung Galaxy S4, S4 Mini, S5 and S6. It comes in the form of a vulnerability that could make it possible for hackers to gain access to the microphone and camera on the device and to spy on users.

According to Buster Johnson of the National Association of Counties Cyber Security Task Force Team, “Hackers will basically be able to take control of a person’s cell phone and have the possibility of accessing a person’s personal information stored on their phone, which could include bank account passwords and other sensitive data.”

This suggests that the mobile security flaw could place users at a greater threat than just their privacy.

Data and identity theft as well as financial issues could also be thrown into the mix if the wrong information is accessed by the wrong people.

The smartphone security flaw was first identified by researcher Ryan Welton of NowSecure, back in 2014. Shortly thereafter, the security teams at both Google Android and at Samsung were notified of the problem.

The NowSecure blog includes a post from Welton that explained that the source of the vulnerability is in the Swift keyboard, which is pre-installed on the majority of Samsung devices. It is not possible for a user to disable or uninstall it, and its updates occur automatically on their own or when the device has been rebooted.

The mobile security problem comes into play when that update occurs, because the method of fetching the update is not secure if a hacker has access to the network traffic of the device user, for instance, in the case of a public WiFi hotspot. The attacker could use that unsecure network to pose as a server for Swiftkey and then exploit the update, executing a code that would give the hacker privileged user access to the device.

The antivirus software company has purchased a mobile app startup.

Avast has announced that it has acquired Inmite, a Czech-based mobile app developer, to help it become more mobile friendly and improve the mobile security it offers.

Inmite has developed several apps in the past for a variety of diverse companies.

The company has previous designed apps, particularly third party consumer apps for mobile television, mobile banking, a car purchasing app for škoda, and even apps for Google Glass. Previously it has also partner with Google and SAP.

According to Vince Steckler, Avast’s chief executive officer, Inmite’s 40 developers will essentially be revamping Avast’s user interface (UI). Steckler said that Inmite “primarily make consumer apps for third parties, so they have a heck of a lot of expertise in simplifying things.” The Avast team will grow to 80 as they hire on the additional 40 expert app developers.

Avast was founded in Prague in 1988 and has offices around the world in the U.S., China and Germany, but its main headquarters is located in the Czech Republic.

Avast is aiming to make its mobile security software more user friendly.

A problem that many mobile security companies face is creating a practical app that is easy for consumer to use. Avast is hopeful that buying a company that is known for building innovative mobile apps could help it appeal to more mobile users. The challenge will be to build an application that is quite complex but that will be easy for consumers to understand how to use.

Steckler stated that “Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting smartphones and tablets – and consumers want our solutions to protect them from Wi-Fi attacks, phishing threats, or having their device lost or stolen.” He added that consumers want the freedom to know that when they use their device, it is safe in their hands. The company believes that Inmite will be able to meet the needs of its users around the world.

In addition, even though Avast does not really have any interest in integrating its software into third party devices or apps, it is interested in developing add ons. More specifically, it is interested in creating mobile security features that will improve the security of applications.