Tag: cyber criminals

Approximately 900 million gadgets have been exposed and the fix will be a tough one.

The latest Android mobile security problem to have been identified is a big one. This vulnerability isn’t specific to any particular make, model or version of firmware. This is because it doesn’t actually have to do with the operating system. Instead, it’s an issue based at Qualcomm, the hardware manufacturer component provider.

At the moment, there are about 900 million Android smartphones with the vulnerable Qualcomm components.

What makes this Android mobile security problem worse is that it will be quite the challenge to fix. This, according to the Check Point security research firm.. There are actually four issues that make up the vulnerability. Together, these four issues are called QuadRooter. They impact Qualcomm chipsets from a number of different manufacturers. Manufacturers include Google, LG, HTC, OnePlus and others. The Google devices include the various manufacturers that make the Nexus smartphones and tablets.

Unfortunately, this Android mobile security vulnerability is a very serious one.

Compromised devices are open to a spectrum of different types of vulnerabilities. Primarily, it could provide unauthorized root access. This means cyber criminals could obtain any information stored on the device. The vulnerability also lets criminals take control of a phone’s camera and microphone and can track the device’s GPS location. Essentially, it is providing someone not only with the keys to your house, but also all your passwords and a means to carry all your belongings away.

Vulnerabilities in mobile security are not rare. All operating systems have experienced them. That said, when iOS vulnerabilities occur, Apple can typically address the problem very quickly because they are in control of both the software and hardware of their devices. However, the same cannot be said about Android.

According to Check Point mobile research team member, Jeff Zacuto, “Android security updates are really hard.” “The Android ecosystem is so fragmented. There are a lot of different versions and variants of Android in the marketplace, because each individual device has its own particular nuances,” he said.

This problem with Android mobile security isn’t anything recent. In fact only 15 percent of devices on this operating system are operating on its newest version, which means the rest are not operating with the latest protection features.

A recent report has shown that device users appear to be relatively apathetic about efforts to protect their smartphones.

According to the results of a recent study that were published within a report, users of devices based on both the Android and iOS platforms have a higher fraud rate than the typical consumer, simply because they have not taken adequate mobile security precautions in their overall security and password habits.

Despite the fact that consumers are using their smartphones for transactions with personal data, they appear unconcerned.

Personal identifiable information (PII) is being regularly placed at risk by consumers who are using their smartphones and tablets to conduct a range of different transactions, but at the same time, they appear to be apathetic when it comes to actually taking mobile security measures that would help to protect that sensitive data. A Javelin Strategy & Research study has shown that as a result of this consumer apathy, a world of opportunity has been opening up for cyber criminals.

The mobile security report involved the participation of 5,643 American adults in a survey.

The report on the survey results was entitled “Smartphones, Tablets and Fraud: When Apathy Meets Security”. It was sponsored by Nok Nok Labs, an authentication technology provider. The participants in the study were all from the United States and were all over the age of 18 years.

The insight offered by this report was primarily to do with the increasing reliance of consumers on their mobile devices in order to be able to stay connected, keep up with their social media, access their email, and conduct various forms of transactions through the internet and a range of different apps. It pointed out that any one of those activities can hand cyber-criminals an opportunity with varying degrees of value in terms of personally identifiable information and account data that could either be misused or sold so that someone else could misuse it.

Regardless of this fact, the study showed that many consumers don’t come nearly close enough to taking the necessary efforts to protect themselves against mobile security breaches. The study revealed that about 6 out of every ten mobile device users use the same password over several different accounts on their device. That, alone, offers considerable exposure to cyber threats.