Tag: mobile security

Mobile security threats still making consumers wary of shopping on smartphones

| November 24, 2015

Though m-commerce is still growing at a rapid rate, there are many who are holding off because they feel insecure.

According to a report that was recently issued by a leading global data erasure solutions and mobile device diagnostics firm called Blancco Technology Group, mobile security remains a barrier that is standing in the way of the willingness of many consumers to take part in shopping activities over their smartphones.

The study was based on the results of a survey in which 1,400 mobile users participated from four countries.

The research suggested that the low level of mobile security precautions that have been taken by smartphone users is not only placing their personal info at risk, but it has also made it possible for corporate data exposure. This places both forms of sensitive data at risk of cyber attack and theft. Even though both legislative authorities and consumers, themselves, have been demanding improved responsibility over data management and accountability by companies, 29 percent of the people who participated in the study confessed that they did not know when their personal info was being accessed over their mobile devices without their specific consent.

This suggests that consumers are in the dark about their own mobile security but want companies to look after it.

Mobile Security ProblemsAccording to Blancco Technology Group IT security consultant, Paul Henry, “There is no excuse for not knowing what is happening with your data – be it personal information on a user’s smartphone or tablet, or company files and intellectual property on those same mobile devices.”

The research results also underscore the issue being faced by businesses as they attempt to create products and services in order to enhance the customer experience. At the same time that they want to produce highly personalized and relevant experiences for their shoppers, they are still faced with the challenge of having to keep that customer data secure against the attempts from cyber thieves to capture it.

Among the survey respondents, one in three stated that they felt somewhat confident about their security of their mobile devices, but at the same time, they didn’t feel safe enough to use their smartphones for shopping. Another 23 percent named mobile security as a barrier to linking their credit cards to mobile apps such as shopping applications and digital wallets.

Mobile security on Android devices is facing another massive threat

| November 13, 2015

Lookout has now uncovered a malware that pretends to be any of a range of very popular apps.

Lookout, a mobile security company based in San Francisco, has announced that it has discovered a new type of malware threat to devices running on the Android operating system.

This time, it is a form of malware that disguises itself as certain trusted and well-known applications.

Unfortunately, it actually opens the user up to a considerable mobile security risk as it exposes the device to root attacks. Moreover, once it has made its way into the gadget, it is nearly impossible to remove. Though this doesn’t affect people who download their applications from Google Play, it has been discovered in mobile apps that can be downloaded through third-party app stores. Among the titles the malware pretends to be includes: Facebook, Twitter, Candy Crush, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google Now.

There were around 20,000 instances of this mobile security threat isolated by Lookout in its research.

Android Security Threat - Mobile SecurityAs the versions of these popular mobile apps that are infected by the malware have been discovered exclusively in third-party app stores, the firm has stated that people who download exclusively from Google Play can more than likely assume that they are free of this infection.

What makes this mobile malware even more challenging is that the majority of the infected applications still work in the exact same way as the legitimate versions. Therefore, it becomes exceptionally difficult – if not impossible –for a regular user to be able to detect the infected ones and therefore, to know which ones to uninstall. Moreover, when root access to a mobile device has been obtained by way of the malware, the app can automatically download and can fully intertwine itself into the operating system.

This makes it very difficult for an expert to delete it and essentially impossible for an untrained user to remove it. Once the infected app becomes activated, it pushes ads into the device of the user and poses a mobile security threat. Lookout explained that it continues to operate in the background and cannot be uninstalled by the majority of users, either forcing them to buy new devices or to have to take the gadgets to IT professionals to have the malware removed.