Tag: mobile security android

Mobile security through fingerprint scanning supported by Android

| February 12, 2016

The operating system’s version of 1Password has now been updated to make this feature possible.

The 1Password version for Android has now been updated in order to allow mobile security methods to be changed for smartphone and tablet users, as their fingerprints will now be able to be scanned to unlock their devices.

This type of fingerprint scanning feature is appealing to people whose passwords are quite long.

The iPassword feature will also be welcome by people who struggle to be able to use touchscreen keyboards with the accuracy needed to enter a mobile security password. Until now, using the mobile app provided device owners with the opportunity to be able to use a single password in order to be able to log into all their various accounts. As passwords with greater length and complexity can often provide better protection, this could still lead to a notable frustration for users who must regularly enter the code or who find it challenging to use a touchscreen keyboard with the necessary accuracy.

The fingerprint scanner allows that password with added mobile security to be used, only without typing it.

Mobile Security - fingerprint scanningThat said, it’s important to point out that the new fingerprint scanning feature of 1Password for Google’s mobile operating system is limited to only a small percentage of devices, at the moment. Currently, it is compatible only with phones running on Android Marshmallow’s fingerprint support. Therefore, mobile devices that are operating on earlier versions of Android will still be limited to the option to enter one password for all their accounts. They won’t be able to scan their fingerprints to complete logins.

That said, for all users of the mobile app, there will still be some benefits to the updates that have now been released. For example, they give the mobile security application a more polished look that suggests a more streamlined experience. This new look brings it up to the Material Design style that has been established by Google. In terms of new features aside from the fingerprint scanning, it now also makes it possible to be able to share passwords with teams of people who will all need to be able to access various accounts.

Android mobile security heightened with KitKat

| January 2, 2014

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.

Mobile Security AndroidTherefore, 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.