security - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

Samsung Aims To Block Root Exploits And Tighten Up Security With Latest Exynos Galaxy S4 Update, But This Is A Good Thing

Posted by Justin Case in Android OS, Galaxy S4, News, Samsung

Note from Artem: The post's author, Justin Case, also known as jcase in the Android community, is an xda Elite Recognized Developer, AP team member, and an all-around knowledgeable guy when it comes to Android's internals. When he speaks, I tend to listen.

The Android world was slapped in the face when well-known developer AndreiLux made a post in the XDA Galaxy S4 forum titled [Info] Rooting will be impossible on newer stock kernels.

His post has caused some unwarranted drama in the community, and I wish to set this subject straight as much as I can. AndreiLux is pointing out a new feature in Samsung Galaxy S4 kernel called CONFIG_SEC_RESTRICT_SETUID.

Apr

AT&T Launches Digital Life App For Android, Announces Service For 15 US Markets, Promising 50 Markets By Year's End

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, News

After a brief delay, it looks like AT&T's Digital Life service is finally ready for prime time. The service, which promises extensive home automation from temperature control to security monitoring to door lock control, will launch first in fifteen markets including Atlanta GA, Austin, Houston, and Dallas TX, Boulder and Denver CO, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Riverside CA, Miami FL, Philadelphia PA, Seattle WA, St Louis MI, and "select areas of the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area." By the end of the year, AT&T says it plans to expand the service to fifty markets.

So, what is Digital Life and why should you care?

Apr

Sprint Galaxy SIII Set To Get Update To L710VPBMD4 Starting April 24 With Security Fix, Multi-View, More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Device Updates, Galaxy S III, News, Sprint

Sprint Galaxy SIII owners fire up your "check now" fingers – you'll be getting a software update to version L710VPBMD4 soon, bringing a home screen security fix and a few other changes.

Specifically, the update – slated to start rolling out April 24 – brings Multi-View functionality (by which you can split the screen for multi-tasking purposes), enhancements to the camera and gallery apps, the addition of Samsung's Paper Artist photo editing app, and unspecified bulk SMS enhancements.

If you're the owner of a Sprint-bound Galaxy SIII and don't know the drill already, head over to Sprint's site for instructions on manually checking for your update, or simply wait for it to roll in.

Apr

Eric Schmidt: Google Glass Will Go On Sale In Approximately A Year, Your Responsibility To Not Be A Weirdo

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

While the Explorer Editions of Google Glass are making their way out to the lucky early adopters (with extra cash), the rest of the world is wondering when it can get its eyeballs on the product. According Eric Schmidt speaking to Radio 4, the answer is roughly a year from now.

He also believes that the technology behind Google Glass goes beyond just this one product:

"At the moment what you do is you wear it. There are tremendous numbers of applications that can be imagined - augmented reality - where you see what's going on in real-time and then we annotate that.

Apr

[New App] Burner Disposable Phone Number App Comes With One Free, More Numbers Via IAP

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

"Burner" cellphones, pre-paid phones that are used and discarded, have become a handy way to protect your identity if you find yourself dealing with people you might not otherwise want to meet. Just lately it has become possible to get "disposable" phones without the phone, thanks to apps like Hushed, which provides a limited-use virtual number that can be easily substituted for your real one. Burner is a new competitor in the same vein, happily landing on Android after considerable success on iOS.

While the operation is similar, Burner is much more interested in the "use and lose" nature of its virtual phone numbers.

Mar

AT&T Pushing Small Update (I777UCLL6) To Galaxy S II With Bug Fixes And Security Enhancements

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in AT&T, Galaxy S II, News

According to a forum post on AT&T's support site and some scattered user reports, the carrier's Galaxy S II variant is receiving a small update today. Rolling out over the air as you read these words, the software fixes an issue where devices would become unresponsive or power down while idle.

The update also includes the requisite "security enhancements." If you haven't updated your phone to 4.0 yet, well for starters, why not? Secondly, you'll need to do so first before you can apply the update. This is rolling out over the air, so hit your Settings app to find it or just wait for the notification to show up.

Mar

Security Flaw Allows Sony Xperia Z Lockscreen Bypass

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News, Sony, Xperia Z

You'd think the concept of a lockscreen would be simple. It, you know, locks the phone. Several OEMs have still ended up with bugs that allow users to get around the lockscreen completely. The newest such vulnerability has been discovered in Sony's flagship, the Xperia Z. Just a few simple steps, and anyone can gain full access to the device.

In the video, you can see one Scott Reed demonstrating the problem. By pulling up the emergency dialer from the lockscreen you can enter the USSD code *#*#7378423#*#*. That code opens up the device's services menu. From there, it's a simple matter of triggering the NFC Diag Test, which allows you to press the home button and actually get to the homescreen.

Mar

Evernote Experiences Security Breach, Resets Passwords As A Precaution

Posted by Cody Toombs in Applications, News

The problem with relying on cloud services is that they are prime targets for hackers. Earlier today, popular note-storing service Evernote acknowledged that it had detected "suspicious activity" on the network. In its blog post, Evernote specified that the intruder(s) had only gained access to account details, including usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. The announcement further clarified that passwords are protected with one-way encryption, a process where a password is first salted and then hashed to make decryption extraordinarily difficult. The company also states that no content (stored notes and pictures) or payment information had been compromised. Aside from email addresses, the wrong-doers failed to get anything particularly valuable.

Feb

Secunia PSI Is A Tech Preview Of A 'Security' App That Scans A Few Other Apps And Gives You Useless Information

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

There are a lot of security apps for Android that go a little ways into overkill territory. Whether you're talking about superfluous task managers or "virus scanners" that may provide some minimal protection while generating more fear than is warranted, Android has a persistent problem with companies applying a Windows-era mentality on a completely different OS. Secunia PSI, however, takes the cake for being one of the least effective apps on the Play Store.

Here's how it works: Secunia scans your apps for possible vulnerabilities. Not actual infections, mind you. It just checks to see if the currently installed versions of your application match any known security holes.

Feb

Secure USB Password Manager myIDkey Zooms Past $150,000 Kickstarter Goal

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News

We don't often cover Kickstarter campaigns – after all, the platform is flooded with entries that may not be worth mentioning, or are dead on arrival. Sometimes, though, a gadget comes through that exceeds expectations, and the myIDkey is one of those.

myIDkey is a voice-activated secure USB drive that manages your passwords. Across all devices. Oh, and it has a fingerprint scanner. The project has absolutely demolished its $150,000 funding goal, reaching (at the time of writing) $164,126 with twenty seven days left to go.

The handy USB device looks to give you a "key to all your devices," connecting directly through USB to your PC or via Bluetooth to your mobile device(s).