Posts Tagged ‘android’
Sunday, July 25th, 2010
Mocana today announced that Good Technology has licensed its NanoCrypto cryptographic engine for use on supported mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Palm webOS. Good for Enterprise enables IT administrators to easily define and distribute configuration profiles and enforce compliance policies for devices using the web-based Good Mobile Control console. With solutions that combine a great user experience with the tools that IT needs to manage and protect its mobile enterprise, Good Technology will implement Mocana’s NanoCrypto as their universal security client, protecting against increasingly sophisticated attacks directed specifically at non-PC smart devices.
Good Technology–whose solutions can be found in some of the most sensitive government and business settings–needed a portable, universal crypto solution and the proven expertise of a smart device security leader. They chose Mocana. NanoCrypto is Mocana’s super-fast, super-small, government-certified cryptographic engine, purpose-built for the entire ecosystem of smart devices, of which smartphones are just one category.
Click here to view the full press release.
Tags: android, cryptography, enterprise, good technology, iOS, iphone, mobile, security, symbian, windows mobile
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Monday, July 19th, 2010
Commonly regarded as a more tweak-friendly alternative to Apple’s iPhone OS, Google’s Android OS has carved out a loyal market niche among power mobile users looking to get tricky with their smartphones as well as developers of third party apps that wouldn’t make the cut on Apple’s more stringent App Store. But those who love Android phones for their tweakability may want to think twice before shelling out for Motorola’s Droid X, the new flagship phone released today.
As reported by Venturebeat, the new Droid phone contains “eFuse” technology designed to render itself inoperable, should the smartphone be user-modified.
[eFuse] runs when the phone boots up, and it checks to make sure that the phone’s firmware, kernel information, and bootloader are legit before it actually lets you use the device….If the eFuse failes [sic] to verify this information then the eFuse receives a command to “blow the fuse” or “trip the fuse”. This results in the booting process becoming corrupted and resulting in a permanent bricking of the Phone. This FailSafe is activated anytime the bootloader is tampered with or any of the above three parts of the phone has been tampered with.
Motorola insists that eFuse is a customer-focused security measure that helps to protect user data.
Tags: android, app, apple, droid, google, hack, iphone, mobile, security
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Monday, July 12th, 2010
As mobile computing continues to grow with the frequent introduction of new devices worldwide, the mobile application development market becomes an increasingly significant portion of the software industry. However, with the multitude of mobile platforms and delivery options, the field is as fragmented and varied as it is vast.
A new report from VisionMobile aims to demystify the current mobile development landscape, with a comprehensive study based on research conducted with over 400 developers for various platforms such as iPhone, Symbian, Android and Windows Mobile. According to the report,
Android stands out as the platform most popular among mobile developers. Survey results suggest nearly 60 percent of all mobile developers recently developed on Android, assuming an equal number of respondents with experience across each of eight major platforms. Second in terms of developer mindshare is iOS (iPhone), outranking Symbian and Java ME, which were in pole position in 2008.
In addition, the research document contains data regarding:
- the number of apps available for various platforms and in various markets
- the differences in the learning curves that developers face for different platforms
- the effect of app stores and advertising on sales and revenue
Tags: android, apps, devices, iphone, java, mobile, security, symbian
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Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
In sweeping raids conducted throughout the country last week, Romanian officials rounded up some 50 individuals accused of illegal espionage using an off-the-shelf product. Police have also arrested a 30-year old IT specialist accused of supplying the illegal software to suspects. According to Softpedia, he may have been reselling FlexiSPY, a product that advertises monitoring capabilities for a variety of smartphone platforms such as iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile.
Among the suspects apprehended are several government officials, reportedly including a police officer, judge and a former member of Parliament. Other suspects include businessmen, doctors and engineers who used the spying software for a variety of purposes including the real-time monitoring of phone calls, retrieval of SMS text logs and even transforming the affected phone into a remote bugging device. While the FlexiSPY software suite was still being offered online as of this writing, it is unclear whether other countries will pursue measures against sellers of this questionable application.
Tags: android, device security, flexispy, iphone, security, smartphone, sms, spyware, windows mobile
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
A recent study has found that nearly 20% of the apps in the Android marketplace grant third-party applications access to private and/or sensitive data, according to CNET News.
CNET News also reports:
…[S]ome of the apps were found to have the ability to do things like make calls and send text messages without requiring interaction from the mobile user. For instance, 5 percent of the apps can place calls to any number and 2 percent can allow an app to send unknown SMS messages to premium numbers that incur expensive charges, security firm SMobile Systems concluded in its Android market threat report. [...]
The report found that dozens of apps have the same type of access to sensitive information as known spyware does, including access to the content of e-mails and text messages, phone call information, and device location….
But CNET notes that these apps aren’t necessarily malicious or suspect. Additionally, Google has responded that Android users are specifically advised what access permissions they are granting an app when they install it, giving the user control over the visibility of their data. However, users are still being advised to be aware of the potential vulnerability of their personal data when installing any kind of app.
Tags: android, apps, device security, google, malware, security, spyware
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
We previously posted about the growth of Google’s Android platform beyond the realm of smartphones into a range of consumer electronic devices. And now, as recently reported on Forbes.com, a major military defense contractor has brought Android in to the battlefield in what could be the first military application of Google’s open source platform.
Using Android software tools, Raytheon engineers built a basic application for military personnel that combines maps with a buddy list. Raytheon calls the entire framework the Raytheon Android Tactical System, or RATS for short. [...]
Every part of RATS is tailored for use on a battlefield. A soldier could make an unmanned plane a “buddy,” for instance, and track its progress on a map using his phone. He could then access streaming video from the plane, giving him a bird’s eye view of the area. Soldiers could also use the buddy list to trace the locations of other members of their squad.
According to an executive at Raytheon, the US Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security as well as law enforcement agencies could possibly adopt this technology as well.
We announced earlier this month that Mocana has earned the government’s first FIPS 140-2 level one validation for Android crypto software with NSA Suite B cryptography.
Tags: android, crypto, department of defense, department of homeland security, device security, devices, FIPS 140-2, google, military defense, military device, nsa, raytheon, suite b
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Monday, June 21st, 2010
A recent Network World article describes the new security vulnerabilities posed by the latest smartphone technologies — specifically the new, high-speed 4G mobile networks. Because today’s smartphones have processors, storage capacities and network connection speeds that nearly rival those of PCs, they are becoming increasingly subject to the same malware and security threats that have long afflicted the PC market.
4G makes the situation more accelerated…. And what will really accelerate the growth of mobile malware and spyware will be the volume of traffic that people will be able to use. Data usage will increase and there are going to be more places that will get infected.
This is expected to become a serious concern for enterprise IT, as more executives use smartphones — and the various apps downloaded to these phones — to access corporate data in and out of the workplace. The Network World article describes a number of tactics integral to protecting enterprise security in the presence of mobile devices, including:
- remote wipe functionality on all mobile devices, (in the event that a device is lost or stolen)
- native application control capabilities allowing IT to specify which apps are and aren’t permitted on a company network-connected device
Network World also notes that anti-malware technology specifically designed for these high-powered mobile devices is still in its infancy.
Tags: 4G, android, device security, hackers, iphone, malware, mobile-security, smartphone
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the growing concern among experts that mobile app security is not keeping up with the rapidly expanding smartphone/mobile market.
“Mobile phones are a huge source of vulnerability,” said Gordon Snow, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Division. “We are definitely seeing an increase in criminal activity.”
The FBI’s Cyber Division recently began working on a number of cases based on tips about malicious programs in app stores, Mr. Snow said. The cases involve apps designed to compromise banking on cellphones, as well as mobile “malware” used for espionage by foreign nations, said a person familiar with the matter. To protect its own operations, the FBI bars its employees from downloading apps on FBI-issued smartphones.
The article points out that while some believe Google’s Android Market to be less secure than other mobile app stores, (due to its apparently less strenuous vetting process for new apps), even apps from Apple’s iPhone App Store could pose potentially harmful security threats to users.
Tags: android, apps, FBI, iphone, malware, mobile-security, security
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Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Just released for public beta, two new apps promise wiretap-proof communications for wary users of Android-based smartphones. Developed for Google’s Android mobile platform by hacker Moxie Marlinspike and his startup Whisper Systems, the “RedPhone” app encrypts calls made over VoIP using ZRTP, an open source cryptography scheme. Their “TextSecure” app employs a similar open source cryptography method known as “Off The Record” to send and receive scrambled text messages. As he described in a recent Forbes.com blog posting, Marlinspike intends for the apps to be used in place of Android phones’ built-in calling and texting systems, thereby subverting insecure communication systems.
We’ve entered this really problematic situation where we have insecure infrastructure everywhere, communications being broadcast in the air around us, and anyone with a bit of radio equipment can reach out and intercept communications…. Individuals need to start taking steps to protect their privacy and the confidence of their communications.
According to the article, the number of wiretaps made legally has “exploded” since the passage of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement act of 1994, which required developers to include backdoors for law enforcement in their products.
Marlinspike plans to submit his apps to Apple for use on the tightly-controlled iPhone as well, though the company’s strict review process may present a challenge.
Tags: android, iphone, mobile-security, security, voice-encryption, voip, wiretap
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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
The One Laptop Per Child project, a humanitarian effort designed to bring technology to the world’s underprivileged children, has announced a partnership with chip manufacturer Marvell in the hopes of creating a tablet PC with a $100 price tag. By partnering with One Laptop Per Child, Marvell hopes to mass produce at a volume that would make the low price point possible, and aims for the tablets to hit the consumer marketplace as well.
As reported on The New York Times,
The new tablets will offer a bevy of high-tech parts, including a full high-definition video encoder and 3-D graphics chip, which will enable them to interact with software like Adobe Flash. In addition, the tablet will have a built-in video and still camera, a multitouch display and a soft keyboard similar to that of the Apple iPad. [Project founder Nicholas Negroponte] said the new keyboard would also have haptic feedback so users will feel the keys vibrate on the screen as they type.
The new model tablets will emphasize open source technology, while they could ship initially with Android, Windows Mobile or Ubuntu operating systems. One of Marvell’s founders, Weili Dai, has stated her company’s intent to show the first version of the tablet at January’s Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.
Tags: android, device security, marvell, one laptop per child, tablet pc, ubuntu, windows mobile
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