The smartwatch on your wrist may have given you a new level of convenience but it appears to do so at a cost. A new study by Hewlett-Packard’s HP Fortify security unit has found that all smartwatches come with significant security vulnerabilities, “including insufficient authentication, lack of encryption and privacy concerns.” HP tested 10 popular smartwatches along with their paired […]
Security vulnerability
Android factory reset feature leaves data recoverable?
Anyone who has sold a smartphone has (hopefully) used the Factory Reset feature to wipe all personal data before handing their old device to a complete stranger. Security firm Avast has found that this may not enough when it comes to Android devices. The firm bought 20 Android devices from eBay and used “simple and easily available recovery software” in […]
BlackBerry readying HeartBleed security update for BBM for Android and iOS
The scope of the HeartBleed security vulnerability continues to grow. First identified on servers running websites, its effects have spread now to other types of software and hardware including mobile devices. BlackBerry is now planning to release an update for its BBM for Android and iOS apps to address to address this issue after it came to light last week. […]
Starbucks iOS app updated to more securely protect user data
As more and more of our information moves online and onto our mobile devices, the security protecting this data is facing increasing scrutiny. Reports of security breaches regularly surface as headlines. For example, both Target and Neiman Marcus have been recent subjects of security breaches. This week, it was Starbucks turn to be embroiled in such a story, albeit not […]
Google releases patch for Blue Security Android vulnerability
A security hole that allows nearly all Android applications to be turned into Trojan malware has been patched by Google. The vulnerability, identified by Bluebox Security, goes back as far as Android 1.6 and allows someone to change the contents of an application without changing its cryptographic signature. As a result, when the app is installed, Android cannot detect that […]
Some Samsung Galaxy devices vulnerable to malicious HTML hack (Updated)
Potentially bad news for Samsung device owners today. A number of Samsung Galaxy devices running Samsung’s TouchWiz UI have been found to be vulnerable to a malicious hack that could wipe them clean. The exploit occurs when a website runs a USSD code (essentially a dialer code) via the browser to trigger the full factory reset. It can also be […]
HTC confirms Android security flaw and upcoming OTA fix
HTC has confirmed that a number of its more recent Android smartphones are vulnerable to a security flaw in its HTC Sense software. The vulnerability was first reported by AndroidPolice.com this past weekend. Potentially malicious applications can easily gain access to information such as the account user list including email addresses, GPS location data, phone numbers from the phone log, […]
Major security flaw found in HTC Android devices
A worrisome security flaw has been found in the HTC Sense user interface found on HTC’s Android smartphones. According to a report by AndroidPolice.com, a number of more recent HTC devices (including the HTC EVO 3D, EVO 4G, and Thunderbolt) contain a vulnerability that lets other applications gain access to information such as the account user list including email addresses, […]