Category Archives: Android

Android, fraud, iOS, malware, mobile phone service, Privacy, secrecy, Security, Software, surveillance

Some apps were listening to you through the smartphone’s mic to track your TV viewing, says report

There may be a reason why that ol’ “Facebook is listening to you talk” conspiracy theory refuses to die – and not just because Facebook’s ad technology has..

Source: Some apps were listening to you through the smartphone’s mic to track your TV viewing, says report

Android, exploits, Gear & Gadgets, malware, Risk Assessment, Technology Lab, vulnerabilities

Android security on the ropes with one-two punch from researchers

Android security woes got worse on Thursday, with two separate reports of code defects that put millions of end users at risk.

The first involves the update Google released last week fixing a flaw that allowed attackers to execute malicious code on an estimated 950 million phones with nothing more than a maliciously crafted text message. Seven days later, security researchers are reporting that the patch, which has been in Google’s possession since April, is so flawed that attackers can exploit the vulnerability anyway.

“The patch is 4 lines of code and was (presumably) reviewed by Google engineers prior to shipping,” Jordan Gruskovnjak and Aaron Portnoy, who are researchers with security firm Exodus Intelligence, wrote in a blog post published Thursday. “The public at large believes the current patch protects them when it in fact does not.”

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