Spyware is a dangerous tool that can be used to selectively monitor specific victims. Often the victims are employees in a single company, or residents in a single country. The new mobile spyware, which we discovered and dubbed LianSpy, targets — for now — users of Android smartphones in Russia, but the unconventional approaches it employs could potentially be applied in other … [Read more...] about New LianSpy spyware targets Android smartphones
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Can TVs, smartphones, and smart assistants eavesdrop on your conversations?
Rumors of eavesdropping smart devices have been circulating for many years. Doubtless, you’ve heard a tale or two about how someone was discussing, say, the new coffee machine at work, and then got bombarded with online ads for, yes, coffee machines. We’ve already tested this hypothesis, and concluded that advertisers aren’t eavesdropping — they have many other less dramatic … [Read more...] about Can TVs, smartphones, and smart assistants eavesdrop on your conversations?
Zero-click remote hacks for Samsung, Google, and Vivo smartphones
Smartphones, tablets, and even cars with Samsung Exynos microprocessors are at risk of remote hacking. Bug hunters at Google Project Zero say you just need the victim’s phone number. This is due to the presence of 18 vulnerabilities in the Exynos baseband radio processor, which is widely used in Google, Vivo, Samsung, and many other smartphones. Four of them are critical and … [Read more...] about Zero-click remote hacks for Samsung, Google, and Vivo smartphones
A new method of wiretapping smartphones using an accelerometer
In late December 2022, a team of scientists from several US universities published a paper on wiretapping. The eavesdropping method they explore is rather unusual: words spoken by the person you’re talking to on your smartphone reproduced through your phone’s speaker can be picked up by a built-in sensor known as the accelerometer. At first glance, this approach doesn’t seem to … [Read more...] about A new method of wiretapping smartphones using an accelerometer
Researchers Find Bluetooth Signals Can be Fingerprinted to Track Smartphones
A new research undertaken by a group of academics from the University of California San Diego has revealed for the first time that Bluetooth signals can be fingerprinted to track smartphones (and therefore, individuals). The identification, at its core, hinges on imperfections in the Bluetooth chipset hardware introduced during the manufacturing process, resulting in a "unique … [Read more...] about Researchers Find Bluetooth Signals Can be Fingerprinted to Track Smartphones
Critical UNISOC Chip Vulnerability Affects Millions of Android Smartphones
A critical security flaw has been uncovered in UNISOC's smartphone chipset that could be potentially weaponized to disrupt a smartphone's radio communications through a malformed packet. "Left unpatched, a hacker or a military unit can leverage such a vulnerability to neutralize communications in a specific location," Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point said in a report … [Read more...] about Critical UNISOC Chip Vulnerability Affects Millions of Android Smartphones
Eavesdropping Bugs in MediaTek Chips Affect 37% of All Smartphones and IoT Globally
Multiple security weaknesses have been disclosed in MediaTek system-on-chips (SoCs) that could have enabled a threat actor to elevate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the firmware of the audio processor, effectively allowing the attackers to carry out a "massive eavesdrop campaign" without the users' knowledge. The discovery of the flaws is the result of … [Read more...] about Eavesdropping Bugs in MediaTek Chips Affect 37% of All Smartphones and IoT Globally
This New Android Malware Can Gain Root Access to Your Smartphones
An unidentified threat actor has been linked to a new Android malware strain that features the ability to root smartphones and take complete control over infected smartphones while simultaneously taking steps to evade detection. The malware has been named "AbstractEmu" owing to its use of code abstraction and anti-emulation checks to avoid running while under analysis. Notably, … [Read more...] about This New Android Malware Can Gain Root Access to Your Smartphones
Beware! FMWhatsApp mod downloads viruses to smartphones
We recently discovered that a version of popular WhatsApp mod FMWhatsApp includes an embedded Trojan. The Trojan, called Triada, downloads other malware to users’ devices. Here’s how it happened and why using modified versions of WhatsApp is dangerous. Why use WhatsApp mods? Not all users are happy with the official WhatsApp app. Some may feel a need for self-destructing … [Read more...] about Beware! FMWhatsApp mod downloads viruses to smartphones