Google, Samsung to issue monthly Android security fixes

LAS VEGAS - Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. will release monthly security fixes for Android phones, a growing target for hackers, after the disclosure of a bug designed to attack the world's most popular mobile operating system.

The change came after security researcher Joshua Drake unveiled what he called Stagefright, hacking software that allows attackers to send a special multimedia message to an Android phone and access sensitive content even if the message is unopened.

"We've realized we need to move faster," Android security chief Adrian Ludwig said at this week's annual Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

Previously, Google would develop a patch and distribute it to its own Nexus phones after the discovery of security flaws.

But other manufacturers would wait until they wanted to update the software for different reasons before pushing out a fix, exposing most of the more than 1 billion Android users to potential hacks and scams until the fix.

Ludwig also said Google has made other security changes. In an interview, he told Reuters that earlier this year the team broke out incidence rates of malicious software by language. The rate of Russian-language Androids with potentially harmful programs had spiked suddenly to about 9 percent in late 2014, he said.

Google made its roughly weekly security scans of Russian phones more frequent and was able to reduce the problems to close to the global norm.

Ludwig said improvements to recent versions of Android would limit an attack's effectiveness in more than nine out of 10 phones, but Drake said an attacker could keep trying until the gambit worked. Drake said he would release code for the attack by Aug. 24, putting pressure on manufacturers to get their patches out before then.

Nexus phones are being updated with protection this week and the vast majority of major Android handset makers are following suit, Ludwig said.

Samsung Vice President Rick Segal acknowledged that his company could not force the telecommunications carriers that buy its devices in bulk to install the fixes and that some might do so only for higher-end users.

"If it's your business customers, you'll push it," Segal said in an interview. Samsung is the largest maker of Android phones.

Ludwig said many Android security scares were overblown. He added that only about one in 200 Android phones Google can peer into have any potentially harmful applications installed at any point.

Drake noted that those figures exclude some products, including Fire products from Amazon, which use Android.

As with Apple's iPhones, the biggest security risk comes with apps that are not downloaded from the official online stores of the two companies.

Stolen files from Hacking Team, an Italian company selling eavesdropping tools to government agencies around the world, showed that a key avenue was to convince targets to download legitimate-seeming Android and iPhone apps from imposter websites.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Google unveils Android Pay in fresh challenge to Apple

Google on Thursday unveiled its pay-with-a-phone system for Android devices, ramping up its challenge to Apple in mobile payments.

Android Pay, unveiled at the Google developers conference in San Francisco, brings together mobile carriers, payment networks, banks and retailers to allow smartphone users to use their handsets instead of payment cards.

Google engineering vice president Dave Burke said Android Pay would work in more than 700,000 US retail outlets that accept contactless payments.

"We are at the start of an exciting journey, we are working closely with payment networks, banks and developers," he said.

Similar to the Apple Pay system unveiled last year, Android Pay will allow consumers to store credit card information on their handsets along with loyalty cards and other data.

For extra security, Android Pay will generate a one-time "token" or virtual account number so the actual credit card data is not revealed in a transaction.

"Users can simply and safely use their Android phone to pay in stores where you see an Android Pay logo," Burke said.

"We are focused on simplicity, security and choice."

Google said in February it was teaming up with the mobile phone payment firm Softcard to ramp up its efforts in the emerging sector.

This will allow Google Wallet to become a pre-installed "tap to pay" app on Android smartphones.

No date was announced for the roll-out of Android Pay but the Google statement said it would be "available on Google Play for download soon."

Apple's iOS and Android rule the global smartphone market, and the companies are eager to be at the potentially profitable heart of shopping or other financial transactions as consumers go increasingly mobile.

'M' for major?

Google announced that enhancements being built into a new "Android M" version of the mobile operating system include support for fingerprint-checking, which would match the feature built into Apple's latest iPhones and iPads for security.

"The things announced today are good, but the 'M' doesn't stand for 'Major,'" Current Analysis research director Avi Greengart told AFP at the gathering.

"Some of the improvements are Google playing catchup in payments and fingerprint recognition."

Apple Pay also works with Apple Watch, essentially allowing users to pay with the waves of a wrist. The Android team gave no indication if their new Pay feature will extend to smartwatches.

Google did show off a slew of upgrades for Android-powered smartwatches, such as gesture controls and being able to distinguish between actions such as push ups and golf club swings.

"We love watches," Android Wear director David Singleton said during an on-stage presentation.

"They have always been this incredible mix of beauty and technology."

He said Google is partnering with an array of hardware makers to add to the current line-up of seven different kinds of Android smartwatches.

There are more than 4,000 applications tailored for Android-powered smartwatches.

The Apple Watch is fueling the emerging smartwatch market and is expected to be the top seller in the segment for next few years, according to a market research report released early in May.

Fun, functional or hip applications made by the kinds of software wizards packed into the Google developers conference here are seen as vital to the popularity of smartwatches and smartphones.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

10 most useful upgrades of Apple's iOS-8

MANILA, Philippines – Apple recently launched the new iPhones, but it may take some time before it lands in the hands of consumers in the Philippines.

In the meantime, Filipino users of the iPhone can get a taste of what Apple has cooked up with the recent release of the iOS 8.

App developer Yves Gonzalez, one of the brains behind the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic app, listed down 10 upgrades of the operating system that Filipino users may find useful:

1) The new iOS now allows users to download a custom keyboard, which is capable of predictive text.

“So when you’re talking to someone, instead of having to type the whole word, the keyboard will actually suggest some words to you that you might be intending to type,” Gonzalez told ANC on Friday.

2) The Spotlight search function has also been improved, allowing users to search beyond their personal devices.

Aside from searching the device, Spotlight can also search the internet and the app store.

3) The widget functionality is upgraded to add more apps to the Notification Center for easier and quicker access of data.

“For example, if it’s a weather app or a news app, it can actually display data on the Notification Center such that you don’t even have to open the app to see those data that you might be interested in,” said Gonzalez.

He added that this is useful in checking, for example, a widget of a traffic app without closing the current app you’re using.

4) The new iOS also introduced Extensions, which allows apps to interact and share data with each other.

“So now apps can now talk to each other, and apps can do things from within other apps,” Gonzalez said.

5) Family sharing is another upgrade that Filipinos may find useful.

“Everyone can now use the apps that everyone has purchased, so you don’t have to keep buying apps,” said Gonzalez, adding that books, music, movies and other files can also be shared.

He also said that the new function allows users to share locations, calendar events, and even help in tracking devices using individual accounts.

6) The Messages function has also been enhanced through upgrades on voice messages, storage and iMessage groups.

7) The iOS 8 also made improvements to the camera, which now allows for more manual controls and a timelapse feature.

8) A new option in Safari enables users to view the desktop version of websites.

9) There is also a quicker way to access contacts and frequently-used apps through the Favorites feature.

The Favorites can be accessed by viewing the multitasking interface.

10) Swiping functions have also been improved and enables users to take actions on notifications without exiting apps.

Gonzalez said users, for example, can now quickly delete e-mails by doing a “super swipe” to the right.

“Most of the new functionalities are stuff that Android users have been using. It’s good that Apple has decided to adapt some of these functionalities to the iOS,” said Gonzalez.

He reminded users, however, to update via the iTunes, and always back-up files before updating to the new software.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why you should upgrade to Apple iOS 7

WASHINGTON - With consumers eagerly awaiting the release of two new iPhones this week, the more dramatic change may be in the software, not the hardware.

The new mobile operating system called iOS 7 became available Wednesday, providing users of iPhones and iPads a bolder look, which may be a shock for some, but which Apple hopes will keep its fans happy and draw new customers.

"It is a major upgrade," said Gerry Purdy, analyst and consultant with Compass Intelligence who follows mobile technology.

"This is the first big thing that (Apple chief executive) Tim Cook has implemented, which puts all the software and hardware design under one roof, to have a unified experience across products."

While the new iPhone 5S and 5C, set to be released Friday, have received a lukewarm response, some analysts say the bolder statement from Apple comes in the new operating system, designed to keep people in the Apple "ecosystem."

The new operating system "has a different look, a different feel," said Ramon Llamas, analyst with the research firm IDC.

"People are going to have to rethink how they do things with their phone, and Apple is asking people to make a leap of faith."

With Apple seeking to regain traction in a mobile market dominated by the Google Android system, Llamas said iOS 7 will be a key test for Apple, because the new iPhones have failed to wow consumers.

"The feedback I'm getting is that people say (the new iPhones) are nice but they will wait for next year's model."

A small number of journalists who were allowed to review the new iPhone and iOS 7 underscored the dramatic change in the operating system.

"If you're coming brand new to iOS 7 and have been ignoring the Internet for the past three months, you're going to be in for a visual shock," wrote Darrell Etherington of the tech news site TechCrunch.

"The look is bound to be controversial; Apple has opted for bright, bold colors with more clean lines and far fewer textures, shadows and gradients. There is still some depth to the OS, however, with transparency effects giving a sense of background and foreground elements."

David Pogue of The New York Times said even with the iPhone launch, "the bigger news is iOS 7."

"The look of iOS 7 is sparse, white -- almost plain in spots. No more fake leather, fake woodgrain, fake green felt, fake yellow note paper," Pogue writes.

"The complete absence of graphic embellishments makes it especially utilitarian -- in both senses of the word. That's good, because whatever button or function you need is easier to find; it's bad, because, well, it can look a little boring."

Walt Mossberg at AllThingsD called the new operating system "a big improvement," adding: "The icons have been redesigned to be flatter and simpler, but they appear to float over your wallpaper, giving the effect of depth."

Apple says the new system has more than 200 new features, including improved multitasking, sharing, new camera apps, male and female voices for its Siri software, and the much-anticipated iTunes Radio.

The new software has drawn considerable attention even as the iPhone launch appears to be less spectacular than those in the past: Apple has said little about sellouts or delivery delays, and few expect the kinds of queues typical of iPhone debuts.

Purdy said that Apple may inadvertently hurt new iPhone sales by releasing the software upgrade for older models.

"It allows people with the iPhone 4 or 5 to get all the benefits of the Apple environment from a software standpoint, and therefore reduces the absolute need to upgrade the physical device," he told AFP.

The free upgrade helps Apple solidify its user base, the analyst said, even for those unwilling to buy a new device.

"It makes it attractive to stay in the walled garden of Apple," Purdy said, even without a revolutionary hardware change.

"This allows Apple to keep its users, though it may not change the direction of the Android ecosystem," Purdy added.

"But Apple isn't out to win market share. They want to produce the best products in the market and they're doing a good job at that."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com