app

A judge has blocked a Department of Commerce ban on a Chinese messaging app. The judge said there wasn't enough specific evidence against the app to override free speech complaints. The department introduced the ban on WeChat (along with video app ... TikTok) following an executive order from the President. The ban meant it was illegal for app stores to distribute or update the apps in the US. The ban also outlawed US use of WeChat's mobile payment facility, which is hugely popular with American citizens of Asian descent. One estimate puts the number of US users at 19 million. In both cases, the ... (view more)

Android devices will are getting some key security changes. The tweaks to the permissions system are meant to reduce the need to weigh up security against convenience. The changes will come in Android 11, which begins rolling out to handsets this ... month. Because its an open source system, the new version of the operating system will take longer to get to some brands than others, and older phones and tablets won't ever get it. The main changes are to Android's permission system, which allows users to theoretically control parts of the device's software and hardware an app can access or control ... (view more)

T-Mobile says it will give customers free scam-blocking tools to protect against misleading and fraudulent calls. The measures will also cover Metro and Sprint users. The program, dubbed Scam Shield, involves a range of tactics to combat bogus ... calls. The logic is to increase the chances of success against any particular attack. (Source: t-mobile.com ) Two of the features come via a dedicated smartphone app that analyzes incoming calls. The first, Scam ID, tries to identify calls that may be using a bogus identity or making unwanted marketing calls. Spam Calls Auto-Blocked Users can choose ... (view more)

An Android app with 40 million downloads has been linked to large-scale fraud against phone and tablet users. The "SnapTube" app reportedly tricks users with a free trial that leads to an expensive and unwanted subscription. The operators of the app ... say they were previously victims of illegal activity by an advertising partner but have now fixed the problem. SnapTube is a tool that was downloaded from the Google Play Store 40 million times before being removed. It was billed as a way to download videos from Facebook and YouTube, something that's not possible with those services own ... (view more)

Google has banned a hugely popular podcast app from the Play Store, claiming it breaches a ban on COVID-19 content. It appears to be a spectacular screw-up by Google's filtering system. Podcast Addict is a leading app in its field with more than ... five million downloads, so it came as a surprise to developers to receive a message from Google saying it had been banned from the Play Store. While it's still possible to install Podcast Addict manually, it's a big blow to its distribution and makes the app inaccessible to potential Android users who follow common security advice to stick to the ... (view more)

Apple says it's banning any COVID-19 related apps unless it's certain they come from authoritative sources. It's also banning any game or entertainment apps related to the coronavirus pandemic. The move is particularly significant as it's almost ... impossible to install an app on an iPhone or iPad unless it's been approved by Apple. In contrast, Android users can install unapproved apps from sources other than the official Google Play store, albeit only after confirming they are willing to take the security risk. Apple says that when it comes to COVID-19 content it is "evaluating apps critically ... (view more)

Some of the most popular VPN apps for Android are dangerous to use, according to a leading review site. The VPN apps, which are supposed to protect privacy, actually expose users to attacks according to VPN Pro. A VPN, or virtual private network, is ... meant to be a way to boost privacy online. It works by re-routing traffic through a middle-man server to make it appear that your IP is in another location. When configured properly, the VPN effectively creates a secure online connection that means even though data is going through the Internet, it can't be read by anyone other than the sender and ... (view more)

A security company has spotted 17 rogue Android apps that users should immediately delete. All 17 apps were approved by the Google Play store, where they managed to get past Google's security checks. Bitdefender, which published the list of apps, ... says the apps aren't malware as such. However, they use tactics associated with malware creators and could seriously inconvenience users. Bitdefender dubs this as 'riskware'. The List Of Shame The apps to immediately delete are: 4K Wallpaper (Background 4K Full HD) Backgrounds 4K HD Barcode Scanner Car Racing 2019 Clock LED Explorer File ... (view more)

Security researchers say a serious Android bug could let malware pose as a legitimate app and gain unwanted access to a phone's data and functions. The concept of the 'StrandHogg' bug has been known for several years, but now it's being actively ... exploited to target online banking. In simple terms, the bug has two unwanted effects: it can trick users into giving malware sensitive 'permissions' to access the phone, and it can hijack legitimate apps to trick users into handing over login details and sensitive information. Researchers at Promon explain the bug is with a security setting called ... (view more)

A report suggests that thousands of apps on the Google Play store are in fact counterfeits made to look like the legitimate app, but instead pose a major security risk to users. The study says such apps ask for dangerous levels of access to the ... phone or are packed with advertising. The study is a joint effort of the University of Sydney and Australia's national science research agency CSIRO. It took two years to carry out and involved trawling through 1.2 million apps to look for potential counterfeits. Rather than have humans check each app uploaded to Google Play (which would be entirely ... (view more)