Android Pie has officially arrived. Image: from my point of view/Shutterstock
People are eager to sample Android Pie as the successor to Oreo is revealed.
Businesses were intrigued last week as WhatsApp announced the launch of a brand new API exclusively for enterprise communications. Companies can provide customers with delivery dates and other customer care features via the new tool.
Meanwhile, online giant Reddit suffered a data breach caused by staff using two-factor authentication with mobile devices. Evidently, this type of 2FA is not as secure as you may imagine.
Digital democracy remained shaky, as Facebook announced the removal of 32 pages belonging to ‘bad actors’, which apparently were earmarked for interference purposes ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in the US.
Read on for your fill of this week’s enterprise news.
Android users want a slice of the Pie
Google yesterday (6 August) revealed that Android Pie is taking over from Android Oreo and pushed the newest source code to the Android Open Source Project.
Google Pixel phones will be the first to receive the update, with more set to receive it as is comes out this autumn. One nifty new feature is the Digital Wellbeing platform, which Google hopes will educate users and help them keep tabs on their phone use.
Adaptive Battery will prioritise battery for the apps you use most, while new security improvements include restricted access to camera and microphones when apps are idle.
A banner quarter for mobile banking trojans
A new report from Kaspersky Lab sees mobile banking trojans hit the top of the list for cyberthreats in Q2 of 2018. US users were more attacked by mobile banking malware than any other malware type this quarter.
The volume of attacks also increased threefold compared to the first quarter of the year. ZooPark, VPNFilter, LuckyMouse and Olympic Destroyer are among the culprits.
US Pentagon tells US to shut off GPS
A new Pentagon memo means US military personnel will need to turn off any devices using GPS if they are deployed in “operational areas”, according to Infosecurity Magazine. Spokesperson from the US Department of Defense, Col Robert Manning III, said that GPS use can “potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission” in locations around the world.
“Effective immediately, Defense Department personnel are prohibited from using geolocation features and functionality on government and non-government-issued devices, applications and services while in locations designated as operational areas.”
This decision likely stems from the Strava and Polar Flow revelations this year.
SamSam: The malware worth $6m
Sophos has unveiled new information about the infamous SamSam malware, which is used in stealthy and targeted attacks due to its sophistication. Since appearing on the radar first in December 2015, SamSam has been something of a slippery fish due to its infrequent deployment – attacks only happen about once a day.
SamSam is deployed to computers in the same way and with the same tools as above-board software applications. It has no worm-like capabilities, but relies instead on the human attacker to spread it. The typical ransom is around $50,000, far higher than the average.
How much do tools set wannabe hackers back? Turns out, not a whole lot
A recent study from Top10VPN into the tools a wannabe hacker needs to obtain shows all you need is some pocket change to wreak serious havoc.
Comprehensive toolkits for fraud activity can be snapped up for $125, while phishing pages can go for as little as $2 each. Coupled with easily available software and how-to PDFs, it has never been easier or cheaper to dip your toe into the world of cybercrime.
