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May 31, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Recently, Google did some house cleaning. They removed ten different apps from the Play Store, all of which contained droppers for financial Trojans, this according to a recent blog post by Check Point Research. Apparently, all ten of the poisoned apps were submitted by the same threat actor, who took pains to get them past […]
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May 21, 2021 by Vertical Axion
A new, high severity vulnerability has been found in Qualcomm’s MSM (Mobile Station Modem) chips, including the company’s latest 5G-capable versions. The security issue could allow hackers to access a user’s call history, text messages, and even listen in on their conversations. Unfortunately, given the ubiquity of these chips in today’s smartphones, this flaw impacts […]
April 29, 2021 by Vertical Axion
About eighteen months ago, a number of big mobile carriers got together to create the “Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative.” Their goal was to roll out a Rich Communication Services (RCS) platform designed to allow for text messaging across a variety of platforms, creating a seamless user experience. It’s something that sounds simple enough, and it’s a […]
April 3, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Clubhouse has taken the internet by storm. Or rather, it has taken the iOS ecosystem by storm, since the company has yet to release an Android version of their increasingly popular app. If you’re not sure what all the fuss is about, Clubhouse is an audio chat app that is invitation only. If you get […]
March 25, 2021 by Vertical Axion
The ongoing pandemic has impacted daily life in the United States in a number of ways, some predictable and others surprising. On the predictable side, when tens of thousands of employees were asked to work from home, broadband internet connectivity saw a huge surge in use and nearly 80 percent of broadband users upgraded their […]
March 24, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Most apps these days make use of cloud storage in order to minimize their footprint on your device. That’s good in theory, but based on new research from Zimperium, a disappointing percentage of app developers don’t do nearly enough to secure the data they’re housing for you. In fact, the recent study indicated that fully […]
February 27, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you use the app “ShareIt?” It’s one of the most popular apps in the ecosystem, boasting more than a billion downloads from Google’s Play Store and nearly 2 billion downloads overall (including the Windows, iOS and MacOS ecosystems). On top of that, its original creator, Lenovo, preinstalled it on all Lenovo phones, which may […]
February 20, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you use the popular Android app, “Barcode Scanner?” If so, you’re certainly not alone. The app has racked up more than 10 million downloads on Google’s Play Store and is one of the most popular apps in its class. It’s a simple, straightforward bit of code that does exactly what it sounds like it […]
February 4, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Cellphones are everywhere. There are literally billions of them in service and many people have and regularly use more than one. They also represent a significant investment, and the hope is that when you buy one, it will provide you with at least a few years of reliable service and retain a fair amount of […]
January 27, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Security researchers at Check Point have recently identified a new strain of malware that seems to be a Frankenstein’s Monster created by combining two older strains. Dubbed ‘Rogue RAT,’ this deceptively simple bit of malicious code gives anyone who uses it the ability to record your calls, steal your passwords, read all of your messages […]
December 16, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Do you use the Go SMS Pro Android app? If so, you’ve got plenty of company. The app is one of the most popular on Google’s Play Store, boasting more than 100 million installs. That, unfortunately, is the problem. A few months ago, Trustwave discovered and disclosed a major flaw in the app that allowed […]
December 5, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you’re an avid gamer, you’re almost certainly at least passingly familiar with Minecraft, and you may be an active player. Despite its blocky, simplistic graphics, it’s the most popular game of all time. It is very prevalent on the internet. If you play on an Android device, be aware that hackers are now exploiting […]
November 27, 2020 by Vertical Axion
For several years now, most of the big tech companies have been using the lure of free to grow their respective user bases. Free unlimited data on phone plans. Free, unlimited storage on cloud drive plans, and the like. Free can get expensive for these firms, however. Over time, most of them have slowly backed away […]
November 23, 2020 by Vertical Axion
By now, just about everyone is aware of the importance SSL certificates play in keeping data away from prying eyes on the web. After some scares in recent years, it has thankfully become the standard, and according to Google’s latest statistics, more than 95 percent of the traffic passing through its network is encrypted. Unfortunately, […]
November 4, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Google does an admirable job of keeping its sprawling Play Store free of apps containing malware. Their verification system is world-class. That said, no system is perfect, and that includes Google’s. In recent months, the company has removed nearly a hundred apps that made it through their various gateways and checkpoints while containing all manner […]
October 31, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Malware comes in all shapes and sizes. Some strains copy and encrypt files. Others serve annoying ads. Still others work quietly in the background, mining this or that cryptocurrency using your computer’s processing power to do it. GravityRAT is a different sort of creature. It has been actively developed since at least 2015 by Pakistani […]
September 15, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you’re an Android user and you’re interested in getting the latest on offer from the company, Google has announced that they’re ready to release Android 11 to the general public. As you read these words, the new OS should already be available for Google’s Pixel line (Pixel 2 and newer), OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO and […]
September 11, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Are you a Pokemon Go fan? If so, we’ve got bad news. Beginning in October of this year (2020), your game will stop working on older Android and iOS devices. Support is officially being discontinued for Android 5, iOS 10, and iOS 11. Additionally, the company is ending support for the iPhone 5S and the iPhone […]
August 28, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Unless you live within a couple hundred miles of the town of Sparta, NC, you may not be aware of the fact that recently, a 5.1 earthquake struck the area. It damaged a few homes and rumbles could be felt as far away as north Georgia and parts of Virginia. It is doubtful that the […]
August 18, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Apple users are almost certainly familiar with the Airdrop feature, which allows content to be shared between two iPhones that are in close proximity to each other. Recently, Google announced the rollout of their new ‘Nearby Share’ feature, which seeks to accomplish the same goal in the Android ecosystem. By the time you read these […]
July 29, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Do you have an Android phone? If so, be advised that there’s a new threat to be on the lookout for. The threat takes the form of a malware strain that’s being called BlackRock. It is a banking trojan that specializes in pilfering login and credit card information, which means that if you get infected, […]
March 26, 2020 by Vertical Axion
According to the latest statistics, there are more than 2.5 billion Android devices in use around the world. That’s a lot of devices by any reckoning. According to statistics gathered by Consumer Watchdog Which?, more than a billion of those devices are no longer receiving security updates. That is scary. That puts an awful lot […]
March 19, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Are you a Walgreens customer? Do you make use of the company’s mobile app, available for both Android and iOS devices? If so, be advised that the company recently disclosed a serious flaw in the app that inadvertently leaked both Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI). The information was in the form […]
March 11, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Since 2010, Google has been doing its part to help keep its massive user base safe. They introduced a small but critical service called Google Authenticator, which is used by a number of online accounts as a two-factor authentication layer. Google launched the service as an alternative to SMS-based one-time pass codes. While SMS-based codes […]
