Tag Archive for: Smartphones

Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones (UCSph) Part 1


The smartphone is one of the most remarkable inventions in contemporary human history and is currently the most widely utilized electronic device globally. Its evolution has transformed modern communication technology, allowing us to communicate efficiently and instantly across vast distances worldwide. This series delves into the historical evolution of the modern smartphone, shedding light on its significant contributions and addressing cybersecurity-related concerns associated with smartphones and their diverse applications (apps).

The previous series, entitled Understanding Android Malware Families (UAMF), showcased six articles focusing on Android malware’s primary categories and families, guiding readers to understand the threats’ behavior and explore mitigation procedures. It presented the findings of our ongoing Android malware analysis research project initiated in 2017, which included the creation of four datasets—AAGM2017, AndMAl2017, InvestAndMAl2019, and AndMal2020. The series also encompassed related academic articles proposing solutions and techniques for detecting and characterizing Android malware.

In this series, Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones (UCSSph), we will conduct an in-depth analysis of various smartphone operating systems, including iPhone, Windows, Symbian, Tizen OS, Sailfish OS, Ubuntu Touch, KaiOS, Sirin OS, and Harmony OS. This five-article series aims to provide valuable insights and recommended practices for researchers, developers, and users. The series draws from the content of the recent book, Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones, published by Springer this year. The first article focuses on Apple’s iOS, a global leader in mobile systems, exploring cybersecurity vulnerabilities, associated risks, malware families, attacks, and mitigation techniques.

1       iOS fundamentals.

2       Getting into cybersecurity – recognizing iOS vulnerabilities.

3       Exploring adversarial tactics in iOS..

3.1        Propagation.

3.2        Activation.

3.3        Carrier.

3.4        Execution.

3.5        Persistence.

4       Analyzing iOS malware varieties & tools.

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Researchers Hack Android Smartphones, Find A Security Risk


man talking on his cell phone

The research focused on Android smartphones because motion sensor data can be retrieved from them without any explicit permission from the user.


Getty Images

Advanced smartphone features attract users who want more from their devices, especially in health and entertainment areas, but do these features create a security risk when making or receiving actual calls? A team of academic researchers from Texas A&M University and four other institutions created malicious software, or malware, to answer that question.

The researchers’ malware, called EarSpy, used machine learning algorithms to filter a surprising amount of caller information from ear speaker vibration data recorded by an Android smartphone’s own motion sensors—and did so without overcoming any safeguards or needing user permissions.

“A standard attack on a cell phone taps the microphone and records the voices,” said Ahmed Tanvir Mahdad, a doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M. “We are recording motion sensor data, which is not directly related to speech, and detecting caller information from that in a side-channel attack.”

Mahdad was the primary author of “EarSpy: Spying Caller Speech and Identity through Tiny Vibrations of Smartphone Ear Speakers,” a paper published in December 2022 that explained the project’s results. The National Science Foundation funded the research.

Ear speakers at the top of smartphones are traditionally small and produce low sound pressures during conversations. These vibrations improve clarity when the phone is pressed against the user’s ear. The speakers are not considered a good source for audible eavesdropping because of their size and how they function. Yet some manufacturers are replacing these small speakers with bigger ones to create the stereo sounds needed for videos and streaming without considering how much vibration data the bigger ear speakers emit. Since smartphones are equipped with motion sensors called accelerometers to record vibration data tracking user exercises and locations, this has led to a situation where ear speaker vibrations can also be recorded and potentially compromised.

The…

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Research hack reveals call security risk in smartphones


Research hack reveals call security risk in smartphones
Smartphone manufacturers listen up; malware created by academic researchers showed how call security can be compromised in three areas. Credit: Texas A&M Engineering

Advanced smartphone features attract users who want more from their devices, especially in health and entertainment areas, but do these features create a security risk when making or receiving actual calls? A team of academic researchers from Texas A&M University and four other institutions created malicious software, or malware, to answer that question.

The researchers’ malware, called EarSpy, used machine learning algorithms to filter a surprising amount of caller information from ear speaker vibration data recorded by an Android smartphone‘s own motion sensors—and did so without overcoming any safeguards or needing user permissions.

“A standard attack on a cell phone taps the microphone and records the voices,” said Ahmed Tanvir Mahdad, a doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M. “We are recording motion sensor data, which is not directly related to speech, and detecting caller information from that in a side-channel attack.”

Mahdad was the primary author of “EarSpy: Spying Caller Speech and Identity through Tiny Vibrations of Smartphone Ear Speakers,” a paper published in December 2022, on the pre-print server arXiv, that explained the project’s results.

Ear speakers at the top of smartphones are traditionally small and produce low sound pressures during conversations. These vibrations improve clarity when the phone is pressed against the user’s ear.

The speakers are not considered a good source for audible eavesdropping because of their size and how they function. Yet some manufacturers are replacing these small speakers with bigger ones to create the stereo sounds needed for videos and streaming without considering how much vibration data the bigger ear speakers emit. Since smartphones are equipped with motion sensors called accelerometers to record vibration data tracking user…

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Best Antivirus Apps For Android Smartphones In 2023


Your smartphone isn’t just a tool to make calls or stay in touch with popular trends but also your portable wallet, mobile bank, your password locker, and whatever it is you’d like it to be including being your personal portable computer.

It’s crucial to protect your smartphones from the growing threats of malware, viruses, and other malicious activities.

This post will explore the best antivirus apps for Android smartphones in 2023. We’ll begin by understanding what antivirus apps are, why they are necessary, and the differences between free and paid antivirus apps. Additionally, we’ll discuss how antivirus apps differ from VPNs, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of mobile security.

So without any further ado, here’s everything you need to know about AntiVirus applications which will serve as the first part of this lengthy post.

Part 1: Everything you should know about Anti-Virus apps

What Are Antivirus Apps?

Antivirus apps are software programs designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from your Android smartphone. These apps protect your device by scanning files, apps, and system vulnerabilities to identify and eliminate potential threats.

Android-based smartphones can be very susceptible to viruses because of the fact that you can literally side-load applications and games which may have been infected on your device.

Even though Google Play Protect, which is essentially Google’s own Anti-virus service to detect malicious applications is there to help, sometimes, many of these malware can slide under the radar without the former knowing what’s happening behind the scenes on your smartphone.

With applications dedicated to simply rooting out malicious software and applications, the need for anti-virus applications becomes a very necessary tool to safeguard your data on your Android smartphone.

And if you think because you don’t visit malicious websites, think again. Your smartphone can literally be hacked via a spam email message or even a text message. You can also be hacked via community Wi-Fi.

The point is that as technology continues to evolve so are blackhat hackers. So it’s always good to be a step ahead in the…

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