Contrary to to popular belief, e-readers are subjected to extensive tracking. The pretext might be the same - to make personalized recommendations of books or other reading material - the fact is, all e-reader manufacturers keep a watch on what users are up to with their devices. Apart from what you are reading, other details that the companies would like to know of you … [Read more...] about How a VPN can prevent your e-reader from tracking you
Security
Some E-books Are Hacking You
We have learned not to click on links that arrive in emails from people we do not know. We are starting to learn that mobile apps could come with some security risk as well, so we need to exercise a little caution when we choose which titles to install. What comes as more of a surprise, is that e-book you have your eyes on could be infected with malware too. Those of us on the … [Read more...] about Some E-books Are Hacking You
Google Play Developers Receive Fake Terms Violation Email
The actual content of the email varies somewhat, but a large number of Google Play Android developers have received phony notifications that their apps are violating Google terms of service. Not only that, the email informs developers that their app will be removed from the Play Store and their account likely terminated. How can you prevent this from happening? Just click the … [Read more...] about Google Play Developers Receive Fake Terms Violation Email
Avast Finds Adware In Android Apps with Millions of Downloads
Everybody knows that you have to be careful for malware and adware when installing apps, especially from lesser known sources. Unfortunately, the security firm Avast is now telling us that we are just as vulnerable to these security threats when downloading apps from the Google Play store --even those with millions of downloads. The latest discovery involved a series of … [Read more...] about Avast Finds Adware In Android Apps with Millions of Downloads
UK Prime Minister Wants to Ban Encrypted Messaging
It was bound to happen eventually, but it may surprise you to know that one of the first (non-communist) leaders to call for a ban on encrypted messaging is UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Speaking out in favour of a ban on apps that provide this service, Cameron feels strongly that the likes of WhatsApp, Snapchat, or Apple's iMessage serve as a potential threat to national … [Read more...] about UK Prime Minister Wants to Ban Encrypted Messaging
Google Kills Security Updates for 1B Android Users
If Apple had silently decided to stop providing security updates for nearly 1B of their users, the public outrage would be hard to ignore. Unfortunately for Android users, this is exactly what Google did when they chose to stop supporting WebView for those with older versions of their operating system --a shocking revelation when you consider that nearly 60% of devices fall … [Read more...] about Google Kills Security Updates for 1B Android Users
Google Lessens Android Appeal, Piracy Apps Gone From Play Store
There isn't an iOS user out there who hasn't been attacked by an Android fanatic. It is unrestricted, they say. It is free, they say. It is so open, they say. It doesn't come with the same strict (and unreasonable) rules that iOS does, they say. As it turns out, rising popularity has changed the game significantly... with an Android device now in novice hands more often than … [Read more...] about Google Lessens Android Appeal, Piracy Apps Gone From Play Store
Privacy-Focused Blackphone Creators Planning For Tablet
The masterminds at Silent Circle understand how important privacy is to us; so much so that they created the privacy-focused Blackphone device. Now the company's co-founder, Jon Callas, has announced that while that was their first device, it will not be their last. Details regarding what that device may look like, or what features it may carry were sparse, but Callas did … [Read more...] about Privacy-Focused Blackphone Creators Planning For Tablet
Snapchat Photos Stolen and Leaked
It seems Snapchat is the latest victim in what is becoming a long line of apps and services experiencing security breaches and compromises, though it's a little confusing just how or where it happened. What we do know is that a 13GB database of private user photographs is circulating around the Internet (which translates into as many as 200,000 images now public in 4chan and … [Read more...] about Snapchat Photos Stolen and Leaked
LastPass Password Manager Updated to Remove PC Dependency
Our lives are filled with passwords. It's hard enough keeping track of our own credentials, but to an increasing extent we are also needing to share these with family (and sometimes friends). Whether it is wise or ideal, it's reality... the moment you leave the house, your spouse is going to need the Netflix password. LastPass Password Manager is concerned with security and … [Read more...] about LastPass Password Manager Updated to Remove PC Dependency
New Style of Android Attack: User Interface Inference
At the 23rd USENIX Security Symposium last week in San Diego, California, a new-style of Android security threat was discussed: user interface inference. This next-generation of attack technique communicates the state of any targeted application --the most intimidating example may be if malware can detect that a user has clicked a login button. Knowing that this behaviour … [Read more...] about New Style of Android Attack: User Interface Inference
Prevent Kids Ignoring Parents’ Calls Using New App
Like it or not, many children carry smartphones. For some, they are tremendous resources and in many cases help to keep them safe. As parents, we also have to manage their use. At a minimum, we want to be able to get ahold of our kids when we call --and not have those calls ignored because they are busy, or doing something they know they will be in trouble for. Fortunately, a … [Read more...] about Prevent Kids Ignoring Parents’ Calls Using New App
Facebook Messenger May Not Be Out To Get You
Just about everybody uses Facebook, which means that just about everybody already knows that Facebook is migrating the Messenger functionality out of the core app and into a standalone Facebook Messenger app. What many hadn't realized, is that the standalone app isn't new --it's been around for a couple of years. Part of the news surrounding the shift is a hefty dose of viral … [Read more...] about Facebook Messenger May Not Be Out To Get You
Yahoo Adds Google Encryption to Email Service
Following the implementation of an end-to-end encryption upgrade by Google to their Gmail service, Yahoo has announced that by 2015 their email offering will also use the same security enhancements. Yahoo's Chief Information Security Officer, Alex Stamos, took the opportunity during his speech at the recent Black Hat conference to discuss these upgrades and note that … [Read more...] about Yahoo Adds Google Encryption to Email Service