Tag Archive for GOOG

| December 19, 2011
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McAfee’s 12 Scams of Christmas

McAfee's 12 Scams of ChristmasBefore logging on from a PC, Mac, or mobile device for the last-minute holiday online shopping madness, consumers should look out for these 12 Scams of Christmas identified by anti-malware firm McAfee:

1. Mobile Malware—A National Retail Federation (NRF) survey found that 52.6% of U.S. consumers who own a smartphone will use it for holiday shopping. Malware targeting mobile devices is rising, and Google’s (GOOG) Android smartphones are most at risk. McAfee cites a 76% increase in Android malware in the second quarter of 2011, making it the most targeted smartphone platform.

Malicious Mobile ApplicationsNew malware has recently been found that targets QR codes, a digital bar code that consumers might scan with their smartphone to find good deals or to learn about products they want to buy.

2. Malicious Mobile Applications—These are mobile apps designed to steal information from smartphones or send expensive text messages without a user’s consent. Dangerous apps are usually offered for free and masquerade as fun applications, such as games. Last year, 4.6 million Android smartphone users downloaded a wallpaper app that collected and transmitted user data to a site in China.

Facebook3. Phony Facebook Promotions and Contests—Who doesn’t want free stuff? Unfortunately, cyber scammers know that “free” things are attractive lures, and they have sprinkled Facebook with phony promotions and contests to gather personal information. A recent scam advertised two free airline tickets but required participants to complete multiple surveys requesting personal information.

4. Scareware, or Fake Antivirus software—Scareware is fake antivirus software that tricks people into believing that their computer is at risk or already infected, so they agree to download and pay for phony software. This is one of the most common and dangerous Internet threats today, victimizing one million victims each day. In 2010, McAfee reported that scareware represented 23% of all dangerous Internet links, which has been resurgent recently.

5. Holiday Screen savers—Bringing holiday cheer to your home or work PC sounds like a fun idea to get into the holiday spirit, but be careful. A recent search for a Santa screen saver that promises to let you “fly with Santa in 3D” was malicious. Holiday-themed ringtones and e-cards have also been known to be malicious.

Mac Malware6. Mac Malware – Until recently, Mac users felt insulated from online security threats since most were targeted at PCs. However, with the growing popularity of Apple (AAPL) products, cybercriminals have designed a new wave of malware directed squarely at Mac users. According to McAfee Labs, as of late 2010, there were 5,000 pieces of malware targeting Macs, and this number is increasing by 10 percent each month.

7. Holiday Phishing Scams—Phishing is tricking consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldn’t normally do online using phony emails or social media posts. Cyber scammers know that most people are busy around the holidays, so they tailor their emails and social messages with holiday themes to trick recipients into revealing personal information.

  • This is a fake notice from UPS (UPS) saying you have a package and need to complete an attached form. The form asks for personal or financial details to complete the delivery, and it sends that information straight into the hands of cyber scammers.
  • Banking phishing scams continue to be popular, and the holiday season means consumers will spend more money and check bank balances more often. From July to September of this year, McAfee Labs identified about 2,700 phishing URLs per day.
  • Smishing –SMS phishing remains a concern. Scammers send fake messages via text alert to a phone, notifying an unsuspecting consumer that his bank account has been compromised. The cybercriminals then direct the consumer to call a phone number to get it reactivated and collect the user’s personal information, including his Social Security number, address, and account details.

Online Coupon Scams8. Online Coupon Scams—An estimated 63 percent of shoppers search for coupons when they buy something online. October 2011 NRF data shows that 17.3 percent of smartphone users and 21.5 percent of tablet consumers use mobile devices to redeem those coupons. But watch out because scammers know that offering an irresistible online coupon can get people to hand over some of their personal information.

9. Mystery Shopper Scams—Mystery shoppers are hired to shop in a store and report back on the customer service. Scammers use this fun job to lure people into revealing personal and financial information. There have been reports of scammers sending text messages to victims, offering to pay them $50 an hour to be mystery shoppers and instructing them to call a number if they are interested. Once the victim calls, they are asked for personal information, including credit card and bank account numbers.

Scareware10. Hotel “Wrong Transaction” Malware Emails – Many people travel over the holidays, so it is no surprise that scammers have designed travel-related scams to get users to click on dangerous emails. In one example, a scammer sent out emails that appeared to be from a hotel, claiming that a “wrong transaction” had been discovered on the recipient’s credit card. It then asked them to fill out an attached refund form. Once opened, the attachment downloads malware onto their machine.

11. “It” Gift Scams—Hot holiday gifts sell out early in the season every year. Not only do sellers mark up the price of the must-have toy, but scammers also start advertising them on rogue websites and social networks, even if they don’t have them. So, consumers could wind up paying for an item and giving away credit card details only to receive nothing in return. Once the scammers have the personal financial information, there is little recourse.

12. “I’m away from home” Scammers – Posting information about a vacation on social networking sites could be dangerous. If someone is connected with people they don’t know on Facebook or other social networking sites, they could see their post and decide it may be a good time to rob them. Furthermore, a quick online search can quickly turn up their home address.

How to Protect Yourself

  • Only download mobile apps from official app stores, such as iTunes and the Android Market, and read user reviews before downloading them.
  • Be extra vigilant when reviewing and responding to emails.
  • Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers on social networks. Never agree to share your personal information to take part in a promotion.
  • Don’t accept requests on social networks from anyone you don’t know in real life. Wait to post pictures and comments about your vacation until you’ve already returned home.
Related articles

Mobile Threats Top Holiday Scam List (pcworld.com)

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| December 15, 2011
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Mobile Device Info

Mobile Device InfoIn case there was any doubt that mobile devices are the real deal, here are some stats from Digby. Globally, 80% of consumers have used computers to get access to the Web within the previous seven days. Sixty percent used their mobile devices to do so. 25% of US mobile web users only access the web from their mobile phones.

Angry Birds know where you live

Angry Birds know where you live75% of the public may be giving away their physical location when downloading smartphone applications, according to mobile security vendor AdaptiveMobile. 69% of smartphone users say such privacy breaches are unacceptable, yet Help Net Security reports that 75% fail to read the terms and conditions, which include access to data such as their physical location.

“Consumers are outraged that their data may not be secure but are unwilling to protect themselves,” AdaptiveMobile VP of Handset Security, Ciaran Bradley says in the article. “We are downloading more apps than ever before, but people are unaware that their location and other information can be harvested by applications.”

AdaptiveMobile research has shown that common applications including Angry Birds, Jaws, and Paper Toss have access to information including location coordinates and owner’s name, which can be shared with up to 17 different external domains including advertisers.

“Consumers and the wider mobile industry need to become savvier about the information which is shared by apps,” Mike Hawkes, Chairman of The Mobile Data Association told Help Net Security. “It is becoming commonplace that personal information is shared with advertisers and developers.”

Mr. Bradley told Help Net Security that iPhone users are the most careless, with 65% completely unaware that free applications may compromise their privacy. Windows Phone users are more responsible, with 29% promising to stop downloading free applications if they had any doubt that their personal information was not safe. Windows Phone users are generally cautious, 95% of them are ‘quite’ or ‘very’ concerned about privacy infringements.

“If we are to slow the rise in cybercrime, consumers need to become more aware of the need for phone security” concluded Mr. Bradley. “Not only will this frustrate hackers and other cybercriminals, but also ensure that consumers can have a safe mobile experience.”

rb-

I wrote about mobile apps stealing PII here and here.

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Cisco’s Tablets Are Doing So Well, They’re Planning At Least Two More Models For Next Year

Cisco Cius tabletThe Cisco Cius tablet for enterprises sounded like a hard sell when Cisco introduced it. But the company is apparently proving experts wrong, including me (I wrote about the Cius here and here) because Cisco‘s (CSCO) tablets are doing well enough that the company plans to release two new form factors next year, including a 10-inch version according to the BusinessInsider

Product manager Chuck Fontana told the BusinessInsider that 1,000 companies have already bought the tablet, He wouldn’t share device unit sales, but some deployments are in the hundreds, and one company plans to buy 1,500 for its mobile sales force. The tablets are sold as part of a broader communications package and include Cisco’s teleconferencing and collaboration services.

But underneath they’re straight Google (GOOG) Android tablets and can run any Android app. To prevent employees from downloading malware-infested or low-quality apps, Cisco has rolled out a custom app store called AppHQ, where every app is vetted.

The BusinessInsider says the Cius is an interesting demonstration of how the relative openness of Android versus iOS is helping it gain traction in surprising places. Cisco didn’t go to quite the lengths that Amazon (AMZN) did with the Kindle Fire, where it basically forked Android and created a custom OS. But Android is open enough that Cisco could build its own app store and ship it with its own apps front and center.

That couldn’t have worked with the iPad, where Apple (AAPL) controls the experience.

So would Cisco consider offering a Windows tablet instead once Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 8 comes out?  “No,” said Fontana, “we’re not looking to do anything from a Windows perspective. Our core approach remains on Android.”

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People Are Losing Interest In The Microsoft Tablet, And It’s Not Even Out Yet

Microsoft TabletApple‘s (AAPL) iPad has already taken about 11% of the PC market, and by the time Microsoft (MSFT) and its partners get around to releasing a real competitor next year, it may be too late according to a new study from Forrester Research (FORR) in the BusinessInsider.

Near the beginning of 2011 according to the article Forrester surveyed 3,835 consumers who were considering buying a tablet. When asked which operating system they’d like on it, 48% said Windows, well ahead of iOS (16%) and Google’s (GOOG) Android (9%). The second most popular choice was “undecided” with 16%.

In September, Forrester asked the same question of a different group of 2,229 consumers. This time, iOS came in number one with 28% of the vote. Windows had only 25%, and Android was at 18%. A whole 24% were still undecided.

Overall, interest in Windows tablets dropped 21 percentage points in six months.

The BusinessInsider says the study is probably a bit skewed but says the data shows a real perception shift: consumers are thinking of tablets more like smartphones and less like PCs. That perception could carry through to the next time they’re thinking of buying a new computing device.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| December 13, 2011
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U.S. Firms Set Record Hiring H-1B Visa Holders

U.S. Firms Set Record Hiring H-1B Visa HoldersCorporate America’s assault on the middle class continues. Despite the jobless epidemic, U.S. companies are tripping over themselves to fill high-paying job openings with workers from overseas. The BusinessInsider reports that tech titans led by Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM), have already maxed out their allotment of 65,000 1H-1B employees.

The article says that U.S. companies have set a three-year record in how quickly they reached the cap for H-1B workers. The applications process for 2012 opened on April 1 and on November 23, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services department announced that the cap had been reached.

But there are more than 65,000 jobs at stake. The USCIS also received “more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for persons exempt from the cap under the ‘advanced degree’ exemption,” it said. In addition, petitions for workers who already have their visas are not counted toward the cap.

The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa for those classified as “skilled workers” such as IT staff, engineers, doctors, and scientists, and the pay is good. For instance, the average salary for a worker th

 

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| November 15, 2011
Comments Off on Which Mobile OS is Most Hit by Malware?

Which Mobile OS is Most Hit by Malware?

Which Mobile OS is Most Hit by Malware? Help Net Security reminds us that most mobile phone users still don’t have a mobile AV solution installed on their devices making. This makes it hard to gauge just how many of them have been hit by mobile malware. To overcome this fact, Microsoft (MSFT) researchers observed that mobile phones often get synched with the users’ computers. Also, users often use their computers to search for mobile apps on third-party application markets and file-sharing sites. These habits allow mobile malware to occasionally end up on their desktop/laptop computers and gets detected by desktop anti-virus software.

MicrosoftResearchers at the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC) were able to use thes detection to get an idea of what malware attacks the various mobile operating systems. The MMPC found was that Symbian users’ devices are getting hit with a disproportionately bigger number of threats than those targeting other operating systems. In August 2011, Microsoft detected around 42,000 of them.

Malware attacks

Microsoft’s Marianne Mallen says that Symbian-specific malware seems to be evolving and Zeus-in-the-mobile (“ZItmo“) and SpyEye-in-the-mobile (“Spitmo“) are the most recently detected malware and arguably the most dangerous for the user.

JavaThe Sun Oracle (ORCL) Java ME platform takes second place in the MSFT research, with nearly 24,000 threats detected in August 2011, mostly apps sending text messages to premium-rate numbers.

The MMPC found that Google‘s (GOOG) Android malware numbers were rather low when compared to Symbian and Java ME platforms. There were around 2,800 hits in August, but have been steadily rising since February. Much of the Android malware uses privilege-escalation exploits to install itself or other components on the device without having to ask the user for permission.

At the end of the MSFT list are Apple (AAPL) iOS and Research In Motion (RIMM). No new threats for Apple’s mobile OS have been discovered this year, and the total number of threats detected in August was around 590. RIM brings up the rear with only 5 malicious apps detected during that month and can boast of only one completely new threat springing up for it this year:.

Apple ComputersMs. Mallen’s advice to mobile users is to scan applications downloaded when possible, even when it’s already on a mobile device. Ms. Mallen says that even apps from the official app stores, may have been repackaged with malware that can run stealthily without the user being made aware of the underlying payload,” she points out. “The payload can include data-theft, silent SMS-sending in the background, and downloading and installing of other malware components, among other things. This malware (or links to it) could also be spammed or sent through email, using social engineering to entice the user to download a copy of the malware onto the desktop.”

rb-

UMMM no critique of mobile malware issues on WinPhones?

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| November 8, 2011
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Gartner’s Top Tech Trends For 2012

GartGartner's Top Tech Trends For 2012ner VP David Cearley described their top ten strategic technology trends for 2012 to attendees of the Gartner Symposium IT/Expo. Gartner (IT) defines a strategic technology as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Here are Gartner’s top strategic technologies for 2012.

Gartner logoMedia tablets and beyond: Bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) at work has become the norm, not the exception.  By 2015 tablet shipments will reach around 50% of laptop shipments and Windows 8 will likely be in third place behind Google‘s (GOOG) Android and Apple’s (AAPL) iOS. The net result is that Microsoft‘s (MSFT) share of the client platform, be it PC, tablet, or smartphone, will likely be reduced to 60% and it could fall below 50%, Mr. Cearley says.

Apple iPadThe implication for IT is that the era of PC dominance with Windows as the single platform will be replaced with a post-PC era where Windows is one of a variety of environments IT will need to support. Gartner says it expects iOS/Android will dominate the market with 80% of tablets shipped by 2015. IT leaders need a managed diversity program to address multiple form factors, as well as employees bringing their own smartphones and tablet devices into the workplace.

Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces. User interfaces with windows, icons, menus and pointers which have been in place for more than 20 years are changing. The UI will be replaced by mobile-centric interfaces emphasizing touch, gesture, search, voice, and video. Applications themselves are likely to shift to more focused and simple apps that can be assembled into more complex solutions. By 2015 half the applications that would be written as native apps in 2011 will instead be delivered as Web apps.

The Internet of Things (IoT)Internet of Things: The Internet of Things (IoT) describes pervasive computing where cameras, sensors, microphones, image recognition, everything, is now part of the environment. In addition, increasingly intelligent devices create issues such as privacy concerns. Gartner says. Drivers of the IoT are:

  • Near Field Communication (NFC) payments allows users to make payments by waving their mobile phone in front of a compatible reader.
  • Embedded sensors which detect and communicate changes are being built into an increasing number of places and objects.
  • Image Recognition technologies identify objects, people, buildings, places logos, etc. that has value to consumers and enterprises.

App Stores and MarketplacesApp Stores and Marketplaces: Application stores by Apple and Android provide marketplaces where hundreds of thousands of applications are available to mobile users. Gartner forecasts that by 2014, there will be more than 70 billion mobile application downloads from app stores every year with an enterprise focus. With enterprise app stores, the role of IT shifts from that of a centralized planner to a market manager providing governance and brokerage services to users and potentially an ecosystem to support entrepreneurs. Enterprises should use a managed diversity approach to focus on app store efforts and segment apps by risk and value.

Big DataBig Data: The size, complexity of formats, and speed of delivery exceed the capabilities of traditional data management technologies; Gartner says it requires the use of new technologies simply to manage the volume alone. One major implication of big data is that in the future users will not be able to put all useful information into a single data warehouse. Logical data warehouses bringing together information from multiple sources as needed will replace the single data warehouse model.

Cloud Computing: This topic is still an important trend. It will become the next-generation battleground for the likes of Google and Amazon (AMZN). Going forward, enterprise IT will be concerned with developing hybrid private/public cloud apps, improving security and governance, Mr. Cearley says. While the market remains in its early stages in 2011 and 2012, it will see the full range of large enterprise providers fully engaged in delivering a range of offerings to build cloud environments and deliver cloud services. Oracle (ORCL), IBM (IBM), and SAP (SAP) all have major initiatives to deliver a broader range of cloud services over the next two years. As Microsoft continues to expand its cloud offering, and these traditional enterprise players expand offerings, users will see competition heat up and enterprise-level cloud services increase.

Cloud ComputingEnterprises are moving from trying to understand the cloud to making decisions on selected workloads to implement on cloud services and where they need to build out private clouds. Hybrid cloud computing which brings together external public cloud services and internal private cloud services, as well as the capabilities to secure, manage and govern the entire cloud spectrum will be a major focus for 2012. From a security perspective, new certification programs will be ready for the initial trial, setting the stage for more secure cloud computing. On the private cloud front, IT will be challenged to bring operations and development groups closer together using “DevOps” concepts in order to approach the speed and efficiencies of public cloud service providers.

Other key predictions Gartner had included:

  • Contextual and Social User Experience: Context-aware computing uses information about an end-user to improve the quality of interaction and anticipates the user’s needs and proactively serves up the customized content. By 2015, 40% of the world’s smartphone users will opt in to context service providers that track their activities with Google, Microsoft, Nokia (NOK), and Apple continuously tracking daily activities Mr.Cearley says.
  • The growing use of flash memory for In-Memory Computing is a long-term technology trend that could have a disruptive impact comparable to that of cloud computing.
  • The adoption of Extreme Low-Energy Servers built on low-power processors typically used in mobile devices will increase for non-compute intensive workloads or delivery of static objects to a website. Gartner says that 10%-15% of enterprise workloads are good for this.
  • Next-Generation Analytics Gartner says over the next three years, analytics will mature from structured and simple data analyzed by individuals to the analysis of complex information of many types (text, video, etc.) from many systems.
Related articles
  • Expecting a recession, Gartner urges ‘creative destruction’ (networkworld.com)

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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