Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
iRepair iPhones
There’s gold in them thar broken Macs and iPhones!
A growing tide of Apple gadgets with dead buttons, cracked screens and lost data is migrating away from repair desks at the tech giant’s slick retail stores -- and toward upstart shops like Dr. Brendan’s Mac Repair which offer lower-cost repairs.
After opening its first store last fall in the East Village, the chain has quickly grown into three stores, with additions in Brooklyn and Greenwich, Conn., with plans for several more New York-area stores in the coming year.
“Business in the East Village is already 300 percent of what it was in January,” says 30-year-old Brendan McElroy, who opened his first storefront on St. Marks Place last fall.
Gadget fixer Brendan McElroy is building a brand by doing iPhone repairs that the “Genius Bar” at Apple stores won’t usually do.
Daniel Shapiro
Gadget fixer Brendan McElroy is building a brand by doing iPhone repairs that the “Genius Bar” at Apple stores won’t usually do.
Clients include 33-year-old Perri Gorman who, in addition to getting her iPhone 4 repaired, recently paid to switch the body to a lime-green color with a bright pink home button. (Total cost: $160).
“People are constantly stopping me on the street asking ‘Where did you get that?’” Gorman says.
Last year, McElroy had built a neighborhood reputation by repairing iPhones out of his fifth-floor apartment -- a side gig he developed after repairing his own iPhone with parts he bought off eBay.
“I had as many as 20 to 30 customers a day coming into my living room,” McElroy told The Post, noting he had lured clients with flyers and ads on Craigslist. “The other tenants weren’t too crazy about that.”
The St. Marks shop -- whose exposed-brick walls and sleek counter-tops evoke Apple’s cool aesthetic -- is already expanding into a second storefront across the street to help meet the expected 100 percent growth McElroy is forecasting, an increasing share of which is coming from business customers.
“We all own and love Apple products, and I think they offer a fair policy of backing up their product,” McElroy says, brushing off the notion that he’s a competitor. “When it comes to out-of-warranty repairs, Apple has to draw the line somewhere.”
Nevertheless, some clients say they came to McElroy’s store partly out of frustration with the service at Apple’s “Genius Bar.” Confronted with cracked screens and dead home buttons, techies at the Genius Bar frequently suggest buying a new gadget rather than replacing it.
“With the Genius Bar, you have to wait and wait for an appointment and they’re never on time,” gripes Victoria Phillips, a 31-year-old writer. “It’s a pain in the ass.”
McElroy -- who, less than three years ago, was still tending bar in Hell’s Kitchen -- says he’s angling to open as many as 20 stores across five states in the next two years, with New Jersey and California locations likely.
The growth will be mostly self-funded, according to McElroy, though he’s also in talks with regional partners.
more @ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/irepair_iphones_tyYQfalICUxe7YYPDaLqGK#ixzz1amAwyB00
A growing tide of Apple gadgets with dead buttons, cracked screens and lost data is migrating away from repair desks at the tech giant’s slick retail stores -- and toward upstart shops like Dr. Brendan’s Mac Repair which offer lower-cost repairs.
After opening its first store last fall in the East Village, the chain has quickly grown into three stores, with additions in Brooklyn and Greenwich, Conn., with plans for several more New York-area stores in the coming year.
“Business in the East Village is already 300 percent of what it was in January,” says 30-year-old Brendan McElroy, who opened his first storefront on St. Marks Place last fall.
Gadget fixer Brendan McElroy is building a brand by doing iPhone repairs that the “Genius Bar” at Apple stores won’t usually do.
Daniel Shapiro
Gadget fixer Brendan McElroy is building a brand by doing iPhone repairs that the “Genius Bar” at Apple stores won’t usually do.
Clients include 33-year-old Perri Gorman who, in addition to getting her iPhone 4 repaired, recently paid to switch the body to a lime-green color with a bright pink home button. (Total cost: $160).
“People are constantly stopping me on the street asking ‘Where did you get that?’” Gorman says.
Last year, McElroy had built a neighborhood reputation by repairing iPhones out of his fifth-floor apartment -- a side gig he developed after repairing his own iPhone with parts he bought off eBay.
“I had as many as 20 to 30 customers a day coming into my living room,” McElroy told The Post, noting he had lured clients with flyers and ads on Craigslist. “The other tenants weren’t too crazy about that.”
The St. Marks shop -- whose exposed-brick walls and sleek counter-tops evoke Apple’s cool aesthetic -- is already expanding into a second storefront across the street to help meet the expected 100 percent growth McElroy is forecasting, an increasing share of which is coming from business customers.
“We all own and love Apple products, and I think they offer a fair policy of backing up their product,” McElroy says, brushing off the notion that he’s a competitor. “When it comes to out-of-warranty repairs, Apple has to draw the line somewhere.”
Nevertheless, some clients say they came to McElroy’s store partly out of frustration with the service at Apple’s “Genius Bar.” Confronted with cracked screens and dead home buttons, techies at the Genius Bar frequently suggest buying a new gadget rather than replacing it.
“With the Genius Bar, you have to wait and wait for an appointment and they’re never on time,” gripes Victoria Phillips, a 31-year-old writer. “It’s a pain in the ass.”
McElroy -- who, less than three years ago, was still tending bar in Hell’s Kitchen -- says he’s angling to open as many as 20 stores across five states in the next two years, with New Jersey and California locations likely.
The growth will be mostly self-funded, according to McElroy, though he’s also in talks with regional partners.
more @ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/irepair_iphones_tyYQfalICUxe7YYPDaLqGK#ixzz1amAwyB00
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
9 Of The Weirdest Alien Landscapes On Earth
9 Of The Weirdest Alien Landscapes On Earth
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is located on the Navajo Reservation near Page, Arizona. The unique erosion of the Navajo Sandstone is formed mostly from flash floods, giving the canyon its stunning appearance.
At Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, you can witness the unusual pattern of around 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, formed from ancient volcanic activity. The natural wonder is Northern Ireland’s number one attraction.
Reaching 9,000 feet in elevation, southwestern Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park is a spectacular marvel to witness. Abundant in this area are curious geological formations known as “hoodoos”, totem-like spires of red sedimentary rock, some exceeding the height of a 10-story building.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat at over 4,000 square miles. It is a major breeding ground for pink flamingos, and has multiple hotels built of salt bricks.
The Wave is located in the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of Arizona, near the Utah border. Like Antelope Canyon, the hypnotizing formation is made of Navajo Sandstone. Because of the delicacy of the environment, the Bureau of Land Management limits access to only twenty permits per day.
Socotra is a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean. Visiting the main island really is like a journey to another planet, as 1/3 of its plant life isn’t found anywhere else on Earth. The Dragon’s Blood tree pictured here is just one of the many extraordinary species inhabiting Socotra, valued for its red medicinal sap.
The Black Rock Desert is a dry lakebed in northwestern Nevada. The flat and barren location has been ideal for attempting records in land speed and rocketry. It is also the annual home of the Burning Man Festival. Among its strange looking features is Fly Geyser. Although on private land, the geyser can be viewed from the nearby road.
North of Farafara, Egypt, the White Desert is littered with strange chalk formations, carved over long expanses of time from sandstorms and high winds.
Racetrack Playa is a seasonally dry lake in Death Valley National Park, California. The hot and arid landscape is home to a truly otherworldly phenomenon: the sailing stones. Ranging from small rocks to large boulders, these stones mysteriously move across the landscape, leaving straight, curved, and even zigzagged trails in their wake. Though many reasonable hypotheses have been offered, the action has never been witnessed in person, and there is still no absolute and verified explanation for these odd traveling stones.
Another place i wouldnt mind migrating to is Lauterbrunnen valley in Switzerland. The areas are surrounding the settlements/villages of Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Grutschalp, and Gimmelwald (not to be confused with Grindelwald).
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is located on the Navajo Reservation near Page, Arizona. The unique erosion of the Navajo Sandstone is formed mostly from flash floods, giving the canyon its stunning appearance.
At Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, you can witness the unusual pattern of around 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, formed from ancient volcanic activity. The natural wonder is Northern Ireland’s number one attraction.
Reaching 9,000 feet in elevation, southwestern Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park is a spectacular marvel to witness. Abundant in this area are curious geological formations known as “hoodoos”, totem-like spires of red sedimentary rock, some exceeding the height of a 10-story building.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat at over 4,000 square miles. It is a major breeding ground for pink flamingos, and has multiple hotels built of salt bricks.
The Wave is located in the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of Arizona, near the Utah border. Like Antelope Canyon, the hypnotizing formation is made of Navajo Sandstone. Because of the delicacy of the environment, the Bureau of Land Management limits access to only twenty permits per day.
Socotra is a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean. Visiting the main island really is like a journey to another planet, as 1/3 of its plant life isn’t found anywhere else on Earth. The Dragon’s Blood tree pictured here is just one of the many extraordinary species inhabiting Socotra, valued for its red medicinal sap.
The Black Rock Desert is a dry lakebed in northwestern Nevada. The flat and barren location has been ideal for attempting records in land speed and rocketry. It is also the annual home of the Burning Man Festival. Among its strange looking features is Fly Geyser. Although on private land, the geyser can be viewed from the nearby road.
North of Farafara, Egypt, the White Desert is littered with strange chalk formations, carved over long expanses of time from sandstorms and high winds.
Racetrack Playa is a seasonally dry lake in Death Valley National Park, California. The hot and arid landscape is home to a truly otherworldly phenomenon: the sailing stones. Ranging from small rocks to large boulders, these stones mysteriously move across the landscape, leaving straight, curved, and even zigzagged trails in their wake. Though many reasonable hypotheses have been offered, the action has never been witnessed in person, and there is still no absolute and verified explanation for these odd traveling stones.
Another place i wouldnt mind migrating to is Lauterbrunnen valley in Switzerland. The areas are surrounding the settlements/villages of Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Grutschalp, and Gimmelwald (not to be confused with Grindelwald).
Files indexation process failed
Really not sure HOW i got this little bugger but i used ESET Smart Security to remove it.
Indexation process failure may cause:
•File may become unreadable
•Files and documents can become lost
•Operation System may slow down dramatically
To prevent possible damage to this PC follow the recommendations.
Recommendations:
It’s highly recommended to run file integrity checker now and resolve this issue.
Resolve this issue
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW76gYPiJiboMH_vITqODU3KM6LB1jzv_aZ6D71DOatYSjQx8wcTB7McLcx1HTthDlIo4xopCxyU4L1qwK5nfgDk8opGl51YKTF0FNLuInJOPJEB_YExh907Hs2hJVe45jhHVxKZop4jKq/s1600/1.jpg">
“Files indexation process failed“ is a rogue warning message which is loaded by either illegal System Diagnostic, Windows Diagnostic programs. The trojan based software starts its fake activities as soon as they are installed on your PC. Once active, they imitate computer scans and show fictitious results. Malware have no ability to detect or delete security threats therefore they can’t be trusted. This is a scam and you should ignore all security alerts they displays. Choose reputable anti-spyware tool and terminate System Diagnostic orWindows Diagnostic immediately. Use their removal tutorial and you’ll get rid of fake warning messages too.
Note ESET worked for me, but others i know followed steps on this page below and it worked too, but advise that you guys do your own research and decide what to do.
http://trojan-killer.net/files-indexation-process-failed-deceitful-notice-scare-users/#more-4638
Indexation process failure may cause:
•File may become unreadable
•Files and documents can become lost
•Operation System may slow down dramatically
To prevent possible damage to this PC follow the recommendations.
Recommendations:
It’s highly recommended to run file integrity checker now and resolve this issue.
Resolve this issue
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW76gYPiJiboMH_vITqODU3KM6LB1jzv_aZ6D71DOatYSjQx8wcTB7McLcx1HTthDlIo4xopCxyU4L1qwK5nfgDk8opGl51YKTF0FNLuInJOPJEB_YExh907Hs2hJVe45jhHVxKZop4jKq/s1600/1.jpg">
“Files indexation process failed“ is a rogue warning message which is loaded by either illegal System Diagnostic, Windows Diagnostic programs. The trojan based software starts its fake activities as soon as they are installed on your PC. Once active, they imitate computer scans and show fictitious results. Malware have no ability to detect or delete security threats therefore they can’t be trusted. This is a scam and you should ignore all security alerts they displays. Choose reputable anti-spyware tool and terminate System Diagnostic orWindows Diagnostic immediately. Use their removal tutorial and you’ll get rid of fake warning messages too.
Note ESET worked for me, but others i know followed steps on this page below and it worked too, but advise that you guys do your own research and decide what to do.
http://trojan-killer.net/files-indexation-process-failed-deceitful-notice-scare-users/#more-4638
Virus on smart phones
Mobile phones running on Google's Android operating system are experiencing a "malware epidemic," with the amount of malicious software having risen nearly fivefold since July, according to a post by the security research division of Juniper Networks.
More than half of the smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of the year use Android software, the research firm Gartner said this week. And as the platform grows, so do its malware woes. Cybersecurity firm McAfee reported in August that Android had become the number-one target for malicious software.
October and November are expected to see the fastest growth of malware in the history of the Android operating system, according to the post by Juniper Global Threat Center. This comes after a fourfold increase in Android malware from 2009 to the summer of 2010, the company said. By Juniper's count, that means Android malware has increased a stunning 427% from July 2011 to November 10, 2011.
Juniper said hackers have become more sophisticated in the malware they create for Android, writing malicious code that allows them to take control of the phone, spy on victims and send premium-rate text messages - which can cost $2 to $3 each - from a victim’s phone to the hacker, who collects the money.
Juniper said malware on Android devices has become widespread because Google’s method for policing its mobile app store is less stringent than Apple’s system for keeping malware out of its mobile app store.
"There is still no upfront review process in the official Android Market that offers even the hint of a challenge to malware writers that their investment in coding malware will be for naught," the report said.
Malicious applications in the Android market can be removed after the fact if someone discovers it and reports it, Juniper said.
"But how many unsuspecting people are going to download it before it is identified as malicious and removed?" the post said. "This is precisely what is playing out in the mind of mobile malware developers today."
A recent report by the malware testers at AV-Test.org found that most free Android malware scanners did a poor job of detecting malicious software. "[T]he circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness," read AV-Test's report, according to ZDNET.
more info @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/android-malware-epidemic-infographic_n_1099220.html
Spyware on smart phones
Beware your smartphone
Beware your smart phone
Forget what's in your wallet -- beware your smartphone. It's becoming one of your most dangerous possessions.
If your phone was stolen a few years ago, the thief could make prank calls and read your text messages. Today, that person can destroy your social life -- you said what on Facebook?! -- and wreak havoc on your finances.
Now that smartphones double as wallets and bank accounts -- allowing users to manage their finances, transfer money, make payments, deposit checks and swipe their phones as credit cards -- they are very lucrative scores for thieves. And with 30% of phone subscribers owning iPhones, BlackBerrys and Droids, there are a lot of people at risk.
"It's crazy the amount of information on that phone -- it's like carrying a mini-computer around with you, except that more people know the settings on their computer than they do on their phones at this point," said Nikki Junker, social media coordinator and victim advisor at Identity Theft Resource Center. "People are incredibly at risk as technology improves."
And mobile banking use is expected to soar by nearly 55% next year, according to recent data compiled by TowerGroup, a research firm for the financial services industry.
They found that while 17.8 million consumers used mobile banking last year, 27.4 million are expected to use it this year, and 53.1 million consumers are forecast to adopt it by 2013.
"We're now past the early adopters and starting to hit the early maturity phase," said George Peabody, director of emerging technologies at Mercator Advisory Group. "So much of our screen time is shifting from PCs to smartphones, and the banks want to be there and know they have to be there."
Google to power your mobile wallet?
In addition, the volume of mobile payments -- buying boots via Zappos iPhone app, for example, or paying bills -- is expected to climb to $214 billion by 2015, up from $16 billion in 2010, according to Aite Group, another financial services research firm.
And pay-by-phone is only going to get easier as our devices come embedded with Near Field Communication (NFC) devices that allow you to pay for your morning latte by waving your phone at the cash register.
Companies like Blaze Mobile and Bling Nation already let you pay major retailers by swiping your smartphone thanks to a sticker adhered to the outside of your phone. Meanwhile, an app created by mFoundry brings up an image of your Starbucks prepaid card barcode and lets you scan it in lieu of a credit card.
"A lot of players are now pushing to drive the contactless technology," said Gwenn Bezard, research director at Aite Group specializing in banking and payments. "While you're not going to wake up tomorrow and everyone is going to be using mobile payments, it's going to grow over the next years -- and from a very low base."
Watch your phone! Security attacks on smartphones climbed to an all-time high in 2010, according to AdaptiveMobile, an international mobile security firm. Specifically, attacks on Google's Android smartphones quadrupled, and smartphones running Java-based applications jumped 45%.
"Bad guys are following where the people are going -- and people are going to smartphones," said Peabody. "As smartphone prices continue to decline and even more people get them, that's definitely the new place for bad guys to go."
While storing a password and keeping your phone locked is a good start, it's not going to protect you from professional fraudsters.
"Don't think that having an initial password set on your phone can stop people from getting in there," said Junker. "It's a very low level of protection -- you can even find 30-second videos on how to crack smartphone passwords on YouTube."
If you use mobile banking or make online payments frequently, you should invest in anti-virus protection and check with your bank about any security or identity theft protection features that you can enable.
Most smartphones also offer remote wipe-out services -- like MobileMe for the iPhone -- that automatically erase the information on your phone if you claim it as lost or stolen.
If you bank with your phone by accessing its website rather than opening an app, be extra careful when typing in the address. Some identity thefts create domains with the same address as major banks with two letters switched in hopes a consumer will accidentally land on the site and enter their username and password, said Junker.
And make sure you immediately log out of any bank apps or sites where your financial information is stored as soon as you're finished. While your identity is still at risk if your phone is stolen, this will buy you time to wipe out your information as soon as you realize it's gone.
More than half of the smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of the year use Android software, the research firm Gartner said this week. And as the platform grows, so do its malware woes. Cybersecurity firm McAfee reported in August that Android had become the number-one target for malicious software.
October and November are expected to see the fastest growth of malware in the history of the Android operating system, according to the post by Juniper Global Threat Center. This comes after a fourfold increase in Android malware from 2009 to the summer of 2010, the company said. By Juniper's count, that means Android malware has increased a stunning 427% from July 2011 to November 10, 2011.
Juniper said hackers have become more sophisticated in the malware they create for Android, writing malicious code that allows them to take control of the phone, spy on victims and send premium-rate text messages - which can cost $2 to $3 each - from a victim’s phone to the hacker, who collects the money.
Juniper said malware on Android devices has become widespread because Google’s method for policing its mobile app store is less stringent than Apple’s system for keeping malware out of its mobile app store.
"There is still no upfront review process in the official Android Market that offers even the hint of a challenge to malware writers that their investment in coding malware will be for naught," the report said.
Malicious applications in the Android market can be removed after the fact if someone discovers it and reports it, Juniper said.
"But how many unsuspecting people are going to download it before it is identified as malicious and removed?" the post said. "This is precisely what is playing out in the mind of mobile malware developers today."
A recent report by the malware testers at AV-Test.org found that most free Android malware scanners did a poor job of detecting malicious software. "[T]he circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness," read AV-Test's report, according to ZDNET.
more info @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/android-malware-epidemic-infographic_n_1099220.html
Spyware on smart phones
Beware your smartphone
Beware your smart phone
Forget what's in your wallet -- beware your smartphone. It's becoming one of your most dangerous possessions.
If your phone was stolen a few years ago, the thief could make prank calls and read your text messages. Today, that person can destroy your social life -- you said what on Facebook?! -- and wreak havoc on your finances.
Now that smartphones double as wallets and bank accounts -- allowing users to manage their finances, transfer money, make payments, deposit checks and swipe their phones as credit cards -- they are very lucrative scores for thieves. And with 30% of phone subscribers owning iPhones, BlackBerrys and Droids, there are a lot of people at risk.
"It's crazy the amount of information on that phone -- it's like carrying a mini-computer around with you, except that more people know the settings on their computer than they do on their phones at this point," said Nikki Junker, social media coordinator and victim advisor at Identity Theft Resource Center. "People are incredibly at risk as technology improves."
And mobile banking use is expected to soar by nearly 55% next year, according to recent data compiled by TowerGroup, a research firm for the financial services industry.
They found that while 17.8 million consumers used mobile banking last year, 27.4 million are expected to use it this year, and 53.1 million consumers are forecast to adopt it by 2013.
"We're now past the early adopters and starting to hit the early maturity phase," said George Peabody, director of emerging technologies at Mercator Advisory Group. "So much of our screen time is shifting from PCs to smartphones, and the banks want to be there and know they have to be there."
Google to power your mobile wallet?
In addition, the volume of mobile payments -- buying boots via Zappos iPhone app, for example, or paying bills -- is expected to climb to $214 billion by 2015, up from $16 billion in 2010, according to Aite Group, another financial services research firm.
And pay-by-phone is only going to get easier as our devices come embedded with Near Field Communication (NFC) devices that allow you to pay for your morning latte by waving your phone at the cash register.
Companies like Blaze Mobile and Bling Nation already let you pay major retailers by swiping your smartphone thanks to a sticker adhered to the outside of your phone. Meanwhile, an app created by mFoundry brings up an image of your Starbucks prepaid card barcode and lets you scan it in lieu of a credit card.
"A lot of players are now pushing to drive the contactless technology," said Gwenn Bezard, research director at Aite Group specializing in banking and payments. "While you're not going to wake up tomorrow and everyone is going to be using mobile payments, it's going to grow over the next years -- and from a very low base."
Watch your phone! Security attacks on smartphones climbed to an all-time high in 2010, according to AdaptiveMobile, an international mobile security firm. Specifically, attacks on Google's Android smartphones quadrupled, and smartphones running Java-based applications jumped 45%.
"Bad guys are following where the people are going -- and people are going to smartphones," said Peabody. "As smartphone prices continue to decline and even more people get them, that's definitely the new place for bad guys to go."
While storing a password and keeping your phone locked is a good start, it's not going to protect you from professional fraudsters.
"Don't think that having an initial password set on your phone can stop people from getting in there," said Junker. "It's a very low level of protection -- you can even find 30-second videos on how to crack smartphone passwords on YouTube."
If you use mobile banking or make online payments frequently, you should invest in anti-virus protection and check with your bank about any security or identity theft protection features that you can enable.
Most smartphones also offer remote wipe-out services -- like MobileMe for the iPhone -- that automatically erase the information on your phone if you claim it as lost or stolen.
If you bank with your phone by accessing its website rather than opening an app, be extra careful when typing in the address. Some identity thefts create domains with the same address as major banks with two letters switched in hopes a consumer will accidentally land on the site and enter their username and password, said Junker.
And make sure you immediately log out of any bank apps or sites where your financial information is stored as soon as you're finished. While your identity is still at risk if your phone is stolen, this will buy you time to wipe out your information as soon as you realize it's gone.
Android Phones Seeing 'Malware Epidemic'
Mobile phones running on Google's Android operating system are experiencing a "malware epidemic," with the amount of malicious software having risen nearly fivefold since July, according to a post by the security research division of Juniper Networks.
More than half of the smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of the year use Android software, the research firm Gartner said this week. And as the platform grows, so do its malware woes. Cybersecurity firm McAfee reported in August that Android had become the number-one target for malicious software.
October and November are expected to see the fastest growth of malware in the history of the Android operating system, according to the post by Juniper Global Threat Center. This comes after a fourfold increase in Android malware from 2009 to the summer of 2010, the company said. By Juniper's count, that means Android malware has increased a stunning 427% from July 2011 to November 10, 2011.
Juniper said hackers have become more sophisticated in the malware they create for Android, writing malicious code that allows them to take control of the phone, spy on victims and send premium-rate text messages - which can cost $2 to $3 each - from a victim’s phone to the hacker, who collects the money.
Juniper said malware on Android devices has become widespread because Google’s method for policing its mobile app store is less stringent than Apple’s system for keeping malware out of its mobile app store.
"There is still no upfront review process in the official Android Market that offers even the hint of a challenge to malware writers that their investment in coding malware will be for naught," the report said.
Malicious applications in the Android market can be removed after the fact if someone discovers it and reports it, Juniper said.
"But how many unsuspecting people are going to download it before it is identified as malicious and removed?" the post said. "This is precisely what is playing out in the mind of mobile malware developers today."
A recent report by the malware testers at AV-Test.org found that most free Android malware scanners did a poor job of detecting malicious software. "[T]he circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness," read AV-Test's report, according to ZDNET.
more info @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/android-malware-epidemic-infographic_n_1099220.html
More than half of the smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of the year use Android software, the research firm Gartner said this week. And as the platform grows, so do its malware woes. Cybersecurity firm McAfee reported in August that Android had become the number-one target for malicious software.
October and November are expected to see the fastest growth of malware in the history of the Android operating system, according to the post by Juniper Global Threat Center. This comes after a fourfold increase in Android malware from 2009 to the summer of 2010, the company said. By Juniper's count, that means Android malware has increased a stunning 427% from July 2011 to November 10, 2011.
Juniper said hackers have become more sophisticated in the malware they create for Android, writing malicious code that allows them to take control of the phone, spy on victims and send premium-rate text messages - which can cost $2 to $3 each - from a victim’s phone to the hacker, who collects the money.
Juniper said malware on Android devices has become widespread because Google’s method for policing its mobile app store is less stringent than Apple’s system for keeping malware out of its mobile app store.
"There is still no upfront review process in the official Android Market that offers even the hint of a challenge to malware writers that their investment in coding malware will be for naught," the report said.
Malicious applications in the Android market can be removed after the fact if someone discovers it and reports it, Juniper said.
"But how many unsuspecting people are going to download it before it is identified as malicious and removed?" the post said. "This is precisely what is playing out in the mind of mobile malware developers today."
A recent report by the malware testers at AV-Test.org found that most free Android malware scanners did a poor job of detecting malicious software. "[T]he circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness," read AV-Test's report, according to ZDNET.
more info @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/android-malware-epidemic-infographic_n_1099220.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)