Category Archives: cellphones

Researchers found another way to hack Android cellphones via Bluetooth

Posted on by

Attackers looking to steal sensitive information like contacts, call history, and SMS verification codes from Android devices only need to target Bluetooth protocols, according to new DBAPPSecurity research presented at the 2020 Black Hat conference Wednesday. These exploits, one of which takes advantage of a zero-day vulnerability, could also allow hackers to send fake text messages if manipulated properly, researchers found. It works by allowing attackers to disguise themselves as a trusted application, requesting permissions that allow one Bluetooth-enabled device to share data with another device, such as a headset or car’s “infotainment” system. For the attack to run successfully, Bluetooth must be enabled on the target device and victims must approve the attackers’ request for privileges. In the end, this action gives attackers access to data on the victim’s device, according to the California-based company. The other attack allows researchers to take advantage of an authentication bypass vulnerability, dubbed “BlueRepli.” Would-be attackers […]

The post Researchers found another way to hack Android cellphones via Bluetooth appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Researchers found another way to hack Android cellphones via Bluetooth→

There’s a new open-source project to detect cellphone-snooping technology

Posted on by

In October 2016, during popular protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, a technologist named Cooper Quintin took a red-eye flight from San Francisco to North Dakota and made his way to the Standing Rock Reservation. There had been reports of police surveillance of the protesters, and Quintin suspected that involved a device known as an IMSI catcher or cell-site simulator. The technology, sometimes referred to as a Stingray, spoofs a cellular tower, tricking your phone into revealing its location. From there, data-stealing attacks on the phone are possible. Police and spies use the gear for surveillance. At Standing Rock, Quintin took out his software-defined radio, scanning for abnormal signals, and opened up an Android app known for spotting IMSI catchers. He didn’t get any hits. “I had no idea what I was doing,” said Quintin, a security researcher at the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation. He was using technology designed for […]

The post There’s a new open-source project to detect cellphone-snooping technology appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading There’s a new open-source project to detect cellphone-snooping technology→

Here’s the NSA’s advice for reducing the exposure of cellphone location data

Posted on by

Take it from the experts: There is no way to fully eliminate the risk that a mobile device is exposing location data to somebody trying to track it, but there are ways to limit what leaks and why. That’s the main theme from guidance issued Tuesday by the U.S. National Security Agency, which directed its advice to Department of Defense personnel and other national security programs but published the document publicly. The guidance explains the different kinds of location information that can be used to locate mobile devices and their users, provides an analysis of misconceptions about location data, and recommends way to help users protect themselves. The NSA warns, for instance, that in addition to mobile devices storing location data in their own mobile device logs, cellular networks receive real-time coordinates for cellphones every time they connect to the network. That communication with the network also can make location information vulnerable. “This means a provider can […]

The post Here’s the NSA’s advice for reducing the exposure of cellphone location data appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Here’s the NSA’s advice for reducing the exposure of cellphone location data→

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Will Be Available By Dialing ‘988’ In 2022

Posted on by

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will be available for people in suicidal crisis under a new easier-to-remember phone number in two years. The Verge reports: On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to finalize 988 a… Continue reading The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Will Be Available By Dialing ‘988’ In 2022→