New spyware seeks to blackmail Android and iOS users
Researchers at mobile device security company Lookout have uncovered a new strain of spyware targeting iOS and Android users in multiple Asian countries.
Called Goontact, it targets users lured to illicit sites and steals personal information stored on their mobile devices in order to carry out sextortion scams.
Free app helps consumers understand and reduce their cyber risk
Cybercrime is a major concern and many people worry about the threat of their personal data being stolen, leading to identity theft.
A new free app from cybersecurity and digital business risk quantification specialist Lucideus aims to fundamentally change the way consumers secure and protect their digital lives.
Batterygate: Apple to pay $113 million for throttling iPhone performance
Apple has agreed to pay $113 million as part of a settlement in Washington DC and 33 states over the "batterygate" scandal.
Starting back in 2016, Apple used updates to iOS to throttle the performance of older iPhones in a bid to improve battery life. While the company’s intensions may have been good, the fact that customers were not warned about the reduction in performance did not work in its favor.
Avast Secure Browser lands on iOS/iPadOS for private browsing on Apple devices
Having already enjoyed success on macOS, Android and Windows, the security and privacy focused Avast Secure Browser has made its way to iOS and iPadOS. With security at the forefront, the undoubted headline feature of the browser is the integrated VPN facility.
On top of this, there is ad blocking and tracker blocking, both of which go a long way to improving your online experience and ensuring that your data does not fall into the wrong hands. The ad blocker is customizable, so you can choose to block absolutely everything, or opt to allow less annoying ads to be displayed.
SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync creates local backups while charging
If you are like me, you charge your smartphone every night before bed. While some people still use old-school charging cables, many others -- including yours truly -- use a Qi wireless charger instead. I prefer this more modern option, as I can just drop my phone on the charging pad when I am exhausted -- no need to fiddle with plugging something in like a caveman.
Most Qi wireless chargers are pretty much all the same these days, but now, SanDisk has a new model that offers an incredibly useful feature. Called "Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync," the charging pad contains flash storage that allows the phone to automatically back up files locally while charging. How insanely cool is that?
Google Maps adds new COVID-19 layer so you can track coronavirus trends
Many countries are in the process of rolling out "track and trace" mobile apps to make it easier for people to determine whether they have been in contact with anyone who has contracted coronavirus. Now Google has added a new layer to Google Maps that shows local information about COVID-19.
The optional layer shows a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases for whatever area of the map you are looking at, and Google says that the aim of the new feature is to enable people to "make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do".
New OnMail service gives you greater control over your inbox
Email has become the preferred communication medium for both businesses and individuals. But useful though it is it can be incredibly frustrating as our inboxes are clogged with spam, advertising and other unwanted material.
Step forward Edison Software, the company behind the Edison Mail app, which is launching its new OnMail service in public beta. Designed to help users control their mail, OnMail lets you choose what can enter your inbox, what mail address reflects your identity, and how your mailbox is structured. Anti-tracking technology is built in to stop invasive ad targeting efforts too.
Edison Mail gives iOS users added phishing protection
Phishing is a problem that shows no signs of going away and indeed the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a new raft of malware and fraudulent emails seeking to trick the unwary.
Edison Software is launching a new AI-based email security subscription plan that can be added to the Edison Mail iOS app to help combat the threat.
Microsoft Family Safety app for iOS and Android helps parents monitor their kids
Nowadays, the internet isn't just a part of life -- it is life. While that is a rather cold reality, the fact is, most of us are glued to our devices these days. Sadly, this includes children too. Long gone are the days of boys playing baseball or girls skipping rope outside. Instead, it is all about TikTok, Instagram, and SnapChat. Kids don't want to be professional athletes or rock stars, instead wanting to be a famous YouTuber or Twitch streamer.
And so, parents have their hands full when it comes to monitoring their child's online activity. Back in the day, a family might have one desktop in the home, making it easy to know who is online and when. With tablets and smartphones, however, parents are often in the dark. Well, Microsoft has a new app that will empower parents in their quest to monitor their kids. Called "Microsoft Family Safety," it is available for both Android and iOS.
IBM launches innovative encryption toolkit for MacOS and iOS
Usually files are encrypted while in storage or in transit but are decrypted in order to be used, providing a window of opportunity for hackers to access the information.
The technique of fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) solves this problem by allowing the manipulation of data by permissioned parties while it remains encrypted, therefore minimizing the time it exists in its most vulnerable state.
Slack for iOS unveils a radical new user interface -- once it's been switched on
Business communication tool Slack has just released a major new update to its iOS app for iPhone and iPad. Slack 20.05.10 sees the app get ready for more than a simple facelift, with a complete redesign that brings it into line with improvements unveiled back in March on the desktop.
Be warned though: the user interface is actually a server-side update, which means not all users will immediately feel the benefit of updating -- nevertheless, install the app now and when the new UI is switched on, you’ll be able to use it.
Twitter gives some users the ability to edit tweets... sort of
For years people have been asking -- nay, begging -- Twitter to add the option of editing tweets, and for years the company has resisted. Now, for a handful of iOS users, this is changing.
If you've been holding your breath for an Edit Tweet button, exhale now before you pass out. A proper editing option is not likely to arrive any time soon -- if at all -- but as part of an experiment, Twitter is testing the ability to "revise" tweets.
Microsoft releases Forza Street for free on iOS and Android, but the game is a total clunker
While video games on PCs and consoles can be great, the titles released for smartphones are often quite bad. On-screen controls can be inaccurate and hard to use, leading to a very frustrating experience. Alternatively, developers can "dumb down" their games for mobile with simpler controls, but this often makes them nothing more than time-wasters -- something to do while sitting on the toilet, for instance.
Today, Turn 10 Studios (a Microsoft-owned game studio) releases Forza Street for iOS and Android. The racing game is "free" to play, which is cool, but sadly, it does offer in-game purchases to try and suck some money from your wallet. I installed it on my iPhone, and from what I can tell, the game kind of stinks. In my time "racing" I didn't even get to steer the car! Seriously. Instead, you just hold down a virtual gas pedal. Around turns, you let go of the pedal when the road turns yellow and then hold it down when it turns yellow again. That's pretty much it -- that seems to be the game. Maybe it gets better later, but I won't be finding out. Does the game look good? Absolutely. Is it fun? Heavens, no!
Zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS Mail are being actively exploited to target high-profile users
Security firm ZecOps has published research about security vulnerabilities affecting iPhones and iPads. The critical flaws are yet to patched by Apple and are said to be actively used to target high-profile users such as journalists, employees of Fortune 500 companies and VIPs.
What's particularly worrying about the flaws is that they can be exploited by sending a message that appears to be blank. Opened in iOS Mail, the message can be used to run code and spy on activity without the need for any interaction from the victim. There is a suggestion that a nation-state could be involved.
Spotify now lets you hide songs from other people's playlists
If you've been looking for one more reason to cough up for a Spotify Premium subscription, the ability to hide songs in playlists could be it.
You may well have found a number of near-perfect playlists that other people have created, but there's a reasonable chance that there's at least one song you can't stand. Now, rather than having to skip the track -- or manually recreate the playlist yourself with the offending song removed -- you can simply tell Spotify to hide it.
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