Security

The latest version of Google's Android mobile operating system, Jelly Bean, is much harder to hack than its predecessors, according to research from Duo Security. Google beefed up security for Jelly Bean significantly, said Jon Oberheide, security researcher at Duo. The OS will come with an updated ...

Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S III smartphone will be the company's first device to be officially branded and sold under its new SAFE program. SAFE stands for "Samsung Approved for Enterprise." The Galaxy S III will be available in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S.

Similar to Apple's iOS, Android is apparently vulnerable to apps secretly copying photos. Android developer Ralph Gootee created a test app that masquerades as a simple timer but steals the most recent image on the user's smartphone and posts it on a public photo-sharing site. Critics said the devel...

As Android continues its breathtaking rate of growth, malware directed at the platform is keeping pace. Studies from McAfee and other antivirus software providers warn that Android is a breeding ground for malicious software. Google has come under fire as a result, with security experts pointing to ...

The proliferation of smartphones has created headaches for security-minded IT departments everywhere, but a Motorola subsidiary aims to give system administrators more peace of mind with a solution for managing Android phones in business environments. Three Laws Mobility, purchased by Motorola eight...

Linux users are blessed with a collection of file encryption tools. But chances are, whatever application you use for that task lacks the efficiency, speed and functionality of TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt does what any file encryption application is supposed to: It locks down access to your data so no one ...

If you use Linux instead of Microsoft Windows, its free availability may well be a deciding factor. But the fact that virus and malware contamination are less likely to take down your Linux computers is no doubt an essential influencing factor as well. But does using a more popular Linux distro like...

Google has begun rolling out a patch to fix a security flaw in versions 2.3.3 and earlier of its Android mobile operating system. That flaw affects all Google services using the ClientLogin authentication protocol. It lets hackers access any personal data available through Android's application prog...

Mobile malware may grow as a security threat this year, but security researcher Ralf-Philipp Weinmann says there's a worse threat lurking around -- the GSM baseband system. The threat from hacking GSM baseband systems has been largely ignored, Weinmann reportedly told the audience at a presentation ...

Have you run a virus scan lately? Nope? Don't need to, you say. That's because you run a Linux OS. Think again. To quote the title line of Bob Dylan's third studio album, "the times they are a-changin.'" Yes they are. And part of that change is the greater risk of malware attacks to the Linux operat...

Android smartphone users in Russia have been hit by a Trojan that, once installed, starts spouting off SMS text messages to premium numbers, Kaspersky Labs revealed on Tuesday. The attack is sent through a fake codec -- a media player application -- that users are asked to download and install. Once...

Google announced Thursday that it has remotely deleted two Android applications from users' phones, reasoning that the "practically useless" apps had "intentionally misrepresented their purpose." The Internet search giant pointed to this action as one of many security controls Android posses to prot...

Roughly one out of five Android mobile apps asks to access private or sensitive information belonging to the device's owner, according to a study by SMobile Systems. One out of 20 apps can place a call to any number without interacting with or getting permission from the device owner, the report als...

It's hard to imagine a topic more central to the argument for or against free and open source software than security. Hardly a day goes by without news of some fresh exploit in the Windows environment, after all -- but what about Linux and other open software? Can they do better? That's essentially ...

The question of security is one that has plagued proponents of proprietary and open source software alike for as long as there has been a choice. Is free and open source software more secure by virtue of all the many pairs of eyes that can see the code, identify vulnerabilities and fix them? Or is "...