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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
Protecting Yourself Against the Latest Android Vulnerabilty
Quite possibly the worst vulnerability to ever be discovered in the Android ecosystem was recently announced.  Known as Stagefright, the vulnerability was found in a key component responsible for media playback on Android devices.  The vulnerability allows an attacker to compromise an Android devices simply by sending the device an MMS message or tricking a user into opening a malicious video file via a vulnerable application that uses the Stagefright component. In an estimated 50% of the affected devices, the victim does not even have to open the MMS or the video for the device to be compromised.
Once the device is compromised, the attacker can then execute custom code on the device and possibly access all the device's contents including photos, contacts, documents, and take pictures using the camera or turn on the mic and eavesdrop on the victim. The attacker can then access the device at any time.  The attacker can also then use the device to access the contact list and forward the malicious video file using MMS (or any other means) to the contact list, thus propagating the attack exponentially, leveraging your contacts' trust to further his attack.
The severity of the attack will depend on the Android version the device is running (as older versions ran the media library as an elevated user).
What can you do to protect yourself?
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself:
  • Disable auto-downloading of MMS (instructions on how to do so can be found here: https://www.twilio.com/blog/2015/07/how-to-protect-your-android-device-from-stagefright-exploit.html)
  • Practice “safe” internet, email and IM techniques (don’t open links or IM messages from unknown sources or contacts) as malicious videos that exploit this vulnerability.  Don’t open strange files from known contacts as well.
  • Be on the lookout for updates to the applications you have install and regularly install these updates.  Unfortunately, although this is rarely mentioned, this might be one of the most useful ways to protect yourself as application developers are releasing patches to protect against Stagefright.  For example, Firefox released version 38 of it’s browser to address this vulnerability.  You can switch to using Firefox as your primary browser until it receives a patch to protect against this vulnerabilty.
  • Install OS updates as soon as they are made available.  This is the ideal solution but unfortunately, due to the fragmentation the Android ecosystem and slow response time by many vendors, this may be months away and some devices may never get this update.
Technical Details
For those interested, TrendMicro recently released details on the exact name of the vulnerability.  The vulnerability lies in how the mediaserver component of Stagefright parses malformed MP4 files.  More details can be found here:(http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/mms-not-the-only-attack-vector-for-stagefright/).  Combined with the recent public release of the source code of RCSAndroid (Hacking Team’s Remote Access Trojan), the combination of the two can be exceptionally damaging to Android users.
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
Cell C Mobile App Launch (Andriod)
Cell C is proud to announce the launch of the Cell C Mobile App on 18 December 2015. The Mobile App enables customers with a self-service application to access their account balances, view details such as upgrade date and nearest Cell C store, view Cell C coverage maps and details on all products and services at the convenience of their handset. Thewidget, located on the home screen of the handset, will display a summary of airtime / minutes / data / SMS balances. To ensure the latest balances are displayed; the customer must refresh the App.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
The Mobile App service is offered for the convenience of Postpaid, Prepaid and Top Up customers. However, the Mobile App is initially only available for customers on Android devices. Customers will be able to access the App via the Google Play Store (search for the Cell C Mobile App).
*Access to the new Cell C App is password protected; you have to sign in using your mobile number

The following services will be available on the Cell C Mobile App:Widget (this will appear on your home screen)
  • User Profile
  • Check Balances
  • Next Upgrade Date
  • Store Locator
  • FAQ’s
  • Send free on-net SMS (limited to 5 a day)
  • Send Please Call Me’s (limited to 5 a day)
  • Recharge history (Prepaid)
  • Amount due (Postpaid and Top Up)
  • Send invoice to registered email address

What does it cost to use the App?
  • Downloading the App from the Play Store will incur normal data charges
  • There is no cost for using the App. In-App usage will be zero rated
  • Any external links will be billed at the customer’s standard tariff plan rates
What will customers be able to do on their profile?
  • Customers will be able to view basic details such as name, address and email.
  • View their balances
  • Check their usage by service
  • View the Cell C store locator
  • Request for their invoices to be sent to their email.
Will the App still work if a different SIM is inserted?
You can only view details of the linked mobile number. The balances of the linked mobile number are automatically populated upon successfully signing on, and are updated on the widget.
If you sign in with a mobile number that is different from the previous sign in or you sign in for the first time, you will be asked to update the widget with the details of the new mobile number. If the new linked mobile number is blocked or not registered on the portal or Mobile App, the details will not be populated. You will receive a One Time Pin when you register for access to the application. You will also receive an SMS confirmation every time you log in to the App.
How will the Widget work?
A Widget, located on the phone home screen, will be linked to the app. The Widget will provide quick balance information. A date and time stamp will indicate when the balances were last updated. You can refresh balances by tapping the Refresh button.
The Mobile App will offer customers the option to view their most recent statements and the option to purchase airtime or bundles in a future feature update. The Mobile App will improve efficiencies through self-service and offers customers convenience and a high quality service. Customers will be prompted to update to the latest version of the software when updates are made to enhance the features of the application.
Where any support is required on the application, Customer Care can be contacted on 140 or 084 140 (if not a Cell C number).
Thank you for your continued support and loyalty
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
Why I love Samsung Pay and how I gave up my rooted phone
For those of you that know me, it is well known that I worship at the temple of Torvalds and Stallman. Linux gave us a kernel and GNU gave us the rest. And by us, I mean humanity. We got the source code, and it allowed us to have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Running Linux on my desktop and laptop was great, but I didn't really feel free until my phone ran Android.
This is because, as much as I love and respect the lovely iPhone, I found myself needing to jailbreak it to get features and software that were important to me for my daily use. I used Android in the early days, first on a Galaxy S3, then a series of HTC's, before ending up with the second best phone I've ever used, the Galaxy S6 Edge. In those early days, I struggled with underperforming hardware and buggy software, but most of the phones had unlocked bootloaders with root access that let me tinker with the device that I spent most of my day using, allowing me to have the features and capabilities that were important to me. As the quality of hardware and apps improved, I found myself rooting my phone only to block ads using AdAway.
Then, I discovered something called KNOX on my Samung phone. KNOX brings increased security to Android phones, but it has a hardware feature that trips when you root your phone or try and install certain programs that could breach the underlying security features of the platform. Once the KNOX counter has tripped, you can no longer use the phone for certain secure functions. I was initially outraged, until I visited Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara for a bit of Christmas shopping. I walked by a Samsung booth offering a $50 Best Buy card for installing Samsung Pay on my phone.
Well, my son has Apple Pay on his phone and his watch, and I wasn't convinced of its utility given the limited number of places he could use it. Wait up, said the nice man, Samsung Pay works at any magnetic stripe reader. I decided to take a closer look, and sure enough, I discovered MST technology, originally developed by a Massachusetts based start up called LoopPay. Any mag stripe reader I asked ? Well, almost any, except for certain places
like gas pumps and ATM's where you card has to be inserted into a
slot.
Well, that sounded way to cool to resist, but really why should I
care ? Well, the real reason why I've started caring is that I'm tired
of fraud on my credit and debit card accounts.
Endless number changes and fraudulent charges on my accounts. The banks are asserting that the latest EMV cards will help with that. But these cards have been around in Europe for a long time and while they have reduced simple card cloning fraud, they haven't eliminated fraud.
And to make matters worse, my credit cards issued by Chase and Citi are Chip and Signature, not Chip and PIN. Signature ? Really ? The only real benefit to having an EMV card, it seemed to me, is that I could use it at automated machines in Europe to buy railway tickets and pay for parking at unattended meters and not have grocery checkout staff look at me weirdly when I tried to buy bacon and eggs at the local supermarket in Wales with a swipe card. Now, I felt normal again with an EMV card, but I was never asked for a PIN. How in the world could this be secure ?
Which brings us back to Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. These systems are designed to offer a much higher level of security by never revealing your card number to the merchant and transmitting it securely to the banks for approval. There are a lot more details that I won't go into here, but Apple Pay and Android Pay have limited utility because they need new NFC enabled terminals. They won't work with the older terminals. But Samsung Pay says it will work with almost any mag stripe reader so if it worked, I could always be paying securely.
But of course, my rooting adventure had tripped KNOX, so I was unable to install the Samsung Pay app on my phone. So off I went to the ATT store and ordered a Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (since I had size envy after playing with my wife's very slick iPhone 6S Plus). This is now the best phone I've ever used with the most incredible camera. The 64GB model was not in stock so I waited a few days and eagerly unboxed it the day after Christmas. I installed the app but it wouldn't run, complaining that my system software was not up to date, yet the update check told me that I was.
A quick call to Samsung Pay support redirected me to the nearest Best Buy. There, I discovered a dedicated Samsung staff member who took my phone, updated it to the latest software (apparently the ATT OverTheAir updates have a recent glitch preventing
the latest software from running), installed the Samsung Pay app, and processed my $50 gift card. Hmm, nice, I thought, that was better than visiting the Genius Bar at the Apple Store in Los Gatos because there was no line and I didn't have to make an appointment.
The first place I tried Samsung Pay was at my mechanic. He had an old credit card swipe terminal. My bill was rather large for reasons that I shan't reveal here. I selected my Citi card and touched my
phone. Declined ! A few seconds later, a text message from Citi asked me to call them. Bah humbug. I selected my Chase card. Declined. But this time the text message from Chase offered me a reply "YES" option to validate this a valid transaction. Touched my phone to the terminal and my receipt printed. Roberto looked at me bemusedly and professed that he had never seen such magic before. To cut a long story short, it worked everywhere. Except at Fry's Electronics where i just got a loud beep and an error ! I went to see Hateful Eight in downtown Santa Cruz, and touched my phone to the mag stripe reader at the car park exit and the barrier opened with an Approved message. My middle son squealed with joy...Mom, do you think I can sell my new Apple Watch and iPhone on Craigslist ? I want a Samsung like Dad. That did not go down very well with Mom. Things got quite heated.
Anyway, what about getting rid of ads ? Well, there is a new
capability called AdGuard. Adguard for Android is a remarkable web filter that protects you from annoying advertising, malicious and phishing websites, online tracking and much more. Adguard handles all types of internet ads, speeds up page load, saves bandwidth and increases your device protection against possible threats. I gave them $10 for the premium version, it just works.
And it doesn't require root. So perhaps my days of outrage are over.....
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Why Do We Pay a Dollar for Fast Food but Not for Mobile Apps?

Why Do We Pay a Dollar for Fast Food but Not for Mobile Apps?


I recently saw an advertisement for a fast food chain's Dollar Menu, and it got me thinking of the difference in consumer habits when paying a dollar for fast food versus paying that same dollar to download a mobile app. Why is it that charging $1 for food has been such a successful driver for fast food's growth and revenues, but charging any amount upfront for a mobile app often results in far fewer downloads--even if the app works incredibly well and has proven immediate and residual value?

I’ll acknowledge this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, as food and mobile apps are quite different in terms of need and availability. I need food to survive, yet I don’t always have a wealth of options available; and those options are dictated by how much I can pay for food, how many friends or family members might also need to eat, and how physically far away I am from other possible food sources. However, mobile apps are not essential to my survival (even if using them might make my life much easier), and as far as options, there are over 3 million Apple and Android apps available for me to download to my phone or tablet from almost anywhere, at any time.

The availability of options is the key to understanding why we approach the upfront cost of each product so differently. Fast food might not be our preferred option for abating hunger, but with most of us packing more obligations every day into an already busy schedule, we may have no choice but to consume it on occasion because it’s more convenient, quicker, cheaper, and/or it prevents disruption to our routine. And plenty of us choose it.

Unlike fast food, there are a wealth of free and good-enough alternatives to just about any mobile app for any device, and the need for a mobile app is almost never immediate, so we rarely feel pressured to make a purchase/download decision that costs us money. Most of us also do quick research on an app before downloading, via published reviews online or in the app stores, and this user-generated feedback can heavily influence our decision to download the app regardless of the price.

For mobile app users, the upside to this consumer behavior is that app developers must constantly differentiate themselves from competitors by routinely improving the quality of our apps and offering newer and better functionality with each update. It's also led to some creative ways for developers to monetize apps, from the "freemium" model to in-app purchases popularized mostly by gaming apps.

The short-term downside for app developers is the uphill struggle for non-gaming apps to produce even the smallest amount of revenue that would enable development firms to grow, build, and release more and better apps. Whether it’s fast food or mobile apps, or almost anything, we’re more likely to go with a cheaper option after considering our immediate need for the product against its cost versus adequate, available alternatives.

But in my opinion, these behaviors will change within the next few years, whether it's food or mobile apps. For one, established quick-service restaurants are getting more food-conscious; and as indicated by the rapid growth of the wearables market, vastly improved smartphone technology, and the Internet of Things, consumers rely more on mobile apps with each passing day. Eventually, smarter spending will favor the companies providing more tangible and altruistic value to our lives, allowing the best products to earn more tangible success and longevity than their cheaper competitors that market products based on price alone.

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Ankur Gopal is an entrepreneur and CEO of Interapt, a high-tech B2B mobile development and mobile strategy firm that builds cutting-edge solutions for smartphones, tablets, Google Glass and wearables. Before Interapt, he studied at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and worked at Accenture doing strategy and IT consulting for multiple Fortune 500 clients.

Follow Ankur on Twitter at @AnkG!

Ankur Gopal
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
Stealing Fingerprints from HTC Phones

Stealing Fingerprints from HTC Phones

Biometrics are generally thought to be very secure, which is why many phones now let you use your fingerprints to authorize things from unlocking phones to making purchases.   Researchers have found, however, that it's pretty easy to get that information from the HTC One Max.

The problem is that the HTC One Max stores fingerprint images as a bitmap: dbgraw.bmp, in a folder with completely open "world readable" permissions.  This means any app or process is able to see the fingerprint file.  One way a hacker could use this is to create a fake lock screen that the user will open using their fingerprint.  Instead of unlocking the phone though, it would really be a way to make them unwittingly authorize a transfer of money.

A thief could also use this vulnerability to hack a phone and upload their fingerprint as the authorized fingerprint, although that's a much less likely scenario, given that they would have to have physical access to the phone, which carries a greater risk than remote hacking.

The best thing to do to avoid this is to make sure you apply updates to your phone as soon as possible, as they will surely want to rectify this security hazard as soon as they can.  You could also switch to a customer operating system like CynaogenMod.
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
Who said hacking and malware/viruses was just for Windows?
Over the years people have advised me that they have bought an Apple MAC, iPhone, Android device (Samsung, HTC, etc) because "they're not prone to viruses like Windows" or techs that liked Linux said "just install Linux and then you don't have to worry about viruses"

The reality is anything that is big enough will be subject to hacking, virus, and malware attempts and efforts. As Apple, Linux, and Android devices grow in their market penetration so does the risk of malware infection.


Here is an extract: 


"Recently, a rather disturbing flaw has been discovered in the Android platform. Joshua Drak, from Zimperium zLabs, reported some serious flaws in the Android platform back in April, 2015. Simply by knowing a user's phone number, someone could send a text to that number and break into the device. The end user doesn't need to open a file, click on a link, or install a third-party piece of software. They only need receive a text." 

Whatever device and operating system you are using, you must not be complacent or careless. Always use a package to protect your device and be vigilant (i.e. don't just go click on anyway) as malware is regularly pushing the boundaries of what commercial protection packages cover.
Guy Rowson
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I attended a webinar this morning, thanks #IBM #MaaS360 for doing it!, to learn about Android M - I was too busy last week to check into Google IO.

You will find lots of review on the Internet, so I am not going to take my cut on this. But I want to highlight a feature called "Enterprise Contacts Integration". I think it is the next step towards the right solution in a world where the end user owns the end point (usually called BYOD, although I think that whoever owns the device, the end user wants both personal and work experience on it - this is another story).

I praised Google when Android for Work was launched! Finally a native container solution at the OS level that allows a third party to control that container, but not the whole device, so that privacy is protected. I highlighted two issues. 1) there is only one 3rd party container ("work"), why restrict to one? 2) although separation of personal and enterprise solves the data leakage risks issue from an enterprise standpoint, it is far from ideal from a user experience, for Apps such as calendar of contacts. Ideally, I want a single unified view that displays all containers data (yet keep them managed separately, isolated and/or subject to different policies). I do not want to have a personal calendar view and a work calendar view separated. I want the data to be separated, but the view to be unique. I draw a small picture on that a little while ago, see below.



From what I understand, this is what Android M solves for Contacts. And this is cool! Next step is the proper SDK for developers to build Apps that provide single view of data from separate containers.

Let me know what think!
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.
HTC One M8s Low Price Version As Compare Last Year M8

HTC One M8s Low Price Version As Compare Last Year M8


 It is not extremely that uncommon for firms to re-launch their aging flagships once more and HTC is that the latest company to imitate. The result's the new HTC One M8s which is sort of fully an equivalent phone as last year, bar the UltraPixel camera and internals.

The show is ready at an equivalent 5” with 1080p resolution. That’s still not too shabby in any respect and still results in 441ppi. the look is that the same outstanding brushed aluminum, accessible in 3 colors.



Underneath, you get the new Qualcomm snapdragon 615 processor with eight cores – Cortex-A53 with half running at the next speed than traditional. Then there’s 2 GB value RAM and 16 or 32 GB internal storage, expandable by up to 128 GB.

At the rear lies a thirteen megapixel camera with 1080p video. There’s still a depth sensing element however the UltraPixel camera is finally gone permanently. The front additionally boasts a five mp camera. The BoomSound speakers ar still here, and property choices set at 4G, NFC, Bluetooth and IR working person. Battery capability is ready at two,840 mAh non-expandable. The phone runs on humanoid Lollipop with HTC Sense half dozen, instead of version seven.

The valuation of the phone is ready at 380 pounds ($565), nearly an equivalent as last year. With the announcement of this phone, HTC currently has 3 top-end phones that look an equivalent, however we’re not querulous.

HTC M8s Specifications:


Chipset: Qualcomm flower 615
OS: android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense 6
Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G
Design: Brushed aluminum, accessible in gray, Silver and Gold
Display: 5” with 1080p Full HD resolution (441 ppi)
Corning gorilla Glass three
Memory:
RAM: 2 GB
Internal: 16/32 GB
Card slot: yes, up to 128 GB
Camera:
Primary: 13 megapixel with Full HD video at 60 Federal Protective Service
Secondary: 5 mp Full HD
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR Blaster
Battery: 2,840 mAh
Price: 380 pounds ($565)
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iTech Dunya is a technology blog that specializes in tech-related topics.Our GOAL is to produce high-quality content for our millions of readers.

A Brief Summary of Strange Smartphones in the Previous 2 Years

In the early times of 21 century, the revolution of smartphone just sounds the bugle. At that time many a phone vendor continuously try various new designing and thus plenty of classical peculiar smartphones models gave birth. This situation actually results from there isn’t any unified designing standard at that time. Another reason is that the size is too small. However nowadays smartphones of market are similar in the appearance. Large screen phones can be seen everywhere and there isn’t any new ideas in designing. Though most of phone designing is the same in essentials while differing in minor points, there still appear some peculiar new products.
So let’s we make a brief summary of these fantasy phones designing.

Samsung Galaxy Round 2013

This kind of Samsung phone was released in October of 2013, which is the first smartphone equipped with curved surface screen (1920х1080p). The Galaxy Round is based on Galaxy Note 3. We could see the screen of it is concave and the edge of both side is warped. And the configuration keeps the same with the Galaxy Note 3, including Qualcomm snapdragon, 3GB running memory, 16 megapixels, and man-made leather phone battery cover and so on. Nevertheless the Galaxy Round is not produced in a large scale. So this kind of Samsung phones is not common in markets.

LG G Flex

After the launch of Galaxy Round, LG also released its first curved surface phone—G Flex. Different from Galaxy Round, G Flex has flexure in the top and the bottom, which provide consumers another different experience. Besides, G Flex also owns automatically repairing scratches coating and flexing phone body. And users can smooth the phone by force. After leaving hold of it, the phone can restore automatically. This kind of phone has large size and is equipped 6 in. screen with 1280х720 pixels, Qualcomm snapdragon, 2 GB running memory, 13 megapixels and 3500 Mah capacity battery.

BlackBerry Passport

BlackBerry Passport is exposed in the early times of 2014, but it is launched in last September. BlackBerry Passport has a square figuring and it has an extra touching screen and equipped with a QWERTY type cover. As for configuration, it has a 4.5 in. screen with 1440х1440 pixel and three rows of QWERTY which can be used as touchpad.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4 are launched at the same time of last September. It is also the second kind of Samsung smartphone equipped with curved surface screen. But different from Galaxy Round, Galaxy Note Edge has flexure in right edge of the phone and the right sidebar which can be used as application shortcut bar to display content of notice. Besides, the configuration of Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4 is totally same.

LG AKA

LG AKA is a kind of common middle smartphone with android system. But it is peculiar and personal in designing. It can be automatically changeable in screen expression with different colorful phone case according to the internal chip. For example, when you remove a pink housing and fill with a black one, it will start change its expression.
When we remove the phone cover, its eyes will look down; it will turn its eyes if you shake your phone; when the power is not enough, it will drop its eyelid to show its tiredness, once charging its eyes will sparkle.

LG G Flex 2

This is the successor of LG G Flex, which maintain the feature of curved surface screen and self-healing back cover. At the same time, the configuration has improved a lot, including 5.5 in. screen with 1080 pixel, Snapdragon 810, 3 GB running memory and so on.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

It is obvious that Galaxy S6 Edge is a hot recently. It is equipped with dual curved surface screen. Similar with Galaxy Note Edge, it just has a different flexure. And it is also equipped with the most advanced configuration as the Galaxy S6, including 5.1 in. screen with 2000 pixel, eight-core Exynos 7420 processor, 3 GB running memory and different versions with 32 GB\64 GB\128 GB. At present Galaxy S6 Edge is not launched and predictably the date of shipment will be set at April 10th.
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