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Apple's new iOS 7, pre-loaded on the new iPhone 5s and 5c, is also available for download to older devices. It is said to include more than 200 new features – here we look at some of the security aspects and issues.

With the threat already in ads, are mobile users left vulnerable to attacks?

Though developers need to be very careful installing ad networks in their apps, users can still protect themselves by

===> making sure that the Android system setting ‘Unknown sources’ is unchecked to prevent dropped or drive-by-download app installs and installing security apps like Lookout to as their first line of defense against malware. <===

Summer 2013 App Reputation Report to examine the hidden behaviors behind free and paid mobile apps

The cloud-based, fully automated Appthority App Risk Management Service performed static, dynamic and behavioral app analysis on the 400 most popular free and paid apps on the iOS and Android platforms.

Appthority analyzed each app for particular behaviors within a test environment

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Highlights from the App Reputation Report are:

- Overall, 83% of the most popular apps are associated with security risks and privacy issues.

- iOS apps exhibited more risky behaviors than Android apps. 91% of iOS apps exhibit at least one risky behavior, as compared to 80% of Android apps.

- 95% of the top free apps and 77.5% of the top paid apps exhibited at least one risky behavior.

- 78% of the most popular free Android apps identify the user's ID (UDID).

- Even though Apple prohibits its developers from accessing the UDID, 5.5% of the tested iOS apps still do.

- 72% of the top free apps track for the user's location, compared to 41% of paid apps.

- Although paid apps already generate revenue when downloaded, 59% of paid iOS and 24% of paid Android apps still support in-app purchasing.

- Furthermore, 39% of paid iOS and 16% of paid Android apps still share data with ad networks.

The new Norton Mobile Security with antivirus protects your Android phones and tablets from theft, loss, malware and viruses.


Remotely...

We’re constantly working on updates to our mobile apps to make your WordPress.com experience on the go the best it can be. Today, we've jubilantly released version 2.3 of WordPress for Android to G...

There are some surprising numbers available that tell a dark story about mobile apps and what they can be doing on your device.

By now you've read about malicious apps that leak privacy data, but do you realize how serious it really is? If not, you'd better pay attention to the following statistics gathered by Symantec*. And if you think that Google Play is 100% safe, it isn't. I have some data that yields some shocking results about the number of malicious apps waiting to grab your data.

===> Unfortunately, the playing surface for Internet naughtiness has changed in the past couple of years and you need to know that it's only getting worse. <===

Two Dutch researchers successfully hacked a patched iPhone 4S, exploit a vulnerability also likely present in the new iPhone 5 due to be released tomorrow.

Joost Pol and Daan Keuper won the mobile Pwn2Own contest yesterday at EUSecWest event in Amsterdam by compromising a fully patched iPhone 4S device and stealing contacts, browsing history, photos and videos from the phone.

The pair was able to build an exploit for a vulnerability in WebKit to beat Apple's code-signing features and the MobileSafari sandbox. The same bug is present in the iOS6 Golden Master development code base, meaning iPhone 5 is vulnerable to the same exploit. Apple iPads and iPod Touch devices are also vulnerable, Pol and Keuper said, adding that it took them three weeks find the flaw and write an exploit.

Read more, a MUST:

http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/iphone-4s-falls-hacker-contest-new-iphone-5-vulnerable-same-exploit-092012

To stay safe from malicious apps, users should research apps and their publishers thoroughly and check the ratings before installing. They should also purchase their apps from a well-known reputable app store market, watch for permissions (stay away from installing apps that don’t look right) and install antivirus software on their phone.

McAfee announced enhancements to its McAfee Mobile Security software, providing Android smartphone and tablet owners with additional privacy features that help them ensure apps are not ===> accessing their personal information without their knowledge <===

Read more:

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=13470&amp;amp;amp;utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;amp;amp;utm_medium=twitter

Mobile Threat Monday: Android App Uploads Your WhatsApp Conversations Online

Hackers have come up with an ingenious way to bypass the Microsoft's AutoRun protection measures present on Windows 7 and Windows 8 by making the flash drive pretend it's a keyboard.

===> Think you're safe because you use OS X or Linux? Think again! There are devices being marketed that claim to be able to get infiltrate these operating systems too. <===

A discovery about Facebook's official Android app once again puts into question if the social network's developers truly *get* security and privacy.

As Symantec describe on its blog, when its developers tested its new Norton Mobile Security product against some of the world’s most popular Android apps, they were disturbed to see a warning message claiming that the Facebook Android app leaks personal information without the device owner’s knowledge:

By now, most everyone has heard the story: on April 23rd, the AP’s twitter account was “hacked.” The tweet, which was a fairly obviously fake, still managed to send Wall Street into a panic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 145 points in 2 minutes.

So why is this important? It highlights the reality of the threat landscape.

The point of the story is that mobile security isn’t just about protecting you from viruses. Threats don’t only come in the form of malicious applications that one inadvertently “sideloads” onto his or her device. Mobile security is also about making sure your data is protected.

It doesn’t matter whether the economic climate is good or bad, there is always a market for fraud. The marketplace for carding is growing and will continue to grow. And as the engineers behind these types of attacks get smarter and smarter, we can only expect to see them more and more often.

Security firm Cenzic said it found serious mobile application vulnerabilities, such as dangerous Web service errors, in an analysis of the mobile apps it reviewed in 2012.

An analysis of the thousands of applications reviewed by Web application security firm Cenzic found serious lapses in judgment resulting in gaping holes that could be used by an attacker to siphon off sensitive data from smartphone and tablet owners.

The 'bring your own device' phenomenon is reshaping the way IT is purchased, managed, delivered, and secured. This ebook rounds up our best BYOD content and puts it all into a convenient PDF.

Encrypted storage, malware scanners, missing-phone-finders and more: Here are 20 apps to help protect your smartphone, your privacy and your data.

Read more, a MUST:

http://www.csoonline.com/slideshow/detail/66493/20-security-and-privacy-apps-for-Androids-and-iPhones-