Latest coverage for Mobile

Litigation Initiated by the US FTC Leads to Settlement Restricting Data BrokerThe Federal Trade Commission has banned an Idaho-based data broker from selling sensitive location data gathered from "hundreds of millions" of individuals' mobile devices without their knowledge or consent. The proposed order ends several years of legal sparring between Kochava and the FTC.

Properly Configured Mobile Development Management Tools Can't Wipe Personal DataMobile device management software is having a moment of notoriety after Iran-aligned hacking group Handala used Microsoft Intune to wipe the mobile devices of employees at medical device manufacture Stryker. Tens of thousands of personal devices were likely affected.

Researchers Say PromptSpy Automates Persistence on Infected DevicesA newly discovered Android malware strain, "PromptSpy," is using Google's Gemini generative artificial intelligence model to automate part of its persistence mechanism, marking what researchers describe as the second known case of AI-driven mobile malware.

Ivanti's Endpoint Manager Mobile Flaws Under Active ExploitationThe European Commission fell victim to a cyberattack that could have allowed the theft of some staff personal information. The European Union's executive body said Friday it detected on Jan. 30 an attack on its "central infrastructure managing mobile devices."

Cause Unknown But Many Previous Outages Due to Software MisconfigurationVerizon customers along the Eastern Seaboard and Southern parts of the United States lost mobile phone connectivity Wednesday in an incident that appears to have peaked around 1 p.m.

Class Action Litigation Alleges Web Trackers Shared Patient Data With Tech FirmsKaiser Permanente has agreed to pay up to $47.5 million to settle litigation stemming from its use of tracking codes in its websites, patient portals and mobile apps. Claimants alleged the trackers unlawfully shared patients' information with third parties, including Google and Microsoft.

MuddyWater Hides Malware With Game Delay TechniqueIranian nation-state hackers took inspiration from a mobile phone time-killing mainstay, say security researchers who spotted hackers downloading malware masquerading as the Snake video game. A callback to the game isn't nostalgia, say researchers at Eset.

Keyless's Biometric Tech to Improve Privacy, Account Recovery and User ExperiencePing Identity will acquire Keyless to expand passwordless authentication to frontline workers who lack access to smartphones. The deal gives Ping deepfake-resistant, privacy-first biometrics that don't store user templates on servers, easing identity verification and account recovery.

Operation SIMCARTEL: Cops Seize 1,200 SIM-Box Devices Operating 40,000 SIM CardsPolice in Europe said they disrupted a SIM farm provider in Latvia that supplied millions of mobile telephone numbers used by fraudsters to perpetrate cybercrime schemes, arresting seven suspects and seizing 1,200 SIM-box devices operating 40,000 SIM cards for customers across 80 countries.

Steganography, Mobile Marketing Attribution, Code Obfuscation Deployed for Ad FraudA cybercrime crew using Android mobile apps to conduct advertising fraud took unusual pains to hide its activity, concealing malicious code in downloadable digital images and holding off from infecting the subset of users who organically found their apps through the Google Play store.

Threat Actor Maintains Long-Term Stealthy AccessChinese nation-state hackers penetrated mobile telecom networks across Southeast Asia likely in order to track individuals' location, say security researchers. One tell about the hackers' intentions was deployment of a custom-made network scanning and packet capture utility tracked as CordScan.

Runners Hired to Connect Device to Bank's Network, Facilitating Remote HacksResearchers tied a cybercrime group tracked as UNC2891 to an attempted Asia-Pacific bank heist, in which remote attackers physically installed a 4G-enabled Raspberry Pi onto an ATM network switch, giving them remote access to the internal IT environment as part of an attempted cashout attack.

5G OT Security Summit Speakers on Delicate Balance Between Innovation, Cyber RiskDigital transformation - which now includes a convergence of cloud-based applications, AI and OT systems - introduces new threat vectors particularly as legacy systems struggle to adapt. Speakers at the 5G OT Security Summit discussed cyber defenses and policies and for securing OT systems.

5G OT Security Summit Speakers on Secure Frameworks for Regional InfrastructureAt a time when ASEAN nations are accelerating 5G deployments, cybersecurity leaders at the 5G and OT Security Summit in Malaysia issued a sobering warning: Fragmented regulations and uneven OT readiness threaten to undermine the region’s digital ambitions.

Hypori's Lewandowski on Eliminating Data and Apps From Personal DevicesTraditional BYOD strategies rely on managing personal devices directly, which introduces privacy concerns and leaves organizations vulnerable to attacks such as phishing, network compromise and device rooting, said Wayne Lewandowski, chief revenue officer at Hypori.

New Report Says Mexican Cartel Hired Hacker to Identify, Track and Kill FBI SourcesA Justice Department watchdog found a Mexican cartel hired a hacker to tap mobile data and Mexico City cameras, helping track, intimidate and kill potential U.S. informants linked to El Chapo while calling for reforms to protect sensitive investigations from rapidly evolving technology threats.

New Variant Uses Virtualization to Weaponize Legit Apps, Stealing Data in Real TimeA banking Trojan known for mimicking mobile app login pages has gone to the next level by copying and pasting real mobile banking apps into a virtual environment it creates on infected smartphones, warn researchers. New Godfather malware "marks a significant leap in mobile threat capabilities."

Researchers Say Chinese Mobile Route Firms Dominate Global Interconnect IndustryA report warns U.S. allies and countries across the globe are using Chinese-owned and controlled mobile routing firms in a move that could risk national security interests and potentially expose billions of users to passive and active surveillance from Beijing.

Experts Say First Class Action Claim Under State's Privacy Law Won't Be the LastA proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Amazon is unlawfully collecting and tracking mobile users' data - including sensitive geolocation - in violation of Washington's My Health My Data Act. It's the first such lawsuit filed since the data privacy law went into effect last year.

Experts Say First Class Action Claim Under State's Privacy Law Won't Be the LastA proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Amazon is unlawfully collecting and tracking mobile users' data - including sensitive geolocation - in violation of Washington State's My Health My Data Act. It's the first such lawsuit filed since the data privacy law went into effect last year.