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Whatsapp Announced End-To-End Encryption For Millions Of Android Users

November 18, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

whatsapp-end-to-end-encryption

After experiencing childhood in Soviet Ukraine in the 1980s, Jan Koum, founder of Whatsapp figured out how to mistrust the government and despise its reconnaissance. After he moved to the United States and made ultra-popular messaging framework decades later, he pledged that Whatsapp would never make snooping simple for anybody. Presently, Whatsapp is following through on that anti-snooping pledge at a phenomenal scale.

Whatsapp reported on Tuesday that it’s incorporating end-to-end encryption, a move up to its privacy assurances that makes it almost unthinkable for anybody to peruse clients’ messages—even the organization itself. Whatsapp will incorporate the open-source programming Textsecure, made by security concentrated non-profit Open Whisper Systems, which scrambles messages with a cryptographic key that just the client can get to and never leaves his or her gadget. The result is for all intents and purpose un-crackable encryption for countless phones and tablets that have Whatsapp installed — by a few measures the world’s biggest ever implementation of this standard of encryption in a messaging service.

Moxie Marlinspike, Open Whisper System’s inventor and a well known software developer in the cryptography group said, “Whatsapp is incorporating Textsecure into the most prominent messaging application on the planet, where folks exchange billions of messages a day. I believe this is the biggest end-to-end encryption deployment ever.”

Textsecure has already been silently encrypting Whatsapp messages between Android gadgets for a week. The new encryption plan implies Whatsapp messages will now fly out the distance to the beneficiaries’ gadget before being decrypted, instead of simply being encoded between the client’s gadget and Whatsapp’s server. The change is almost undetectable, however Marlinspike says Whatsapp will soon add a peculiarity to permit clients to check each others’ identities on the basis of their cryptographic key, a resistance against man-in-the-center attacks that interrupt conversations. Marlinspike said, “Regular clients won’t spot the difference. It’s completely frictionless.”

In its beginning stage, however, Whatsapp’s messaging encryption is constrained to Android, and doesn’t yet apply to group messages, images or video messages. Marlinspike says that Whatsapp intends to expand its Textsecure rollout into other gimmicks and other platforms, including Apple’s iOS, soon. He wouldn’t point out a particular time period, and Whatsapp staff members declined to remark on the new encryption characteristics. Marlinspike says, the Textsecure execution has been in the works for 6 months, since soon after Whatsapp was acquired by Facebook last February.

So, for now, just Whatsapp’s Android users alone symbolize a huge new client base for end-to-end encrypted messages: Whatsapp’s page in the Google Play store records more than 500 million downloads. Formerly, Textsecure had been installed on just around 10 million devices running the Cyanogen mod variant of Android and around 500,000 different gadgets.

The only encrypted messaging framework that analyzes in size is Apple’s iMessage, which likewise claims of using a rendition of end-to-end encryption. As compared to Textsecure, nonetheless, Apple’s iMessage security has a few genuine weaknesses. iMessage doesn’t track which gadgets’ cryptographic keys are connected with a certain client, so Apple could basically make another key the client wasn’t known of to begin interrupting his or her messages. Also, numerous clients innocently back up their stored iMessages to Apple’s iCloud, which renders any end-to-end encryption debatable. Furthermore, dissimilar to Textsecure, iMessage doesn’t utilize an element known as “forward secrecy” that makes a new encryption key for each message sent. This implies that any individual who gathers a client’s encoded messages and effectively breaks a client’s key can unscramble all their conversations, not only the one message that uses that key.

Whatsapp’s rollout of such solid encryption to countless clients may be a disliked move among governments around the globe, whose scrutiny it could make significantly more troublesome. No doubt, Whatsapp’s client base is global, with extensive populaces of clients in Europe and India. In any case Whatsapp organizer Jan Koum has been vocal about his resistance to chipping in with government snooping. “I grew up in a society where all that you did was snooping on, recorded, squealed on,” he told Wired UK recently. “No one ought to have the right to listen snoop, or you turn into a totalitarian state — the sort of state I fled as a kid to come to this country where you have democracy and opportunity of discourse. Our objective is to secure it.”

 

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Android, apple, Cyanogen mod variant, end-to-end encryption, Europe, facebook, Forward secrecy, Google Play, icloud, iMessage, India, ios, Jan Koum, Marlinspike, messaging service, Textsecure, WhatsApp

WireLuker Hitting Apple’s Mobile Users: Malware Patches Releasing

November 6, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

New-malware-attacked-Apple-users

Recently, an online security researcher has warned that a new malware targeting Apple products is mostly affecting Chinese users.

WireLurker, a new malware, which is affecting Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems seems to have originated in China and is mostly affecting devices there, US-based Palo Alto Networks said.

The malware spreads through apps uploaded from a third-party store and can steal information.

US-based Palo Alto Networks said, more than 400 infected apps have been downloaded over 350,000 times.

Ryan Olson, the company’s intelligence director, said “WireLurker is unlike anything we have ever seen in terms of Apple iOS and OS X malware.”

“When it comes to exploiting some of the world’s best-known desktop and mobile platforms, the techniques in use suggest that bad actors are getting more sophisticated,” he added.

WireLurker has the ability to transfer from Apple’s Mac computer to mobile devices through a USB cable. The malware was capable of stealing “a variety of information” from mobile devices, it infects and regularly requested updates from the attacker’s control server, the security firm said.

“This malware is under active development and its creator’s ultimate goal is not yet clear,” the firm added.

Right after the incident, Apple has issued a brief statement, “We are aware of malicious software available from a download site aimed at users in China, and we’ve blocked the identified apps to prevent them from launching.”

“As always, we recommend that users download and install software from trusted sources,” Apple added.

Work Apps

Palo Alto Networks revealed that the WireLurker was first noticed in June when a Chinese firm Tencent’s developer realized there were apprehensive files and processes happening on his Mac and iPhone.

Further inquiries revealed a total of 467 Mac programs listed on the Maiyadi App Store had been compromised to include the malware, which in turn had been downloaded 356,104 times as of 16th Oct.

Infected software included popular games including Angry Birds, The Sims 3, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Once the malware was on the Mac, it communicated with a command-and-control server to check if it needed to update its code, and then waited until an iPhone, iPad or iPod was connected.

The security firm officials reveal that, when an iOS device connects with the malware, it would check if the device was jailbroken — a process used by some to remove some of Apple’s restrictions.

If it was jailbroken, WireLurker backed up the device’s apps to the Mac, where it repackaged them with malware, and then installed the infected versions back on to the iOS machine. However, if the device was not jailbroken – that is the case for most iOS devices – WireLurker took advantage of a technique created by Apple to enable businesses to install special software on their staff’s handsets and tablets.

Now the malware place infected apps on the device that had been signed with a mock “enterprise certificate” – code added to a product that is supposed to prove it comes from a trustworthy source.

Now, a permission request pops up the targeted iOS device on the user’s first attempt to run an infected app, to ensure the certificate acceptance by the device.

It simply asked for permission to run the app, but if the user clicked continue’ it installed code called a ‘provisioning profile’, which told the iOS device it could trust any other app that had the same enterprise certificate.

While this malware technique was not a new concept, it was the only known example of it being used to target non-jailbroken iOS devices in the wild, Palo Alto Networks said.

Once installed, the malware provide information about the iOS device to the hackers, including phone numbers from its Contacts app, and the user’s Apple ID.

Different versions of WireLurker also automatically installed new apps on the devices – including a video game and a comic book reader. Though, they are harmless; experts warn they could represent a test run for other more damaging software.

Prof Alan Woodward, from the University of Surrey said, “People have got very used to iOS being secure and there is a danger they may be complacent about the risk this presents.”

Under Attack

News of the attack comes after Apple’s iCloud storage service in China was attacked by hackers trying to steal user information last month.

Greatfire.org, Chinese web monitoring group said, “Hackers seized data and potentially gained access to passwords, messages, photos and contacts. They believed the Beijing government was behind the move.”

Although, the Chinese government denied the claims and was backed by China Telecom — state-owned internet provider, which said the claim was “false and baseless”.

China, which is the world’s biggest smartphone market and Apple saw its iPhone sales there jump 50% in the April to June quarter from a year earlier.

Palo Alto Networks has recommended some precautions for the users in order to minimize the risk of attack;

  • Do not download Mac apps from third-party stores
  • Do not jailbreak iOS devices
  • Do not connect their iOS devices to untrusted computers and accessories, either to copy information or charge the machines
  • Do not accept requests for a new “enterprise provisioning profile” unless it comes from an authorized party, for example the employer’s IT department

 

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Angry Birds, apple, Battlefield, china, China Telecom, Chinese government, Greatfire.org, icloud, imac, ios, ipad, iPhone, iPod, Jailbreak, malware, OS X malware, Palo Alto Networks, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, Prof Alan Woodward, Tencent, The Sims 3, USB cable, WireLurker

Apple Develops Tool for Would-Be Buyers to Check Stolen or Lost Status

October 2, 2014 By Jason Leathers 1 Comment

iPhone

The recent reports revealed that, before buying a used iPhone, iPad or iPod, you can now check with the Apple’s online tool that either it’s been locked down by the former owner, which signifies that it was in fact stolen or lost.

You can easily access the service on iCloud website as it doesn’t need any authentication. It enables users to enter the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or serial number of iOS device in order to check the Activation lock status.

However, the Activation Lock feature is firstly launched on iOS 7 as part of the Find Mi iPhone service available on iCloud. If it is turned on once, the iOS is locked down and then user has to enter the Apple ID and the password connected with to be able to use it again.

This is supposed to work, but hackers find out another way to avoid this locking mechanism by using alternative iCloud server and then tricking into the locked devices. Apple introduces its new online tool which could help prospective buyers to determine if the device was stolen or lost even. It also tracks down if the device was unlocked with un-official tools, because the IMEI/Serial Number check is done against Apple’s real Activation Lock database.

In iOS 7 Activation Lock was optional, but apple turned it on by default in iOS 8. Law enforcement agencies says that, Activation Lock have a prevention effect for phone theft.

In San Francisco thefts of iPhones dropped by 38% in the first six months after iOS 7 and Activation Lock were launched in September 2013. In New York City the number of similar incidents dropped by 19% in the first five months of this year.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Activation Lock, apple, Find My iPhone, icloud, IMEI, International Mobile Station Equipment Identity, iOS 7, ipad, iPhone, iPod, Serial number

Apple To Construct A Technical Hurdle For Cyber Breakers

September 5, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Apple , the leading global incorporation poking it’s nose into the worldwide technical and personal world by introducing wide range of Mac computers, iPod , tablets and the extrusive iphone series has become the desired multinational brand for gadget lovers. With it’s on stream services as iCloud, App. Store, iTunes; Apple Inc has gained wide popularity by providing favors like cloud storage, music player and online application downloading market respectively.

Nevertheless in the past few days the iCloud –the cloud computing service hosted by Apple in 2011 is receiving great propaganda these days through a leak in the storage security system. The hype was created after iCloud was put under investigation by reports suggesting breach in their cloud storage setup. As the record advocates cyber thieves made access to private photographs of the celebrities by breaking into their iCloud accounts.

APPLE-TO-CONSTRUCT-A-TECHNICAL-HURDLE-FOR-CYBER-BREAKERS

At one’s end where Apple iOS contribute much to make iPhone a complete communicating package through its various applications, it’s downloaded Find My iPhone service not only let one’s find the lost track of their phone but also helps them disable their phones incidentally. This favor has opened a door to internet burglars through that everyone can make unlimited attempts to enter a correct password and get their way into others iCloud accounts.

This internet theft has put Apple services to a potential threat therefore to find a way to put an end to this online embezzlement; the Apple CEO has announced a new security alert by setting forth an advance immunity to iCloud and promises to augment the two factor authentication strategy.

The two factors verification system requires a password and a key to make access to his iCloud account. The access key will be the code provided by the iCloud security service when the user opens his iCloud account for the first time. Also, the system will push notification to the users email if his account password has been changed.

The CEO also stated that this two factor confirmation security alert will be introduced in the upcoming iOS 8 version of Apple software that will head to the market this fall.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: construct, cyber breaker, hurdle, icloud

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