Tech Leo

This new Android malware steals Facebook data directly from the device Facebook is no stranger to spreading of scams and installation of malicious malware on its platform. Thanks to its large user base, the popular social media networking site has always been the favorite of cybercriminals and hackers. In a newly identified scam detected by security company Symantec, a malicious app dubbed ‘Android.Fakeapp’, involves a new malware strain that is phishing for Facebook login credentials directly from the targeted devices. Once the Facebook user credentials are obtained, the malware logs into the account and collects account information and results using the Facebook mobile app’s search functionality. According to the researchers, the Fakeapp malware is currently made available via malicious apps to English-speaking users on third-party app stores. How does the Fakeapp malware work? Once installed, the apps infected with the Fakeapp malware will immediately hide from ...

Google reveals unpatched security vulnerability in Microsoft’s Edge browser Google’s Project Zero team of security researchers disclosed a “high-severity” vulnerability it found in Microsoft’s Edge browser after the company failed to patch it within the allotted time of 90 days. The vulnerability can allow an attacker to gain administrator privileges if exploited. For those unfamiliar, Project Zero is a team of security analysts employed by Google to find zero-day vulnerabilities before they are found and exploited by malicious people. On finding and disclosing the vulnerability to the relevant company, Google gives them 90 days to fix the issue. However, if the company fails to issue a patch within the specified time period, the Project Zero team discloses the vulnerability to the public so that users can protect themselves by taking necessary steps. This most recent vulnerability was identified by James Forshaw, a Google Project Zero researcher, who disclosed it to Mi...

Chrome and Firefox prevent users from accessing Torrentz2 Over ‘harmful programs’ Torrent users have suffered a setback, as leading browsers Google Chrome and Firefox have blocked direct access to the popular torrent meta-search engine, Torrentz2.eu for reported ‘harmful programs’. The past few hours, Chrome and Firefox users have been unable to access Torrentz2.eu, TorrentFreak reported on Thursday. When the users to access Torrentz2.eu, they are greeted with the dreaded red window in Google Chrome with a warning that states, “The site ahead contains harmful programs.” The warning further adds, “Attackers on torrentz2.eu might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience (for example, by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on sites you visit).” While those using Mozilla Firefox received a similar warning. It said: “Firefox blocked this page because it might try to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experie...

Aliens will send simple messages through Artificial Intelligence to destroy humanity, researchers claim Just when we thought we have had enough of worries on our plate, such as ransomware, data theft, DDoS (denial of service attacks), a joint study done by two researchers last month has revealed that alien civilization could destroy the Earth with just AI (artificial intelligence) messages and that too without visiting us. The academic paper titled “Interstellar Communication. IX. Message decontamination is impossible” has been written by Michael Hippke of the Sonneberg Observatory in Germany and John Learned of the University of Hawaii. The paper discusses about a possible alien invasion either intentionally or unintentionally, by embedding code in a message. “It is cheaper for an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) to send a malicious message to eradicate humans compared to sending battleships,” the researchers wrote. They claim that such a message would be impossi...

Identity theft reached new heights in 2017, especially in terms of non-credit card-based fraud. In response, public interest in information security has been growing slowly but surely, especially with regard to the threat of identity theft. Unfortunately, one major concept has gotten muddled somewhere down the line: the IP address. If you were to go by the indications of news reports and TV shows, you’d probably think of an IP address as something of a digital signature that allows you to pick out a single person from the immense population of the internet. That much is more or less correct. You might, however, also think that with an IP address, you can dredge up a user’s personal details and pinpoint their location. That’s only sort of correct. While an IP address is a useful thing to know, on its own, it’s an innocuous piece of information that’s more technical than personal. A proper understanding of it is important for online safety, so let’s take a closer look at what an ...

OnePlus confirms investigation of credit card fraud reports Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus’s official online store is assumed to be reportedly hacked after a number of customers are reporting of credit card misuse after their purchase on the OnePlus website recently. The incident came to light when on the OnePlus support forum on January 11 from a customer who said two of his credit cards used on the phone maker’s official website showed signs of fraud. “The only place that both of those credit cards had been used in the last 6 months was on the OnePlus website,” he  wrote . Once this claim was made, several complaints were later posted to Twitter and  Reddit  that reported the same misuse of credit card. Meanwhile, security experts over at a company called Fidus Information Security have published their own  blog post  explaining the alleged issues with the OnePlus website’s payment system. According to the firm, OnePlus is currently u...