Google Sees 500,000 Android Devices Activated Every Day

Posted by admin on 29/Jun/2011 in Application Watch | 0 comments

Google is activating half a million Android devices a day, a big jump in just the last couple months, a sign of growing momentum for the platform.

Google’s VP of mobile Andy Rubin tweeted out the new milestone, saying activations are growing 4.4 percent week over week.

At Google I/O in early May, the company boasted that activations were up to 400,000 a day with 100 million cumulative device activations, representing 36 OEMS, 215 Carriers and 310 devices. The pace of growth has been staggering for Android, which hit the 100,000 activations per day milestone in May 2010. By December 2010, that number was up to 300,000 a day.

Read Full Article On Gigaom.com

Which is More Secure, iOS or Android?

Posted by admin on 28/Jun/2011 in Security Alert Log | 0 comments

As mobile connected devices become more popular, it’s putting more importance on the need for mobile security.

That’s why Symantec recently undertook a lengthy analysis of Apple’s iOS and Google Android, comparing the two operating systems to each other and to desktop platforms in terms of vulnerability to security threats.

Mobile is more secure, unless you go outside the playground

Symantec says that mobile devices definitely do offer improved security over their PC counterparts. But unsurprisingly, given that Symantec sells mobile security solutions for enterprise, the firm also found that “major gaps remain” in the overall mobile security picture, especially when it comes to securing enterprise assets. Still, even given the company’s bias in this matter, the results of its comparison between iOS and Android reveal two very different approaches to safeguarding mobile users.

In the 23-page report, Symantec outlines how iOS specifically offers “strong protection against traditional malware,” due mostly to Apple’s app approval process and the way the company vets iOS app developers to identify and eliminate attackers. Google, on the other hand, doesn’t employ this kind of screening procedure, which Symantec agues has “led to today’s increasing volume of Android-specific malware.”

Read Full Article On Gigaom.com

$3B in Mobile Payments for PayPal This Year But Bigger Prize at Stake

Posted by admin on 24/Jun/2011 in In The News | 0 comments

PayPal’s mobile payments business is now expected to do $3 billion in volume this year, double what the company predicted last fall, and up from $2 billion forecasted in April.

PayPal said it’s seeing $10 million a day in total mobile payment volume, up from $6 million in March. That’s a huge ramp-up and suggests PayPal is finding success in facilitating online payments through mobile phones, which is an extension of its existing business. But it doesn’t address where PayPal needs to go in the future: mobile payments for offline goods. Offline, real-world payments are a much bigger opportunity, representing more than 90 percent of current transactions. That’s where PayPal is looking to shift, but right now, the bulk of its business is still online.

Read Full Article On Gigaom.com

Phone Users Blind to Hacking Risks

Posted by admin on 7/Apr/2011 in In The News, Security Alert Log | 0 comments

I came across this article on adelaidenow.com.au and while it is stating the bleeding obvious to many of us, it just doesn’t seem as if the message is getting through to the vast majorities!

An excerpt from the article follows

SMARTPHONE fanatics may be getting “mugged” by their own mobile, according to a new study.

As many as a third are oblivious to the increasing security risks associated with using their new iPhone, Blackberry or Android-powered device.

The threat is particularly acute when using the gadgets for financial transactions and to store personal information.

An estimated 13 per cent of smartphone users said location data had been unknowingly embedded on their handset, enabling others to track where they are at any time.

More than 79 per cent were not even aware this was possible.

The study by anti-virus software company AVG and the consumer research organisation Ponemon Institute comes as smartphone sales in Australia doubled last year.

Read the full article on adelaidenow.com.au.

Australian IT Reports On Hackers Targeting Smartphones and Social Networks

Posted by admin on 7/Apr/2011 in In The News, Security Alert Log | 0 comments

I read an article on Australian IT this morning saying exactly what we have been telling you about for a while now. Hackers are targeting smartphones and social networks. Don’t ever say that nobody tried to warn you.

Here is an excerpt from the article.

Hackers are preying on smartphones and social networking hotspots, according to reports released by two computer security firms.

Cyber-criminals are also ramping up the sophistication and frequency of attacks on business and government networks, one of the companies, Symantec, said in the latest volume of its Internet Security Threat Report.

Symantec depicted a “massive” volume of more than 286 new computer threats on the internet last year, continued growth in attacks at online social networks and “a notable shift in focus” by hackers to mobile devices.

“The major mobile platforms are finally becoming ubiquitous enough to garner the attention of attackers,” Symantec said in its findings.

In March, smartphones running on Google-backed Android software were the target of the largest attack ever on the devices, noted a PandaLabs report focused on the first three months of this year.

Read the full article on Australian IT.

SMS My Customers 2-way SMS Gateway Going Well

Posted by admin on 4/Apr/2011 in Advertising & Marketing, Application Watch | 0 comments

Last June we added a post about the upcoming launch of the SMS My Customers 2-way SMS Gateway. We have just spoken to the sites owners and they have told us that it is going gangbusters!

Nick Goritsas from SMS My Customers has told us that they have a  load of customers and to date their feedback is all positive. They have signed resellers and have added a whole pile of features to the SMS Gateway and have a lot more new features being rolled out in the next few months.

If you are currently a subscriber of any other Australian SMS Gateways you owe it to yourself to check this one out SMS My Customers. If you are currently a reseller of other SMS Gateways then it might be time for you to jump on board.

CellTrust Lands Deal With Malaysia’s Celcom

Posted by admin on 9/Feb/2011 in In The News | 0 comments

The Phoenix Business Journal has picked up on the CellTrust deal with Celcom Malaysia and written a nice article.

Phoenix Business Journal
Date: Monday, February 7, 2011

CellTrust Corp. has launched its secure mobile messaging system in Malaysia through that country’s largest 3G wireless firm, Celcom.

Scottsdale-based CellTrust has been developing secure mobile messaging for several years, and Celcom recently launched the CellTrust application for BlackBerrys.

The deal, for which financial information was not released, opens access to the application to about 11 million subscribers. It also allows CellTrust to be available to enterprise-level companies with opportunities to host the traffic on their own computer networks.

The secure system allows for texts to be encrypted so they cannot be intercepted along with a host of other features.

Read the article full article on the Phoenix Business Journal’s web site

Celcom, the Largest Wireless Operator/Carrier in Malaysia, Selects CellTrust’s Carrier-Grade, SecureSMS for its Millions of Subscribers

Posted by admin on 8/Feb/2011 in Press Releases | 0 comments

Celcom is the world’s first wireless operator/carrier to provide CellTrust SecureSMS™ to its subscribers

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – February 7, 2011 – CellTrust Corporation, the recognized worldwide leader in mobile secure messaging and secure applications for mobile phones (www.celltrust.com), announced today that Celcom, the largest 3G operator in Malaysia (www.celcom.com.my), has deployed the patents-pending, carrier grade CellTrust SecureSMS™ Consumer and CellTrust SecureSMS™ Enterprise (SSMS) technology, to bring a secure messaging solution to its wireless subscribers and enterprise customers.

Celcom has launched the CellTrust SecureSMS Consumer app for the BlackBerry operating system, now available for download by Celcom’s wireless subscribers on the BlackBerry app store. Additionally, Celcom has made the CellTrust SecureSMS Enterprise appliance model available to its corporate, governmental and other enterprise customers featuring either a dedicated or hosted server option, which can be integrated into their own enterprise infrastructure. Celcom and CellTrust also plan to introduce a new Secure MMS app this year, as part of a total secure messaging suite.

(more…)

Mobile Security Tips

Posted by admin on 4/Feb/2011 in Security Alert Log | 0 comments

I came across a very nice article while reading the F-Secure Weblog outlining some basic (yet totally pertinent) tips for staying secure while using your smartphone/tablet.

CES 2011 kicked off the year with a preview of what’s upcoming in mobile computing. Expect more releases of high-spec smartphones and tablets, possibly powered by a dual-core CPU such as NVIDIA Tegra 2. Some of us are wooed by the sneak peak of phones such as the LG Optimus 2X and Motorola Atrix 4G, and certainly are looking forward to their releases this quarter.

With data charges getting cheaper and technologies in mobile computing getting more powerful, mobile devices are becoming more like a small personal computer. Moreover, the availability of applications that aid users to easily perform banking transaction, online shopping, flight booking and just plain Web browsing further encourages users to rely on their smartphones.

(more…)

RSA 2011 Cybercrime Trends Report

Posted by admin on 1/Feb/2011 in Press Releases, Security Alert Log | 0 comments

This is a very important article/whitepaper that was published recently by RSA. It explicitly points to mobile phones being a security problem and makes specific mention of SMS and mobile banking being vulnerable.

The Current State of Cybercrime and What to Expect in 2011

Cybercrime continues to show no signs of slowing down. In fact, 2010 marked a year of several new threats and an increased level of sophistication in the attacks witnessed around the globe. As the new decade opens, cybercrime is diverging down a different path as cyber attacks move beyond the financial services industry and malware makes a shift from targeting consumer desktops to employees in the enterprise.

The RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC ) has developed a list of the top cybercrime trends it expects to see evolve over the course of 2011.

The RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center is on the forefront of new threat detection and cybercrime intelligence, achieving several milestones including the shutdown of over 350,000 online attacks across 181 countries and launching the first commercial anti-phishing and anti-Trojan services in the industry.

In this white paper, RSA will review the current state of cybercrime based on what we witnessed in the last twelve months and provide a series of predictions on what to expect from cybercriminals in 2011.

Read the full article (PDF Format) as published by RSA on their web site (free registration required)

SMS Bank Tokens Vulnerable: RSA

Posted by admin on 26/Jan/2011 in Security Alert Log | 0 comments

I read a nice article today on zdnet.com.au. It is becoming clearer by the day that criminals are beginning to target the mobile device as an access point to user data.

The following in an excerpt from the article.

Mobile phone attacks will increase this year as criminals attempt to intercept SMS-based authentication tokens, according to security company RSA.

The tokens are designed to complement username and password log-in checks by requiring users to validate payments with unique numerical codes, in this instance sent by SMS.

It is becoming more popular, and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia claims to have 80 per cent of its customer base using tokens to validate third-party payments via SMS or through safer handheld token-number generators. The bank isn’t forcing customers to use it, but those who don’t will not be permitted to carry out high-risk transactions over NetBank.

RSA said in a 2011 predictions report that sending tokens via SMS will make phones a target.

“The use of out-of-band authentication SMS … as an additional layer of security adds to the vulnerabilities in the mobile channel,” the company said in its report.

“A criminal can … conduct a telephony denial-of-service attack which essentially renders a consumer’s mobile device unavailable.

“SMS forwarding services are also becoming mainstream in the fraud underground and enable the [token] sent by a bank via text to a user’s mobile phone to be intercepted and forwarded directly to the cyber criminal’s phone.”

Read the article in full on zdnet.com.au

CellTrust’s Sean Moshir to Present as the Keynote Speaker on the Future of Mobile Commerce at IQPC Conference in San Francisco

Posted by admin on 21/Jan/2011 in Press Releases | 0 comments

Conference to Address Driving User Engagement and Brand Awareness

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, USA – January 21, 2011 – CellTrust Corporation, the recognized leader in mobile secure messaging and secure applications for mobile phones (www.celltrust.com), announced today that Sean Moshir, Chief Executive Officer of CellTrust, will be making the keynote presentation at the IQPC Mobile Commerce Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 25th at 9:30 pm PT. The conference is being held at the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

Moshir will discuss how mobile sites, mobile apps, mobile payments and basically all things mobile are becoming a priority for companies who want to remain competitive and stay connected with consumers. The session will highlight meeting the opportunities and challenges ahead in mobile commerce, targeting the consumer, and positioning companies to succeed.

(more…)

UK, Australia to Talk Cyberwar

Posted by admin on 17/Jan/2011 in In The News | 0 comments

I wonder if the topic of SMS Security was raised? I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during the meeting!

The following is an excerpt of an article published on zdnet.com.au.

Australia’s defence and foreign ministers will meet with United Kingdom counterparts in Sydney tomorrow to discuss security matters, including cybersecurity.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd will host UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence Secretary Liam Fox at the third Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial (AUKMIN) talks.

“Discussions at AUKMIN III will focus on current foreign, defence and security policy challenges, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan; changing dynamics in Asia; and approaches to counter-proliferation, counter-terrorism, space and cybersecurity,” Smith said.

In previous high-level discussions, UK Minister of Armed Forces Nick Harvey pushed for the creation of an offensive cybersecurity capability, while Smith said Australia is focused on building defensive systems.

Read the full article on zdnet.com.au.

CellTrust Will Protect Mobile Payment Platforms in Nigeria – Samuel Ucheaga

Posted by admin on 12/Jan/2011 in In The News | 0 comments

Interview with Samuel Ucheaga,Managing Director – CellTrust in Africa.

MMA:Relationship between CellTrust  in the US and CellTrust in Africa.

CellTrust of Africa is in charge of the African Region as an arm of CellTrust Corporation (USA). CellTrust is a leading global provider of secure mobile messaging and applications. CellTrust’s patent pending Secure SMS Gateway™, featuring Secure SMS and a suite of mobile applications, ensures the secure and trusted exchange of information on mobile devices to the financial service industry and governments; and also to healthcare, education, energy, information technology, marketing, and travel industries. Engr. Samuel Ucheaga is the MD of CellTrust of Africa.

MMA: What is the strong compelling need for SMS security for financial  services in Nigeria.

Standard or conventional SMS, that people use for everyday messaging, is not secure. Only few people realise that it is highly vulnerable at many points. Standard SMS is vulnerable at the following points:

• On the handset where someone can easily gain access to it,
• On the air interface (between the handset and the BTS). There are now devices that cost less than 1,000 USD that could be used to sniff messages (SMS) over the air without gaining direct access to the user’s cell phone.
• At the mobile operator’s network where it is stored as a plain text file which could be read by the network operator’s staff.

Each of the problem areas listed above is already creating various problems. Since standard SMS can be compromised very easily, it is not suitable for handling sensitive or confidential messaging which the financial industry deals with.  When transmitting sensitive mobile financial information – transactions, PINs, account balances and   other sensitive information – security should be of utmost importance to prevent fraudsters from gaining access to customers’ accounts and making unauthorized transactions using the customers’ details. If mobile banking and payment security is treated with levity, the problems that the finance industry will face will make ATM related fraud seem very trivial.

(more…)

Credit, Debit Card Fraud In Australia Tops $180m

Posted by admin on 10/Dec/2010 in In The News, Press Releases | 0 comments

I was sent a copy of this story published in The Australian on the 7th of December this morning and the headline really grabbed my attention. $180m in the past year? And seriously, if they are admitting to $180+ million then the true figure is going to be truly astronomical. I’ll bet that $183 million is only the tip of a very substantial iceberg.

When are the banks and card providers going to take a good hard look at other security options instead of sticking to tried and tested methods that are failing? Come on guys, it’s time to consider using Secure SMS banking and card verification techniques.

Here’s an excerpt of the article that caught my attention.

CREDIT and debit card fraud increased to $183 million in the past financial year, up from $167m a year earlier.

Overall, fraud on all types of payment cards rose to 35 cents from 33c in every $1000 transacted, comparatively low by world standards, according to Australian Payments Clearing Association statistics released today.

The biggest spike was in proprietary or name-brand debit card fraud where the PIN was also compromised – jumping to $27.5m from $18m in 2008-09.

This includes the use of counterfeit cards containing skimmed information, with around 70,000 incidents netting $22m.

Fraudsters also snared $1.8m using a compromised PIN in identity take-over or false application cases.

But incidents involving PINs with lost and stolen cards were down slightly to $3m, from $3.7m previously, and “never received” card fraud fell to $786,000 from $1.6m.

There was a tightening of debit card fraud where PINs were not used. Incidents dropped from 4790 in 2008 – 09 to 1254 in the past year, with the value plummeting from $1.1m to $390,000.

Read the full article on The Australian’s web site