Your mobile phone can give away your location, even if you tell it not to

US military officials were recently caught off guard by revelations that servicemembers’ digital fitness trackers were storing the locations of their workouts – including at or near military bases and clandestine sites around the world. But this threat is not limited to Fitbits and similar devices. My group’s recent research has shown how mobile phones can also track their users through stores and cities and around the world – even when users turn off their phones’ location-tracking services.

The vulnerability comes from the wide range of sensors phones are equipped with – not just GPS and communications interfaces, but gyroscopes and accelerometers that can tell whether a phone is being held upright or on its side and can measure other movements too. Apps on the phone can use those sensors to perform tasks users aren’t expecting – like following a user’s movements turn by turn along city streets.

Google removes 60 gaming apps with pop-up porn malware from Play Store

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday it took down 60 gaming applications after security firm Check Point said it had discovered new malicious software in the apps available to both children and adults at Google Play Store.
The malicious software displayed pornographic ads and tried to trick users into buying premium services, according to Check Point.
“We’ve removed the apps from Play, disabled the developers’ accounts, and will continue to show strong warnings to anyone that has installed them,” a Google spokesperson said.
Dubbed “AdultSwine”, the malware hides inside game apps that Google Play data says have been downloaded 3 to 7 million times, Check Point said in blog post on Friday.
The apps weren’t part of the family collection, which is based on a programme to help parents discover age-appropriate content on the Play Store.
The company clarified that the inappropriate ads within the apps were not Google ads.
The malware also sought to trick users into installing fake security apps, and could open the door for other attacks such as theft of user credentials, Check Point said.
It said games and apps intended for children were a new target for cyber criminals that targeted hospitals, businesses and governments in the past.

Hackers already targeting 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics: McAfee report

Hackers have already begun targeting the Pyeongchang Olympic Games with malware-infected emails which may be aimed at stealing passwords or financial information, researchers have said.

The security firm McAfee said in a report that several organisations associated with the Olympics had received the malicious email with the primary target being groups affiliated with ice hockey.

"The majority of these organizations (targeted) had some association with the Olympics, either in providing infrastructure or in a supporting role," the McAfee report said.

"The attackers appear to be casting a wide net with this campaign."

In the attacks, which began as early as December 22, emails were "spoofed" to make them appear to come from South Korea's National Counter-Terrorism Center, which was in the process of conducting antiterror drills in the region in preparation for the Games.

McAfee said the emails came in fact from an address in Singapore, and instructed the readers to open a text document in Korean.

The document was titled "Organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Pyeongchang Winter Olympics," according to the report.
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BadRabbit' cyber attacks hit airport, metro in Ukraine

The chief of Ukraine's cyber police said Ukraine was attacked on Tuesday by malware called BadRabbit, adding that the country was barely affected.

Earlier the airport in the southern city of Odessa said it had tightened security measures after being hit by a cyber attack, while the metro system in the capital Kiev reported a hack on its payment system.

Asked whether the malware BadRabbit was used in the attacks, Cyber Police Chief Serhiy Demedyuk said by text message "yes, correct".
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