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Security experts release tool to hack Android phones!

mastermind1431 said:
It's just the childhood of Android that are seeing now... there is a lot to grow... I'm sure that Google will groom this OS as ur intelligent Personal Assistant in near future....:) People will relay more on Android than their PCs as they are handy and smart....:eek: then why not looking at hackers looking at Android as well to make some extra $$?? :cool::eek:
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I was trying to establish the deference between the so called "core" hackers. and the trouble maker ones. If a hacker gets into my phone or even my computer he is gonna get what? My email address and email my family?? My facebook and talk to my friends?
Bank and credit card sites dont store my information I have to log on each time.
The worst thing he could do is happen apon an online store that has my card saved and make some purchases. which I could fix with a call.

However the "core" hackers dont care about the sole individual. why rob a man who makes 30-100g a year when you can rob a bank that sees that much in a day.
 
Weazol said:
....However the "core" hackers dont care about the sole individual. why rob a man who makes 30-100g a year when you can rob a bank that sees that much in a day.
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Yep.... that is making sense...But attacking banks or such financial institutions will attract more investigations and preventive methods with the back up of hot streaming news everyday... this would keep the hacker behind the bar!!!:eek:

But if it is an individual, the kind of consequences will be much less than in any case..... :)
 
Weazol said:
Most of the "core" hackers as you call them would not waste their time on things like getting into your android phone...

So no reason to worry :)
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I understand that, it's not the white hat "core" hackers I worry about, though, it's the fringe badguys that want to steal identities and bank info and stuff that I worry about. And should worry about, there is a LOT of personal info going through a smartphone! And I don't hate hackers, I hate badguys who hack. You know, the ones who now have this tool in their fat little Cheeto-stained fingers. But whatever, I guess I just don't "get it" and am fearmongering.
 
Hrethgir, what you are describing is the problem the media plays in "our" society (and by "our" I mean the worldwide community of people who dont have anything to gain from hating one another!).

The media report on stuff like this for a couple of main reasons, 1) it is sensationalist and it will get plenty of headlines! or 2) they are trying to discredit a person/organisation who in their eyes have too much power/influence.

Today/Tomorrow it will be something else.

What you speak of is a minority, and lets face it, any hacker worth their salt would NOT do what you suggest for one reason among many. What would be the point? They can make more money in other ways! There is NO challenge in collating data! They would get caught and suffer the consequences (NO they dont all end up working for the FBI ;) )

You, as others who buy into this spoon-fed media crud, seem to be convinced that hackers are like the geeky kids in the movies. They are NOT. Most are decent law abiding people who have everyday "normal" lives. It is their job to write, debug and disseminate code so that you guys are safer and better protected off and online and to find all the little exploits that exist. Why? To make sure the programs you use on a daily basis do what you want them to when you want them to!
 
riki1kenobi said:
The media report on stuff like this for a couple of main reasons, 1) it is sensationalist and it will get plenty of headlines! or 2) they are trying to discredit a person/organisation who in their eyes have too much power/influence.
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Agreed. Most of the current media reporters have little or no background (or willingness) to actually investigate and report on what they see. In this case, this "hack" was a complete non-event and probably shouldn't have ever been in the conference:

1) The "hackers" created a kernel module. Big deal, people make those all the time.
2) It could only be inserted on rooted phones with active user participation.

This thing was a garden-variety trojan that wouldn't survive if released into the wild.
 
riki1kenobi said:
.......You, as others who buy into this spoon-fed media crud, seem to be convinced that hackers are like the geeky kids in the movies. They are NOT. Most are decent law abiding people who have everyday "normal" lives. It is their job to write, debug and disseminate code so that you guys are safer and better protected off and online and to find all the little exploits that exist. Why? To make sure the programs you use on a daily basis do what you want them to when you want them to!
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Yes, I agree with you... today's media is blowing many news out of proportion. But when I get a news, I won't take it as it is... because same news will be narrated differently in different news agencies. :eek:

From these kinds of news about security, we just wanted to be aware that there may be possibilities for a hacker to attack into my data... So just be conservative in feeding your smart phone with you personal data....:cool:
 
mastermind1431 said:
Guys... I heard that Linux is virus proof.... what do you think????
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Virus proof? No. Virus resistant? Highly.

Linux uses a very different user model than Windows. In Linux, by and large, programs are run by users, not administrators. Since users have very limited permissions to do things to the system, viruses have a hard time propagating since they usually need access to system-level stuff. Windows on the other hand, has evolved from a single-user model where the user was always the administrator, so viruses immediately got the highest level of access to the system. Of course then there are the truly brain-dead Windows "innovations" like ActiveX and the registry that make Windows uniquely vulnerable that don't exist in Linux.

Now this isn't to say that Linux doesn't have security concerns. Most Linux distros come with a huge amount of software (things like http servers, ssh servers, ftp servers) that if you deploy and don't configure correctly can leave you open to attack. And program-specific cracks, like those aimed at browsers, can infect Linux as well. To top it off, Windows users have learned a lot of horrible security habits that they bring with them to Linux. I've seen a lot of new Linux users insist that they have to run as root all the time. That makes Linux almost as vulnerable as Windows.

Now before some clown chimes in with the tired old dog "But Linux doesn't have as many users as Windows so it doesn't have as many viruses", let me put it down. Servers on the web are at least 50% Linux, and they don't have anywhere near the problems that Windows servers do. Since they are servers attached to the Internet 24/7, these are MUCH more valuable targets than any Windows box. They don't get cracked as much because they are harder to crack.
 
mastermind1431 said:
oh that's great.... then why do we need to be scared of virus attack on our Android at all???
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We dont! In most cases for a virus to propogate in a linux OS it has to be given permissions to do so. Whilst it is NOT unknown, it is usually down to user stupidity! A bit like handing out your bank details to a complete stranger and then complaining that your money has disappeared :rolleyes:

What we need to be wary of is unruly apps designed to access sensitive information.

IF you start installing "untrusted" apps on your device willy nilly then you are leaving yourself open to being a victim of such an attack! So my advice to all is make sure you know the app you are installing has a good trusted rep BEFORE installing it on your device! Especially IF the device contains sensitive information ;)
 
riki1kenobi said:
We dont! In most cases for a virus to propogate in a linux OS it has to be given permissions to do so. Whilst it is NOT unknown, it is usually down to user stupidity! A bit like handing out your bank details to a complete stranger and then complaining that your money has disappeared :rolleyes:

What we need to be wary of is unruly apps designed to access sensitive information.

IF you start installing "untrusted" apps on your device willy nilly then you are leaving yourself open to being a victim of such an attack! So my advice to all is make sure you know the app you are installing has a good trusted rep BEFORE installing it on your device! Especially IF the device contains sensitive information ;)
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You are right.... People have to be aware of what they are doing on their Android phone.... I think the best way to prevent virus on Linux is to create awareness among the users....:)

what do you guys think???:cool:
 
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