Android applications built using the Taomike SDK, one of the largest mobile advertisement solution platforms in China, have been found to include SMS theft functionality. The Taomike SDK has been used in over 63,000 Android apps, but only around 18,000 of them have been observed to exhibit the message stealing functionality.

The security firm also notes that these applications have been grabbing copies of all messages sent to infected devices since  August 1. The applications are being distributed through third-party mechanisms in China and are not available in the Google Play store, and all of them include specific library that enables the malicious behavior.

Bosses in France now have a legal right to keep close tabs on their employees to provide the highest level of security. The country's Supreme Court has officially allowed top brass to read their subordinates’ SMS messages sent from work phones.

According to the judgment, text messages sent or received through a work phone are assumed to be of a professional nature, in other words work-related. Only the warning personal at the beginning of the message will stop your boss from reading the message about your private life, which, for some reason, was sent to your work phone. All work-related messages can meanwhile be viewed and even taken to court.

The number of Pre-loaded mobile trojan in the wild is increasing, DeathRing is the last one discovered by the experts. It’s not first the time that Android handsets come preloaded with malware, but cyber security experts are warning of a worrying increase of the cases.

The problem is widespread in Asia and Africa, where criminals are able to compromise the supply chain. Similar cases are frequent for a cheap, low-level devices. Security researchers have detected pre-loaded instances of the DeathRing malware, unfortunately they are not currently aware of where in the supply chain the mobile trojan is installed.

Experts warned about the wave of Internet fraud with mobile applications: users of WhatsApp messenger propose to disable the indicator read messages. New feature – indicator reading messages – appeared in WhatsApp in November.

One gray check mark indicates that the message came to the messenger server, dual gray – on a mobile device, dual blue – the chat window is opened by the user. Not all users have approved the innovation, but at the moment to get rid of it is impossible. The dissatisfaction of the users of the most popular in the world of instant messenger benefited from the Scam. 

Serious concessions have been made about privacy post-Snowden, in particular about how personal information is processed and consumed online. Results from a survey show that the leaks have raised consumers’ consciousness about not only government, but commercial, collection of personal data.

Americans lack the confidence that they have any control over their personal data. The survey asked about six modes of communication: landlines; cell phones; text messaging; email; chat or IM; and social media. People, according to the results, are less worried about their physical location being disclosed, as well as the content of text messages, whom they’re texting or calling.

SMS-virus attacks Ukrainian users‘ smartphones. Only devices, based on Android platform are under thread. Many owners of smartphones, Ukrainian mobile operators subscribers became victims of SM-virus. It attacks in such a way that all money is drawn from account, calls are locked, and thus a virus sends messages with the harmful program link to all contacts in the phone book.

Having received the message from known or unknown number, the subscriber follows the link and automatically catches Trojan. After installation, the virus sends information on the victim‘s device, such as IMEI, IMSI, owner‘s number, his location, the version of OS, the model of smartphone etc.