Hidden Android Tricks to Enhance Your Device!

Android is stacked with so many tools and configuration options, we often overlook some of its most useful features. Sometimes they’re hiding in plain sight. Other times, they’re buried so deep, you’d never discover them without spelunking deep into submenus, groping blindly in the dark.  

Enable Chrome Home

If you own an Android device, there’s a good chance you’re using Chrome as your browser. The Chrome browser is widely considered to be one of, if not the best, Android browsers available, but there is a way to make it even better. Open Chrome and in the address bar type chrome://flags and hit Enter. This will bring you to a giant list of all the experimental features and settings within Chrome that are not enabled by default. These features are accessible for testing purposes; however, it should be noted that they may cause Chrome to behave in unexpected ways.

When you open “chrome://flags,” you’ll see a disclaimer warning at the top of the page. We suggest that you read through it, and if you have reservations, back out before you make any changes. That being said, I have been using the experimental Chrome Home feature for some time and have not experienced any questionable side effects. 

Chrome Home changes the look of Chrome slightly; however, the biggest change lies with the address bar. Normally Chrome situates the address bar at the top of the page. With increasingly large devices hitting the market, entering a new URL or performing a search can be cumbersome. Consider how often your hand leaves the keyboard of your device to tap the address bar. It’s not a huge deal, but it definitely interrupts the flow. Fortunately, enabling Chrome Home automatically relocates the address bar to the bottom of the page. This makes it easier and faster to reach, especially for those with large devices. 

To enable Chrome Home, scroll down until you see “Chrome Home.” Tap on it and select “Enable.” You will need to restart Chrome twice before the changes take effect.

Quickly Access the Camera App

Many consumers have shunned traditional point-and-shoot cameras in favour of the camera built in to their smartphones. While a smartphone may not be on par with a professional DSLR, smartphone camera technology has vastly improved, and it’s way more convenient. Unfortunately, no matter how good our smartphone cameras become, opening the camera app can be a hassle. The process of opening your camera app can easily result in lost photo opportunities. Fortunately, there is a way to quickly launch your camera, even from your lock screen. 

Jump in to your device’s settings. Scroll down and tap on the option labelled “Gestures.” In the Gestures menu find “Jump to Camera” and toggle the option on. This will enable you to quickly open your device’s camera app by simply pressing the power button twice in quick succession. You can launch the camera app in this manner from any app or even the lock screen. 

Hide Sensitive Notifications from Lock Screen

The notifications that appear on your lock screen can be incredibly helpful. They allow you to quickly prioritize emails, messages, social media interactions and more. However, these lock screen notifications  can expose sensitive information to prying eyes. Whether you want to make sure your parents aren’t spying on you or are worried your boss might see your questionable weekend activities, it is possible to hide the content of your lock screen notifications. The content of your notifications will only be visible once you unlock your device. 

There are a few different ways to hide the contents of your lock screen notifications, depending on your device. For newer versions of Android: 

• Open your Settings and tap on Notifications. 
• Tap on “All Apps” to expand a dropdown menu and find “No sensitive content on lock screen.” 
• Tapping on that will enable you to select specific apps whose content will be hidden. 

On older devices: 

• Open your Settings and tap on “Sound and notification.” 
• From there, look for “Lock screen” or “When device is locked.” 

 

Stop App Shortcut Creation

The Android operating system allows users to extensively customize the look of their devices. Organizing apps and widgets can be time consuming, which is why it can be infuriating when a new shortcut appears on the home screen of your device immediately after installing an app. These shortcuts can ruin the aesthetic of a carefully organized home screen. Fortunately, you can easily stop the automatic creation of app shortcuts. 

To do so, fire up the Google Play Store. Swipe from the left side of the screen to open the navigation bar. Tap on the cog icon labelled “Settings.” Scroll down to the option labelled “Add icon to Home screen.” Tap on it to uncheck the box. This will prevent shortcuts from being placed on your home screen whenever you install a new app. 

Automatically Delete Pictures that Have Been Backed Up to Google Photos

Google Photos is a fantastic service from Google that automatically backs up the photos and videos on your device to the cloud. However, once they’re backed up, the files still remain on the device. This can be problematic for folks who have limited storage space. 

Normally, in order to free up storage space, users would have to manually select the photos and videos they wished to delete. This can be both tedious and time consuming. Luckily, Android can make this much easier by automatically deleting the photos and videos that have been backed up with Google Photos. 

First thing you want to do is download the Google Photos app (if you haven’t already) and allow it to automatically back up the photos on your device. To enable automatic deletion of photos and videos that have been backed up, head to Settings > Storage. From here, tap on “Manage Storage,” then toggle “Storage Manager” on. (Note: some devices call this “Smart Storage.”) This will automatically delete photos and videos that have been backed up to Google Photos after 90 days...........Continue Reading @ CSU

Say Hello to Dvmap: The First Android Malware with Code Injection

A powerful Android Trojan with novel code injection features that posed as a game has been discovered in the Google Play Store.

The Trojan has been downloaded from Google's official app marketplace over 50,000 times since March 2017 and is a particularly dangerous form of malware because it it can inject code into the system library and remove root-detection features designed to detect malicious intrusions.

Uncovered by cyber-security researchers at Kaspersky Lab, the Dvmap Trojan is not only capable of obtaining root access rights on Android devices but has the ability to monitor information and install other applications.

Dvmap was distributed while posing as a simple, addictive puzzle game called colourblock, posted under the name "Retgumhoap Kanumep". Developers bypassed the store's security checks by uploading a clean app at the end of March. They then updated this with a malicious version for a short period of time before uploading another clean version. Researchers say they did at least five times in the space of four weeks, successfully tricking Google Play in the process.

Once successfully installed on the device, the Trojan installs a root exploit back installing several tools - which appear to contain comments in Chinese, potentially pointing to the malware authors - in order to run the main phase and overwriting Android's code with malicious code. Researchers note that this could be "very dangerous" and cause some devices to crash.

If successfully installed and executed, Dvmap can successfully connect to a command and control server - but in the device being investigated it received no comments. Researchers suggest that if allowed to run, additional malware or advertising files could be stored on the device.

Those worried they may have been infected by Dvmap are advised to back up all their data and perform a factory data reset of their device.

Kaspersky Lab has reported the Trojan to Google, and it has now been removed from the store - but it represents just the latest instance of malicious apps sneaking into the Play store, in Google's ongoing battle with Android malware.

Check CSU for more info.

After WannaCry, it’s Judy now: malware hides in apps, infects 36.5million devices

There’s a new piece of Android malware on the loose and it’s a doozy. Originally discovered by researchers at Check Point last week, the malware has been dubbed “Judy” and is potentially one of the most widely spread pieces of Android malware we’ve seen to date. It’s currently believed that upwards of 36.5 million Android devices may have already been infected.

As the firm explains, the malware "is an auto-clicking adware which was found on 41 apps developed by a Korean company."

Checkpoint says 'Judy' generates fraudulent clicks on ads, which results in revenue for the perpetrators, who created a "benign bridgehead app", which inserts a connection to the users' phone into the app store.

That means once a particular user downloads an app, it "silently registers receivers which establish a connection with the C&C server," which in turn replies with the "malicious payload."

Notably, Google is aware of the malware campaign and has removed the offending apps, which comprised several cooking and fashion games using the 'Judy' brand, from its online store.

The Korean publisher thought to be responsible for the infected apps is reportedly known as "ENISTUDIO," though other publishers have also been said to have released apps with the malware included.

Precisely how the infected apps made it through the Google Play Store screening process remains unclear, but Checkpoint does offer the following explanation: "Hackers can hide their apps' real intentions or even manipulate users into leaving positive ratings, in some cases unknowingly. Users cannot rely on the official app stores for their safety, and should implement advanced security protections capable of detecting and blocking zero-day mobile malware."

Check CSU for more info.

About 8400 New Android Malware Files Are Discovered Every Day

It is not a hidden fact that Android is not the safest mobile platform and that its open nature, which is also considered to be one of its biggest strengths, often gives room for vulnerabilities that can be exploited and compromise users' security. G Data antivirus software firm has now discovered that the malware-infected applications are increasing at an alarming rate on Google's mobile platform and at the current speed, 3.5 million new malware samples are expected to be discovered on the OS by the end of this year.

A new instance of Android malware pops up nearly every 10 seconds, according to a report from security firm G DATA. The information is especially troubling, given that Android commands 81.7% of mobile OS market share worldwide, according to Gartner data.

If new malware every 10 seconds sounds a little too frequent, let's break the numbers down. G DATA security researchers found over 750,000 new Android malware apps in Q1 2017, which translates to about 8,400 new malware instances every day, the report said. Given that there are 86,400 seconds in a single day, if that number is divided by 8,400 it comes to roughly 10.29 seconds.

According to the G DATA report, some 3.2 million new Android malware files were discovered in 2016. For 2017, G DATA expects that number to hit 3.5 million.

The report claims that Android's fragmentation is to blame for the growth of the malware, with a paltry 7.1% of Android users running the latest version of the OS, Android 7.0 or 7.1 Nougat. The April 2017 Android developer dashboard from Google shows that 32% of users are running Android 5.0 or 5.1 Lollipop, while 31.2% of users are running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The big issue with fragmentation has to do with updates. If a given device is running an older version of Android, it won't necessarily be protected from emerging threats that are addressed in later versions. Patches and updates often have to go through an OEM partner first, before they are pushed to the phone.

To avoid malware, start with your app store. Don't download apps from third-party app stores, if possible. Instead focus on the Google Play Store. Also, a lot of malware comes from phishing, so be careful when opening emails from unfamiliar contacts, especially when it contains a link or attachment.

Removing malware is a little more difficult. Try an antivirus application, or you can reboot your phone into safe mode and try to remove the malware that way.

Check CSU for more Info

Ransomware Proves Why Mobile Antivirus are a Joke

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new strain of Android ransomware that is reportedly able to evade all antivirus programs tested on it, making it an alarming threat to those who are vulnerable.

Detected by the Zscaler ThreatLabZ team, this ransomware targets Russian speakers, and is not equipped with any decryption functionality. This means that even if a payment is made, the device will still stay locked.

 

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"Translation of Message"

While the threat is distributed using third-party app stores, the cybercriminals are smart enough to entice users to download it. They will identify a popular app on the Google Play Store, clone it, and disassemble it. Soon after, they will alter the apps' behaviour by modifying its programming, and inject their own malicious code. Once the app has been repackaged, it will be sent to the third-party app store.

The ingenuity of the cybercrooks doesn't end there, however; as soon as victims install the fake app, it will wait four hours before it launches its modus operandi. When the time is right, It starts to ask the user to grant it administrator rights, which include automatically changing the lock screen password, monitor screen-lock attempts, auto-lock the screen, and set the lock screen password expiration. The user can't easily dismiss the request, however, as doing so will only make the pop-up return, until the victim agrees to grant it access.

Once the app has been given admin rights, it will display a lock screen, saying that they have to pay 500 Russian Rubles (equal to around $9). It even threatens the user by saying that if they don't pay up, the app will send a message to all their contacts, and say that they are watching illegal adult content.

The Scary Part:
The worst part about this app is that it lacks the basic decryption functionality, which means that the phone cannot be unlocked even if the ransom is paid. Furthermore, the experts believe that the app could have been easily uploaded to the Google Play Store because of the delaying tactic of the malicious code execution.

How to get rid of This?
According to the security researchers, the only way to get rid of this ransomware is to boot in safe mode, remove the administrator rights to the app and uninstall the app.

Check CSU for more Info

'Free Internet' without WiFi : Dumb WhatsApp Scam Spreads Malware

Recently, WhatsApp users all around the world had to deal with a new scam that appeared online on their favorite messaging app. As it seems, various users received messages that convinced them they can have free Internet without Wi-Fi. Though those who are more experienced know that this is not technically possible, many people are tempted by this opportunity and go for it.

First of all, the scam is quite dumb to begin with because the only way to use WhatsApp without Wi-Fi is to have a cellular data connection and WhatsApp cannot offer data - it's just an app, not a provider.

Secondly, the scam is spreading because it prompts victims to forward the message to 13 friends or five groups on WhatsApp to activate the "free internet."

How It Works

"As usual, the message spreads via WhatsApp groups or comes from a friend who 'recommends' the service - often unaware of it. In this case, you receive a special invitation with a link," explains the WeLiveSecurity blog of antivirus and security firm ESET.

"You can already get Internet Free Without WI-FI with Whatsapp, and it is by means of invitations, here I give you an invitation," reads the poorly written message.

Upon clicking on the included link, users are taken to a website mimicking the WhatsApp domain. It detects the device's language based on the browser settings and invites users to pass along the invitation to more people, ensuring that the scam keeps spreading. The message also shows fake reviews from fake users, claiming to be incredibly satisfied with this amazing offer. Those users don't even exist, much like this "free internet" invite-only deal. Don't fall for it, or you'll get more than you bargained for - and not in a good way.

Surprise! Malware

After sharing the message with at least 13 people or five groups, users who have fallen victim to this sham end up on various sites where a number of malicious actions can wreak havoc.

According to WeLiveSecurity, such actions range from subscriptions to premium and expensive SMS services to installing third-party apps on the device, of course aiming to generate some money for the scammer on the victims' expense.

Victims will see various offers, but they obviously will not get any "free internet." The only way to use WhatsApp to communicate with people is to have an active internet connection, be it cellular data or Wi-Fi, and the scam does absolutely nothing to change this reality. At best, victims waste their time and end up disappointed that the magical chain message didn't work. At worst, they end up with malicious software on their phones.

How To Avoid Such Scams

First of all, keep in mind that any message that shows up out of the blue, poorly written and making seemingly attractive promises are most likely fake, part of a scam. Raising awareness regarding these scams plays a crucial role in limiting their damage and slowing their spread rate.

If you've received this "free internet" offer or some other dubious message that looks like a scam, warn the sender and your friends so that they're aware it's a scam. Moreover, reporting the fraud is also important and it's not that big of a hassle - just flag it in your browser as you'd normally report any phishing campaign.