New vulnerability threatens personal data of Android users

Specialists have discovered a vulnerability that threatens personal data of Android devices’ owners, Financial Times reports with reference to experts, who have revealed the flaw in the software.

The hackers can create fake IDs, which allow them to pretend to be an existing application with good reputation, according to Bluebox Security experts. The stunt gives a lot of downloads and allows getting into the device and obtaining access to the stored data.
“It can be used to take over a specific app or an entire device, what is stored on that computer by the user,” says Jeff Forristal, Bluebox’s chief technology officer and lead researcher. “So online banking is at risk, work email is at risk, it just comes down to what the device is used for.”
According to his estimates, 99% of Android devices were vulnerable, but the company has no evidence that the hackers had taken advantage of it.
Bluebox informed Google about the vulnerability in April. After that, the US-based corporation issued an update for Android. Thus, people who haven’t downloaded the new version of software yet, remain at risk.

Open source codes

On Tuesday, Minister for Communications and Mass Media of Russia Nikolai Nikiforov suggested Apple and SAP to open their source codes for Russian state specialists. “Revelations made by Edward Snowden in 2013 and public statements of American secret services about stepping up spying on Russia in 2014 make seriously doubt the trustworthiness of foreign software and hardware,” Nikiforov said. “Apparently, those companies that open their source codes do not hide anything, but those that avoid cooperation with Russia in this issue may have undeclared features in their products.”
Earlier, Nikiforov stated about the shifting of Russia’s government from iPad to Samsung tablets. He said that this was not an introduction of any restrictions or sanctions towards US-based Apple Corporation.
Before that, ministers used iPads at government’s sessions and meeting, but now they use Samsung tablets. “This are specially protected devices that may be used for processing confidential data. Part of the information at the government’s sessions is of confidential nature, and these devices (Samsung) completely meet the requirements and have undergone the strictest certification,” Nikiforov explained.