Hackers have ‘complete access to 900 million phones’

Cyber security company Check Point says almost a billion Android devices have a vulnerability which could give hackers complete access to their data and hardware. 

Adam Donenfeld, Check Point’s lead mobile security researcher, is said to have found the vulnerability, and explained in more detail at the DefCon security conference last week.

His colleague, Michael Shaulov, head of mobility product management at Check Point, told ZDNet.com: “No-one at this point has a device that’s fully secure.”

App security specialist Promon says a quarter of victims of ID fraud victims in the UK are those you might consider to be tech-savvy — avid users of social media platforms and mobile devices.

Referring to a study by Experian, Promon says there has been a 17 per cent increase in tech-savvy victims, despite them making up 8 per cent of the population.

Lars Lunde Birkeland, head of communication at Promon, says: “This study points to a leading concern: despite the number of people using smartphones and social media being on the rise, users’ awareness of fraud and hacker techniques are not growing with it.

“It is imprudent for businesses to continue to shift the responsibility for cybersecurity to the users; especially when their reputation and business data are at stake.”

The Experian report about cybersecurity was gleaned from a more extensive survey into tech users in the UK.

Experian found that the “most prolific” users of mobile and social technology who make up 7.7 per cent of the UK population, accounted for almost a quarter (23 per cent) of all ID fraud victims in 2015.

This group saw the biggest increase in ID theft, rising by 16.7 per cent over the previous 12 months suggesting a lack of protection against identity theft.

In contrast, the research also discovered that the next biggest rise came from those at the other end of the scale — older and retired households, predominantly living in rural communities, with limited interest in technology and slower broadband.

This group of people makes up 1.6 per cent of the UK population, but saw fraud rise by a worrying 15.4 per cent year-on-year.

Nick Mothershaw, fraud expert from Experian, says: “It is vital that those embracing technology also embrace protecting themselves online.

“Using the latest device doesn’t necessarily mean full protection and being complacent about the risk of ID theft makes for a tempting target for ID fraudsters.

“At the other extreme, those using more traditional channels are not immune to fraud.  These people are being targeted through phone and email scams by fraudsters trying to steal their details.

“They tend to be less aware of the types of scams fraudsters undertake, who can be very manipulative and sound trustworthy on the phone. The sole rule is to never give out personal details, passwords or PINS to anyone, whether it is on the phone or by email.”