AVG PrivacyFix for Android app stops 'WiFi' location tracking with new feature

AVG is a company that has been 'making free and paid antivirus software for a number of years. The company also makes smartphone apps that are designed' to make mobile users more secure. AVG has announced a new update is available for its Android application called AVG PrivacyFix for Android.

PrivacyFix for Android is designed to allow users to adjust smartphone 'settings giving the ability to block WiFi access when they are 'mobile with their smartphone. With this setting when users are roaming their smartphone won’t try and connect to unknown WiFi networks, when the user returns home, or to another' location with a trusted network, WiFi connectivity works without' any interference from the user.

By blocking access to unknown and 'untrusted WiFi networks, the app prevents the smartphone from sharing' its MAC address. Blocking the MAC address foils any tracking systems that retailers might have in place that don’t require the user' to use in store WiFi.

The app is also designed to do other' things like inform you when you are going to share Facebook data with' apps that don’t provide privacy assurances. The app will also warn' you when the Facebook profiles' of friends or loved ones might be exposed. The app also has a complete privacy' dashboard available from multiple devices.




SOURCE: PrivacyFix

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Google Glass vulnerable to malicious wireless networks, says Symantec

Earlier this week, an exploit surfaced by way of Lookout Mobile Security that would allow Google Glass to be controlled by a hacker using malicious QR codes. This was quickly – and quietly – patched, but another threat remains, one that extends beyond Glass and could facilitate data theft: a WiFi-based vulnerability that utilizes a man-in-the-middle attack to get the device to connect to a malicious wireless network.

This information comes from Symantec, who refers to a device called a Wi-Fi Pineapple, which functions by impersonating a wireless network that a device – such as Glass – has already connected to in the past. It does this by using the network’s SSID. So, for example, if Glass had previously connected to a network called My Awesome WiFI, the device could impersonate that SSID while instead broadcasting a malicious network.

This takes advantage of a feature that most devices have, whereby they remember a network they have previously connected to and stay on the outlook for it. The result of this is convenient – the device will automatically connect to a recognized network, removing the hassle. It is also where the vulnerability lies, and users should be aware of it, says Symantec.

Of course, this problem could affect any device that does this, but Glass is said to make avoiding this problem more difficult due to the way its interface works, sans any input devices like a keyboard. Glass will find a network it recognizes and connect to it, and the user may never notice anything off about it.

Although the problem is known, figuring out a solution that works to avoid this kind of potential attack is more complicated, with Symantec saying that things like utilizing MAC addresses are still vulnerable. For now, users are advised that the “practicable solution” is to act like any network can be malicious, and to either utilize encryption or a VPN.

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