smartphone hacking

11 Stories

China Tried to Hack Phones of Trump, Vance: US Officials

Harris campaign devices also reportedly were attacked

(Newser) - Chinese operatives have tried to hack phones used by Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, as well as people connected to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats, US officials said Friday. Investigators are working to learn what data the hackers might have accessed,...

When Traveling, Beware of This
When Traveling,
Beware of This
Feb 8, 2020 3:00 PM CST

When Traveling, Beware of This

Experts warn against using public USB charging stations

(Newser) - Travel much? You may already know not to fire up your devices on free USB public charging stations, but if not, here's the warning: "Depending on the vulnerability they exploit, they would have access to everything you would have access to on your phone," cybersecurity pro Jim...

Russia May Be Spying on NATO Soldiers Through Their Phones

Wall Street Journal reports on odd occurrences with the devices

(Newser) - Russia appears to be targeting NATO soldiers' personal smartphones in an effort to gain intelligence on military operations and troop strength, reports the Wall Street Journal . Though Russian officials deny such attacks, Western officials say they're sure Moscow is behind the odd things happening to phones because the hackers...

Snowden Plans to Keep Your Phone From Turning on You

'Assume the phone is compromised,' says his partner

(Newser) - Smartphones can create a quandary for journalists, humanitarians, and activists in dangerous places where they are closely monitored: The devices are vital in terms of facilitating their work—and also exceptional tracking devices. It's not a plight to be taken lightly, as the Intercept makes clear with this example:...

FBI Trying to Hack iPhone in Murder Case

Apple devices belong to Arkansas murder suspects

(Newser) - The FBI will again put its mysterious phone-hacking skills to use: A prosecutor in Arkansas says the FBI's Little Rock field office has agreed to help hack an iPhone and iPod owned by two teenagers accused of killing a couple in July. Hunter Drexler, 18—whose iPhone 6 was...

NSA Can Hack Most Smartphones
 NSA Can Hack 
 Your Smartphone 
NEW REPORT
Sep 8, 2013 9:33 AM CDT

NSA Can Hack Your Smartphone

Also, the sky is blue.

(Newser) - More shocking NSA news that shouldn't be shocking to any resident of planet Earth: It turns out that the whiz kids over at the National Security Agency have the capability to access a broad range of data on most smartphones out there, including iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. This...

Hackers' Favorite New Target: Android

Malicious apps surged more than 3,000% last year

(Newser) - Cyber criminals have spent years figuring out how mobile systems like Android work, and now they're cashing in, security experts warn. Android, now the most popular smartphone operating system, has seen malware surge along with its popularity. Malware targeting the Google-created system grew a massive 3,325% in the...

Apple Boots Developer Who Exposed Security Hole

Finding App Store bug costs Charlie Miller his license

(Newser) - Security guru Charlie Miller found himself kicked out of Apple's developer program just hours after he announced that he had found a major security flaw. Miller discovered a hole that allows iPhone and iPad applications to grab potentially malicious code from third-party servers even after they have been approved...

Android Phones Have Security Flaw: Report

Google has fixed the problem, but most people haven't downloaded patch

(Newser) - A group of university researchers has found a major security flaw that makes more than 99% of Android phones vulnerable to attacks from identity thieves. If users jump onto an unsecured public WiFi network, would-be thieves can swipe the authentication tokens used by Google Calendars and Contacts, the Register explains....

How Your Phone Number Can Betray You

Hackers becoming adept at hijacking smartphones

(Newser) - Most people have learned to keep a lid on their Social Security number, but they're happy to toss around their phone number at will. As two security experts demonstrate to the Los Angeles Times , that's becoming dangerous in the age of smartphones. Through those seven digits, hackers can hijack your...

Have Some Malware With That Smartphone App

Malware sneaks in to smartphone software stores

(Newser) - The millions of apps available online have greatly expanded smartphones' capabilities—but at the price of security, cybercrime experts say. Google, Research in Motion, and Apple have all had to pull malicious or deceptive applications from their stores, but not before some had already been downloaded by scores of users,...

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