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10/22/2015 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Beware Siri: How Hackers Attack Smartphones

Apple iPhone 4s Siri

Until recently, your smartphone has been a private place. Your apps, personal information, and contacts, were all safely stored within a locked screen. However, hackers never sleep. There is always someone, somewhere, hard at work on the next big breakthrough. And now hackers have it.

In order to avoid becoming a hacker's next victim, you've got to be informed of the latest system vulnerabilities and keep your software updated. There are also companies on your side, who constantly guard against the malicious intent of hackers. Stay updated by checking their social networks for news.

Here's a recap of recent events, including a look at how hackers gain access to your phone.

Headphone Hack

While this may be less of a hack and more of a malicious trick, you'll never keep your headphones in your phone again. A French government agency discovered they could control phones with silent (to the human ear) radio waves that your iPhone's Siri, or your Android's Google Now, would identify as voice commands.

If you leave headphones plugged into your phone, hackers can use those headphones as an antenna, which makes your phone more easily hacked. With this technique the hacker can make your phone download malware, send phishing scams through email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social network sites, or even have your phone call theirs, turning your phone into a listening device.

There are some limitations of this hack, ones which you can take advantage of for your protection. The plugged in headphones mentioned above, only work with this hack if they have a built-in microphone. And if your phone doesn't have Siri or Google Now enabled from your lock screen, the hacker can't access the program he needs. Most phones require the user to press a microphone button on the screen before they speak, which enables the voice command options.

Other Hacks to Watch For

MSpy is a surveillance app that tracks all received and dialed calls. It collects all texts, photos, and emails, and also monitors web history. The drawback of this app is that the person who uses it must have access to your phone. If you keep a healthy password on your lock screen, you should be in the clear.

Have you noticed all of the free charge stations in airports, malls, and other tech stores? Well, be careful where you plug in your phone. A USB charge station is a direct line of access. Some free charge stations have been outfitted with malware that is downloaded by your phone as soon as you plug in. Experts estimate that your phone is compromised within one minute if you use a malicious plug.

Beware of free Wi-Fi. Though coffee shops like Starbucks offer free Wi-Fi, tread carefully. A hacker can set up another Wi-Fi hotspot of their own and title it something similar, for instance, "Starbucks 2." Some people will probably connect, and as soon as they do their phones are open for attacks. The hacker can then load malware on their phones which attacks email and personal contacts, which in turn sends out phishing schemes for money and more personal information.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: hacking, iPhone, malware, security, Siri, updates

12/13/2013 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Looking at Zact Service for Smart Phones for Kids

I participated in a campaign for Dad Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating

Zact Mobile

My 14 year old son has had an iPhone now for about a year, maybe more. My daughter is asking for the new iPhone 5C. It's hard for me to have any kind of argument to tell her "No", when my son has one, but there is a couple of years difference in age.

Not long ago I learned about a service called Zact as part of my involvement with reviewing products for Dad Central Consulting. This Zact plan looks to have all the types of features I've been looking for in order to have a little more control and oversite of what my kids can do with their phones. I want to have the convenience of having them have phones, but concerned about the potential Pandora's Box that gets opened with the capabilities of devices today and the tendencies of what I've been hearing becoming more and more prevalent among teens.

If as a parent you are worried about what your children can encounter on the internet, you can find out if spy-bubble is detectable as a spying app and always check if your kids are having fun online in a safe way.

Watch this video to see all the features I think parents should be able to expect to have on their phones with their providers. It looks like wading through the options and devices is on more than just my mind with the popularity of this USA Today article.

Parental Controls with Zact from Zact Mobile on Vimeo.

My daughter's current phone on our plan contract expires in February, we're currently paying over $40/mnth for her phone and it's not even a smart phone. My son's phone is currently on my mother-in-law's plan using her old phone, but thinking with features like this, it may be worth it to merge the two onto a new Zact mobile shared plan.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: #MC, Android, cell phone, iPhone, kids, mobile phone, texting, Zact

01/23/2013 By Jason Bean 1 Comment

What Does 2013 Hold for Mobiles

Cell TowerA new year means a new wave of different technological innovations. Considering our mobile phones are generally the single most used piece of technology, innovations in this particular field are of specifically strong interest to many of us. So what can we expect for mobile phones in 2013?

Microsoft & Research in Motion

There are two major companies hoping to be a massive success story in 2013: Microsoft, with their Windows Phone 8 and Research in Motion with their BlackBerry 10. So can any of these two make a real impact this year?

Both companies have put a lot of energy and resources behind their impending major smartphone releases, trying to create a breakout hit. Both will do well enough to keep going and to survive but tech experts don't see any of them really making a big impact.

Mobile Payments

Mobile payments and the ability to simply wave your phone over a cash register to pay for items, is a topic that seems to be going nowhere.

From Google to other mobile phone carriers to banks, there are a lot of big players pushing mobile payments as a new solution for the future. Unfortunately however, that hasn't really happened.

The problem has been Apple. The iPhone 5 did not include Near-Field Communications (NFC) technology, which is the key technology needed for mobile payments to work. As the iPhone 5 does not come equipped with NFC, there is a major stumbling block for mobile payments to really take off.

For mobile payments to really take off, it needs to be implemented almost everywhere and for this to be done it needs to be used by the masses. As the iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC and due to there simply being so many iPhone users, customers aren't going to see it as particularly useful.

This could change in 2013 with the iPhone 6 however.

T-Mobile

One company that could really spice things up in 2013 is T-Mobile. T-Mobile are offering a new way of paying for our phones. Instead of a subsidy, you'll have the option of paying up front with a lower data plan or paying a little initially and then paying monthly instalments.

Rather than having to sell my Netbook and sell iPad mp3 tablets to be able to afford a pricey smartphone, T-Mobile seems to be introducing a more financially manageable alternative to buying expensive phones.

The big question however, is how T-Mobile communicates this new plan to its new customers. Such plans are actually better overall for their customers in the long term, as it allows those buying their phone on subsidies to pay a lower monthly fee for data, voice service and text messages. The big challenge however is of course, whether T-Mobile can get this message across to consumers.

Right now their plans are working a little bit, but they really need to get aggressive with their messaging.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: cell, iPad, iPhone, mobile, netbook, T-Mobile

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