Hack attack: Apps can spy on other apps
Researchers reveal a flaw in Android, iOS and Windows that lets hackers peer into Gmail, Chase and other apps. Also, Norton reduces its software line to one product, and Pebble gets score alerts with the ESPN app.
There's a sneaky new security threat to smartphones: apps that spy on the data from other apps. Security researchers found that a malicious app can disguise itself as something harmless, like a wallpaper app, but run in the background to record what the user is doing in other apps. Watch this episode of CNET Update to learn how researchers were able to see the social security number typed into the H&R Block app, and steal the check images taken by the Chase banking app.
These malicious apps don't require special permissions to tap into the device's shared memory, so it can be hard to detect this scam:
Also in this tech-news roundup:
- Comscore reports most smartphone users download zero apps in a given month.
- The Norton security line is slimmed down into one product.
- ESPN launches an app to show game scores on the Pebble smartwatch.
- Misfit Shine can now sync its data with the MyFitnessPal app.
CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, and what's ahead. Subscribe to the podcast via the links below.
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