Cybercriminals ride on Netflix, WhatsApp usage to deliver malware

Source: Check Point Research. The Google Play page for the FlixOnline app.

Cybercriminals have been caught sharing Android malware disguised as a Netflix content enabler app. According to Check Point Research (CPR), replies containing malware are automatically sent to incoming WhatsApp messages.

The original malware was found hidden in an app on Google Play named FlixOnline. While it claimed to allow users to view Netflix content from all around the world on their mobiles, it actually monitors the victim’s WhatsApp notifications, then sends automatic replies to the their incoming messages that use content that it receives from elsewhere.

The replies say: “2 Months of Netflix Premium Free at no cost For REASON OF QUARANTINE (CORONA VIRUS)* Get 2 Months of Netflix Premium Free anywhere in the world for 60 days. Get it now HERE https://bit[.]ly/3bDmzUw.”

The link can be used to distribute phishing attacks, spread false information or steal credentials and data from users’ WhatsApp accounts, CPR warned.

In this case, CPR notified Google, which removed the app from the Play Store. It had been up for two months, and downloaded approximately 500 times.

The authors of the FlixOnline research, Aviran Hazum, Bodgan Melnykov and Israel Wenik of CPR, said that users should be wary of download links or attachments that they receive via WhatsApp or other messaging apps, even when they appear to come from trusted contacts or messaging groups.

CPR's tips to remain protected against mobile malware include:

- Updating the operating system regularly. Mobile devices should always be updated to the latest version of the OS to protect against the exploitation of privilege escalation vulnerabilities.

- Only installing apps from official app stores. This reduces the probability of an unintentional installation of mobile malware or a malicious application.

- Enabling ‘remote wipe’ capability on all mobile devices. All devices should have remote wipe enabled to minimise the probability of loss of sensitive data.

- Install a security solution on your device.

Talk, shop, and use cryptocurrency with new NYNJA app

Source: NYNJA Group. Screen captures of the NYNJA app, currently in beta.

Hong Kong-based NYNJA Group, a communications and mobile technology company, has announced NYNJA, a communications app with a built-in digital marketplace and cryptocurrency wallet.

NYNJA is a cross-platform app that combines voice, text and visual messaging with  business management and e-commerce features powered by its own financial ecosystem and cryptocurrency, NYNJACoin.

"While there is no shortage of mobile messaging apps, there has never been an all-in-one communications app that seamlessly supports the messaging and transactional needs of both individual and business users with the utmost security protocols available today," said co-founder and CEO Salvatore Guerrieri.

"NYNJA is the first app of its kind to harness the full potential of its user base, empowering them with a cross-platform multimedia messaging app and a built-in global marketplace backed by secure Blockchain protocols."

The NYNJA marketplace allows users to buy and sell goods and services internationally through an open API using NYNJACoin, the ERC20 standard cryptocurrency of NYNJA's integrated financial ecosystem. With NYNJACoin, users can also access exclusive groups and pay for proprietary in-group content such as licensed assets or timed consultations. Users can also earn NYNJACoin for viewing ads and sharing branded material like sticker packs or coupons.

Each account can be organised according to the user's social, consumer and business lives, and comes with a secure Ethereum wallet enabling users to transact freely within the app for fast international payment transfers without the need to pay external payment providers or internal platform fees. The open-source platform will enable developers to extend NYNJA with value-added applications.

In addition to standard messaging features, NYNJA features scheduled messaging and translation. NYNJA is global, integrated and secure across every platform and device, and lets users make free Internet calls and transfer calls to any phone.

NYNJA's architecture features secure encryption of cloud data storage for saving messages, images and files, and features an intuitive interface featuring a patent-pending concentric wheel navigation system. The wheel enables navigation of the app using only one thumb and eliminates the need for a back button.

"More than a quarter of the world uses mobile messaging apps, but the current class of apps falls short because they are either global but too basic, for example WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, or have adoption limitations due to being region-specific as in the case of Line and WeChat," said NYNJA co-founder and President Alejandro Gramont.

"Furthermore, many messaging apps are geared primarily for personal and social use rather than business; and most business-class apps lack the capabilities required to truly qualify them as enterprise-grade. NYNJA is in a class of its own as the only all-encompassing, highly customisable communications app with a Blockchain-based marketplace and financial ecosystem."

Details:

NYNJA, in development since Q117, is currently in beta and the public token sale for NYNJACoin will launch on April 17, 2018.

At launch the NYNJA App will be available on Android, iOS, and Web with native development of Mac, Linux and Windows versions to follow.

Join the NYNJA Telegram group (English)

LINE introduces encryption for chat rooms

Source: LINE. The new encryption
indicator is in the shape of a lock icon.

LINE users in Singapore will now be able to enjoy enhanced privacy and security for a safer and more secure user experience.

A new indicator icon in the shape of a lock has been introduced in the latest version of the free call and messaging app LINE that allows users to determine if a chat room is protected with end-to-end encryption. The icon, which is being introduced gradually in regions across the world, ensures that messages cannot be read by anyone else apart from the sender and recipient as they pass through LINE’s servers for both group chat and 1-on-1 message functions.

Even in the unprecedented event of a LINE server leak, users can be safeguarded against other parties decrypting their conversations.

Interested?

The versions of the LINE app which incorporate the new feature are version 6.5 for iOS and Android, and version 4.8 for the Windows and the Mac platforms

Yahoo launches new bots to help users stay connected

Yahoo has launched three new bots to help users get the latest news, stock market trends and weather forecasts respectively. A fourth bot is a virtual pet monkey that will exchange chats and emojis with the user.

The Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather and MonkeyPet bots are now available on Facebook Messenger.

To get started, users can simply type @YahooNews, for instance, in the Facebook search bar and message the Yahoo News app to get the latest news. The bot will immediately answer, and might provide additional links to information or options.

Source: Yahoo. 

Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance), exclusive to Messenger, is a bot that allows users to search the latest finance and stock news and information. Information can also be shared with your friends.

The Yahoo News bot (@YahooNews) helps users to discover trending stories and dive deeper into the news.

Yahoo Weather (@YahooWeather) gathers weather information and allows selected Flickr images to be shared.

MonkeyPet (@MonkeyPet) is a virtual pet that shares selfies from its “travels.”

Interested?

Open Facebook Messenger on either iOS or Android and send a message to @YahooFinance, @YahooNews, @YahooWeather or @MonkeyPet.

posted from Bloggeroid

LINE introduces conference call support for up to 200 people

Source: LINE. Screenshots of the new voice call feature.

LINE has added a new group call feature to the latest version of the LINE messaging app (iPhone and Android v.5.11, Windows Desktop v.4.5) which enables users to participate in voice calls with up to 200 people at a time. The group chat or multi-person chat voice function will soon be available to users of the LINE Mac desktop client as well.

When activated, the feature will prompt users within a group chat or multi-person chat with a notification that allows them to select the number of people to participate in the call. An icon is displayed above the username of the person currently speaking for easier communication. The service is available for free to all LINE users who have updated their app to v 5.111, making it an easy way to connect with friends and family for a chat or with co-workers for a conference call.

LINE was first launched in June 2011 as a messaging service available across multiple devices and network carriers, enabling users around the world to easily keep in touch with friends, family, and coworkers. Its free voice call service was introduced in October of the same year, followed by video calls in September 2013 as part of an initiative to strengthen lines of communication between people.

*Networks supported: Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G. Calls made over 3G and 4G may incur additional data transmission charges.

Yahoo launches Livetext in Singapore

Source: Yahoo.

Yahoo has announced the global rollout of Livetext, a messaging app that combines texting and video. 

According to Yahoo, texting is quick and easy, but the meaning of a message can be missed, and texters have to wait before they get a response. A live voice conversation, however, requires a relatively quiet environment. Video and text is the answer, the company says. "With the video on, you can not only share a text with your friend, but also see their expression real time, and without having to take an audio call," the company noted in a statement. 

Editor's note: Questions to ask include whether it would be easy to type when the phone is held at the right angle for a flattering video image; the amount of mobile data required to conduct a meaningful conversation; and whether not having audio would actually detract from the video experience. Feedback is welcome!

Interested?

Download Yahoo Livetext from the App Store or Google Play Store

Hackers turning to LINE to launch cyber attacks in Taiwan

Source: Trend Micro.

According to Trend Micro's Targeted Attack Trends 2014 report, targeted attacks – otherwise known as advanced persistent threats (APTs), have intensified over the past year alongside newly identified techniques. The company has found that mobile messaging application LINE was used as a bait to lure targets in a targeted attack which hit the Taiwan government.

Korean messaging app LINE has a global reach of more than 560 million registered users as of October 2014 according to Statista, while a January 2015 blog post by Metaps, LINE reaches about 75% of the population in Taiwan.

Intended targets received a spear-phishing email that uses LINE as its subject and has .ZIP file attachment with the filename, add_line.zip. The said email message purports to come from the secretary of a political figure and supposedly asked recipients in a Taiwan government office to join a specific LINE group, and to provide some information for profiling purposes. Once users open the .ZIP file, an executable file, add_zip.exe is launched. Trend Micro detects this as BKDR_MOCELPA.ZTCD-A.

Further investigation revealed that this targeted attack is likely related to the Taidoor campaign, which employs malicious .DOC files that shows a legitimate document but executes the malware payload in the background. The LINE malware makes use of the same encryption to hide the network traffic. 

The news reinforces the need for companies to adapt more than ever to the risks posed by targeted attacks, Trend Micro said. Employees should also be wary of opening any email attachments, even from people they know, or if they are invited to download software.

Need more details?

A Trend Micro blog post describes the exploit here.

Microsoft introduces Skype for Business

Microsoft is bringing Lync and Skype together with Skype for Business. In a blog post announcing the move, Gurdeep Pall, Corporate VP for Skype at Microsoft, said that the company is "bringing together the familiar experience and user love of Skype with the enterprise security, compliance and control from Lync to create the most loved and trusted communications platform for doing things together".

In the first half of 2015, the next version of Lync will become Skype for Business with a new client experience, new server release and updates to the service in Office 365. "We believe that Skype for Business will again transform the way people communicate by giving organisations reach to hundreds of millions of Skype users outside the walls of their business," Pall said.

Skype for Business will feature Skype icons for calling, adding video and ending a call, as well as the Skype call monitor, which keeps an active call visible in a small window even when a user moves focus to another application.

The new application will also improve on existing Lync capabilities, including content sharing and telephony. "Lync already offers instant messaging and audio calling with Skype users. Skype for Business adds video calling and the Skype user directory making it possible to call any Skype user on any device," shared Pall.

Current Lync Server customers can update from Lync Server 2013 to the new Skype for Business Server in their data centres, while the update will be transparent to Office 365 customers.

To learn more about how Skype for Business will help people be more productive, read the Skype Garage Blog or the Office Blog. An introductory video to Skype for Business can be viewed here.

*Images from the Office Blog.

LINE introduces private messaging with a time limit

LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, has released a Hidden Chats feature for the Android and iPhone versions of the LINE app. The new feature lets users send messages with a time limit attached to them, perfect for private conversations.

Hidden Chats can be used in 1-to-1 chats between supported devices. A separate room exclusive to Hidden Chats is created and a filter attached to the messages makes it impossible to view the contents directly. Text, stickers, images, location info, and contact info can be sent, and viewing limits of 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week can be attached to the messages.

The receiver of the message can tap the protected content to view it, at the same time starting the countdown timer for the message. After the predetermined amount of time passes, the contents of the message will be automatically deleted, making the feature perfect for sending sensitive information to be shared temporarily between colleagues or business partners.

In order to experience the new Hidden Chats feature, current LINE users must update to the latest version available via the notices section of the app. The Hidden Chats feature is not available in Japan or China, and does not offer support for BlackBerry, Windows Phone, or Nokia devices.

Worldwide downloads of LINE and LINE Family Apps reached 1 billion in June 2014, the company said.