Android vulnerability renders phones lifeless

Trend Micro has discovered a vulnerability in Android that can render a phone apparently dead. The handset does not ring, make notification sounds, and is unable to make calls, with a lifeless screen. If the phone is locked, it cannot be unlocked.

The vulnerability is present from Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) up to the current version, Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop), the company said, pointing out that these versions account for more than half of Android devices in use today. "No patch has been issued in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code by the Android Engineering Team to fix this vulnerability since we reported it in late May," the company said in a statement.

The vulnerability lies in the mediaserver service, which is used by Android to index media files that are located on the Android device. This service cannot correctly process a malformed video file using the Matroska container (usually with the .mkv extension). When the process opens a malformed MKV file, the service may crash, and bring the rest of the operating system down with it.

This vulnerability can be exploited in two ways: either via a malicious app installed on the device, or through a specially-crafted website. The first technique can cause long-term effects to the device – an app with an embedded MKV file that registers itself to auto-start whenever the device boots would cause the OS to crash every time it is turned on, for instance. 

For now, Trend Micro recommends users who have been affected to restart their devices in safe mode.

Interested?

More information is on Trend Micro’s blog post.

Mobile security software such as Trend Micro’s Mobile Security for Android Smartphones and Tablets can help protect data and devices.

Trend Micro announces zero day vulnerability for Adobe Flash Player on Windows

Trend Micro has shared a new vulnerability affecting Adobe Flash Player for Windows that allows hackers to take over a victim's system. There is no indication that attackers are targeting Adobe Flash Player on other platforms like Mac or Android, the company added. 

TrendLabs researchers have discovered that attackers found this vulnerability first and have been taking advantage of it for some time, a situation called "zero-day” because defenders have no days in which to provide protection against the vulnerability. 

According to Trend Micro, malware that takes advantage of this vulnerability is being spread using malicious banner ads (malvertisements) that may be displayed on legitimate networks. This particular vulnerability is also being used in the “Angler” exploit kit, which is one of the most commonly used exploit kits today and which can spread attacks widely.

Trend Micro advises businesses to:

· Keep systems and programs up-to-date
· Run a mature, full-featured security package

In zero-day situations the first step will only come into effect once Adobe releases a patch. In the absence of a bulletin from the software vendor affected, Trend Micro advises disabling the software until a fix is released.

Trend Micro's existing solutions are able to detect this threat, but the company also recommends that businesses keep themselves protected with an end-to-end advanced persistent threat (APT) solution. 

Read Trend Micro's blog post on the vulnerability here.

Trend Micro rolls out free tools to protect users against Shellshock (the Bash bug)

Trend Micro, a security software and solutions provider, has released license-free tools to help protect web users against the Shellshock or Bash bug across the Mac OSX and Linux platforms. 

Source: Trend Micro infographic.

Broadly publicised the week of 22 September, Shellshock is a vulnerability that can exploit command access to Linux-based systems and adversely impact a majority of the web servers around the world, as well as Internet-connected devices on the Mac OSX platform. The vulnerability has potential to adversely impact a half billion web servers and other Internet-connected devices including mobile phones, routers and medical devices.

"Since this situation has potential to escalate quickly, we are taking immediate preventative steps to help keep the public safe from this unprecedented vulnerability," said Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro. "We believe the most responsible course of action is for technology users to remain calm and apply the resources made available from Trend Micro, and others, to create a strong defensive front. By making our tools accessible free of charge to our customers, and beyond, we are trying to address this 'outbreak' to stop a possible epidemic before it can start."

One of the free tools featured, the on-demand BashLite Malware Scanner, will determine if the BashLite malware is resident on Linux systems.

"Shellshock could be notably more widespread than the infamous Heartbleed from earlier this year," said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. "Heartbleed was very different in nature and behaviour. With Shellshock the threats are much more severe."

For those unable to implement the Trend Micro wall of protection against the Shellshock threat, Trend Micro's threat defense experts recommend the following steps to help businesses and end-users mitigate the vulnerability:

• End-users should watch for patches for Mac OSX and implement them immediately.
• Linux system operators should consider virtually patching until a patch is available from their vendor.
• Linux/Apache web server operators using BASH scripts should consider retooling those scripts to use something other than BASH until a patch is available.
• Hosted service customers should contact their service provider to determine if they are vulnerable and find out their remediation plans if they are exposed.

Trend Micro researchers are currently monitoring this vulnerability in the wild to anticipate additional escalations. The company has released a detailed blog post explaining the vulnerability with additional recommendations to stay protected, and created an infographic detailing what the vulnerability is and how it works.