McAfee and LG partner to bring anti-theft feature to G3 smartphone

McAfee, part of Intel Security, and LG Electronics have announced that the new LG G3 is pre-installed with a unique version of McAfee Mobile Security that includes an anti-theft feature designed to protect G3 users from unauthorised factory resets. 

Source: LG website. The G3.

A 'Kill' Switch allows users to disable their phones even if they are lost or stolen. Content can also be deleted to prevent personal information from being compromised. 

The McAfee Mobile Security lock screen blocks attempts to reset the phone, requires password authentication, and can be controlled by the user from the device or the a web console. 

Smartphones have become a target for criminals because of their monetary value and the personal data that consumers store on them. The growing prevalence of malware is also a concern for mobile users. McAfee’s Consumer Mobile Security Report findings show that the quantity of Android malware rose 197% between December 2012 and December 2013.

“The implementation of the Kill Switch feature is just one of several specific measures we are taking to ensure that our users can easily and comprehensively protect themselves from the growing threat landscape, both physical and online,” said Dr. Ramchan Woo, Head, smartphone planning division of LG.  

“Our collaboration with LG is intended to develop unique means of protecting users’ digital lives,” said David Freer, Vice President, Consumer – APAC at McAfee. 

Through a multi-year global partnership, LG G3 is now equipped with a unique version of McAfee Mobile Security to protect users from security and privacy threats and identity theft. Antivirus, data backup, remote lock and wipe, and remote tracking are all available through the McAfee app for five years at no cost.

McAfee Mobile Security has been pre-installed and the Kill Switch feature has been automatically activated on LG G3 phones from May 28. McAfee Mobile Security is available for free on the Google Play Store.

Read more about the free version of McAfee Mobile Security here. 

Tile's tiles make the Internet of Things real, without even being on the Internet

Heard about the Internet of Things*? Thought it had nothing to do with you? Take the example of Tile, a startup which hopes to become the world's 'lost and found'. 

Rather than it being about your fridge being connected to the Internet to the point where it can send spam to others, it could be about Tile's reality: tiles which are small enough to fit on a keyring, and which never get lost.

Source: Tile website.

Strictly speaking, the tiles don't actually get on the Internet either, but it's close. Compatible iOS devices like iPhones and iPads can check where nearby tiles are via Bluetooth 4.0, and report their GPS locations to the Tile cloud. The actual locations are only shared with the owner of the tile, and there can be up to 10 tiles per account.

If there are enough Tile users, you could conceivably track your tiles and the items they are attached to. Stick the tiles to office property like laptops, and if they are stolen or misplaced, you can still find out where they are if an iOS device nearby your lost tile checked for tiles, noted the GPS location of your tile, and then reported it to the Tile cloud.  

The challenge is that there have to be enough Tile users for the tracking to occur. At the same time, the GPS signal has to be clear; there are cases where there is no signal, among tall buildings or underground, for example. And in a case where a tile is in a skyscraper, you would likely only obtain the address of the skyscraper, and not which floor it is on.

There is still a lot of utility for tiles within a confined space, however. With tiles, anything could be made to show up location-wise, even a non-electronic item like a plastic file full of paper, or a nametag for a visitor. Important files could be tagged with tiles so that it becomes clear whose desk they are on, for example, and you would theoretically be able to track your visitor's whereabouts at all times to ensure he or she doesn't wander into sensitive areas. 

*The Internet of Things refers to non-computer items being given the ability to communicate with the Internet. Prior to Tile, there was little indication about what they might want to communicate, or how useful that communication would be.