This is a weekly series to highlight the best articles and news stories going on in the Community.
What was your favorite story? What topics would you like to see? Sound off in the comments! :)
Google Removes 36 Fake Android Security Apps Packed with Adware
Google has removed 36 Android apps that snuck into the official Play Store, posing as security and performance boosting apps, but which only contained code to mimic the behavior of such apps.
Besides the adware behavior, the apps also collected lots of sensitive information from the devices they were installed on. The breadth of collected info includes OS details, hardware specs, geolocation details, details on other apps, and so on.
Be careful what you download!
A new Facebook security feature reveals fraudulent Facebook-like mails
Facebook has rolled out a new security feature to protect users from identity theft. The tech giant is taking note of every email it has “recently” sent to its users.
Facebook users that will receive a message allegedly sent by the social network giant can check its authenticity by viewing the new “See recent emails from Facebook” section at the bottom of the Security and Login page.
If the message is not included in the list it is fraudulent and must be discarded.
Make sure it's a legitimate email!
Chrome Extension with 100,000 Users Caught Pushing Cryptocurrency Miner
A Chrome extension with over 105,000 users has been deploying an in-browser cryptocurrency miner to unsuspecting users for the past few weeks. The extension does not ask for user permission before hijacking their CPUs to mine Monero all the time the Chrome browser is open.
Named "Archive Poster," the extension is advertised as a mod for Tumblr that allows users an easier way to "reblog, queue, draft, and like posts right from another blog's archive."
Get the full story!
Android Trojan Targets 200+ Global Financial Apps
An Android banking trojan that targets more than 232 banking apps has been uncovered, targeting financial institutions globally.
The trojan is being distributed through a fake Flash Player app on third-party stores. This is a red flag, given that Adobe Flash player has been discontinued after Android 4.1 version because it’s available in the mobile browser itself. It is designed for stealing login credentials, hijacking SMS messages, uploading contact lists and texts to a malicious server, displaying an overlay screen (to capture details) on top of legitimate apps and other malicious activities.
Read the analysis!
School District to Spend $314K on Rebuilding Servers after Malware Attack
A school district in North Carolina intends to spend $314,000 on rebuilding more than a dozen servers affected by a malware attack.
Three days after the infection occurred, the school’s administrative office received reports of machines not being able to connect to the school’s network. This prompted officials on 19 December to order that teachers and staff leave their computers behind during the winter break. The school district then worked to try to clean up the virus over the holidays.
Rockingham County School District’s administration has said the malware attack didn’t expose any data.
Learn more!
What was your favorite story of the week?
What stories or topics would you like to see covered next week?
Sound off in the comments and let us know!
