Bitdefender Carrier IQ Detector

The deeply integrated Carrier IQ software on mobile devices has made the rounds lately. Check out this introductory post for detailed information about Carrier IQ. The technology has recently been discovered on Android and Apple smartphones in a way that the discoverer called rootkit-like. Users have a hard time finding out if Carrier IQ is running on their phone, and virtually no possibility of finding out which data it collects or transfers. To top it all off, there is no native option to disable Carrier IQ from running on the phone.

If you are like me, you’d probably want to know if a program that can virtually access all data on the phone is running on it and with which server and companies it communicates.

Bitdefender Carrier IQ Finder is a new program for Android mobile phones by Bitdefender that can be used to find out if the technology is running on a phone.

Android users need to download the application from Android Market where it is available for free. The app has been designed to detect Carrier IQ on Android phones. It cannot remove the technology nor detect or remove malicious software from the phone.

Android users can point their browsers to the Bitdefender carrier IQ Finder market place listing to install the program directly from there. It is necessary to be logged in a Google account to install the app.

The app will search for traces of Carrier IQ on the phone on start up.

Bitdefender Carrier IQ Detector

A red screen after the scan indicates that Carrier IQ has been found running on the system, a green screen that the technology has not been found on the smartphone.

What can you do if Carrier IQ has been found on your phone? It may be virtually impossible to remove the technology completely from the phone. You could contact your carrier for additional information about the technology. (via)

android , cyber news , download , smartphones , software

Bitdefender Carrier IQ Detector

takecy 12/05/2011

Carrier IQ, Your Android Might Record Your Activities

If you have never heard about Carrier IQ before you can rest assured that you are not the only one. Security researcher Trevor Eckhart published a research paper on Carrier IQ, a software that he discovered running on his HTC Android device, in mid November. Lets start at the beginning, and with a simple question: What is Carrier IQ.

Carrier IQ is a software that runs on more than 140 million mobile phones (according to information on the Carrier IQ website). It is a monitoring software that can track user activities and data, including their personal information, locations, network communications, phone calls, messages and a lot more.

A few aspects make the software especially suspicious from a consumer perspective. Carrier IQ is not listed as a running application on the phone. The software furthermore cannot be stopped or deactivated on standard phones.

The Carrier IQ company stated that the Carrier IQ software “delivers Mobile Intelligence on the performance of mobile devices and networks to assist operators and device manufacturers in delivering high quality products and services to their customers”.

How can you find out if Carrier IQ is running on your phone?

It’s almost impossible for users to find off switches, user interfaces, policies, or references to IQRD anywhere on the phone. Using standard functionality, the only place you can see that the application is installed on the phone is in Menu -> Settings -> Manage Applications -> All, then scroll down to IQRD. This application has a non-descript icon and offers no information about itself. Even on old devices, IQRD runs continuously because it’s set to start automatically at boot. The only option you have to stop the application is to select “force stop”—which does nothing. The application continues to run.

The only option to remove Carrier IQ is to root the phone:

The only choice we have to “opt out” of this data collection is to root our devices because every part of the multi-headed CIQ application is embedded into low-level, locked regions of the phones. Even if you unlock your device and remove the base application with a sophisticated removal method, neutered, leftover code called from other applications will likely throw an error each time an old action is triggered.

It’s almost impossible to fully remove Carrier IQ. The browser is modified to send to Carrier IQ daemon, as is almost everything else. The application is so deeply embedded in our devices that a user must rebuild the whole device (system.img and boot.img) directly from source code to remove every part of CIQ.

Eckhart only looked at Android devices, but it is likely that other phone manufacturers are also making use of Carrier IQ.

I suggest you take a look at the YouTube video that is a live demonstration of the Carrier IQ software by the security researcher himself.

I suggest you read the two detailed articles (What is Carrier IQ? and CarrierIQ Part 2 for a deeper understanding of the situation. (via)

android , smartphones

Carrier IQ, Your Android Might Record Your Activities

takecy

iOS 5.0.1 Update Now Available to Install

iOS 5.0.1 Available to Install

Today Apple released their first update to iOS 5 ahead of expectations. Among the usual bug fixes, this update brings aid to the dwindling battery life experienced by many owners of the iPhone 4S. Users of the beta have reported that the improvements have been ideal and they can make it through the day no problem. If you weren't lucky enough to test it out early, go run Software Update on your iPhone (Settings > General > Software Update) and get it right now. It took a few minutes for our phones to realize an update was available so be patient and don't worry—it's there. iPad 1 users will also be glad to know that the update brings back multitasking gestures—something that previously required a little hacking to enable.

Note: Jailbreakers should not upgrade until there's an iOS 5.0 downgrade option. Keep an eye on the iPhone Dev Team's blog and Twitter feed for progress updates.

iOS 5.0.1 Update Now Available to Install via Gizmodo

apple , gadget , iOS 5 , iPhone , smartphones , tablet

iOS 5.0.1 Update Now Available to Install

takecy 11/11/2011

iPhone 4S Go Live In 22 New Countries

iPhone 4S

If you’re one of the many Apple fanbois outside of the original seven countries in which Apple initially launched the iPhone 4S, I feel your pain. Though I placed my pre-order early, “complications” at AT&T have forced me to endure another 18-21 days and suffice it to say, I’ve turned a nice pukey shade of green with envy. But it’s possible you may get your new iPhone 4S before I do.

Apple has today opened up pre-orders in 22 new countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The 4S will be available in-store next Friday, October 28, reports MacRumors.

However, a good number of those new countries don’t have an online Apple store, meaning that the option to pre-order an unlocked version of the handset direct from Apple only extends to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Still, if you’re from Estonia, Latvia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, or Slovakia, you may still be able to place a pre-order on a subsidized on-contract iPhone 4S through your local carrier of choice.

Though the iPhone 4S is scheduled to be available October 28, Apple doesn’t seem to be standing behind that so firmly at this point. The 4S sold 1 million units in its first 24 hours of pre-order availability, and a record-breaking 4 million units over its first weekend of in-store availability. With demand like that, it’s no surprise that Apple is merely giving a “1-2 week” estimate for shipments.

iPhone 4S Go Live In 22 New Countries. (via)

cyber news , iPhone , smartphones

iPhone 4S Go Live In 22 New Countries

takecy 10/21/2011

Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus

Google Mobile Blog : Beaming a video with a single tap or unlocking a device with only a smile sounds like science fiction. Now, you can actually do these things (and more) with a phone that fits in the palm of your hand.

Wednesday morning in Hong Kong—together with Samsung—we unveiled Galaxy Nexus, the first phone designed for the latest release of Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

With a super slim profile, Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65” Contour Display with true high definition (720p) resolution and a lightning-fast dual core 1.2ghz processor combined with 4G LTE or HSPA+ technology. Galaxy Nexus also features the latest in software: Ice Cream Sandwich makes Android simple and beautiful, and takes the smartphone to beyond smart. 

Beauty and simplicity

With Ice Cream Sandwich, our mission was to build a mobile OS that works on both phones and tablets, and to make the power of Android enticing and intuitive. We created a new font that’s optimized for HD displays and eliminated all hardware buttons in favor of adaptable software buttons. We also dramatically improved the keyboard, made notifications more interactive and created resizable widgets. 

The desktop-class browser is significantly faster, featuring a refined tab manager and the ability to sync your bookmarks with Google Chrome. Ice Cream Sandwich also features the best mobile Gmail experience to date, with a new design that lets you quickly swipe through your inbox and search messages even when you’re offline. Calendar boasts a clean new look and you can zoom into your schedule with a pinch.

Connect and share

People are at the heart of Ice Cream Sandwich. We rethought how you browse your contacts with the new People app, which combines high-resolution photos and updates from Google+ and other social services. It’s also easier to capture and share your life with family and friends. Galaxy Nexus sports a high-end camera with zero shutter lag, automatic focus, top notch low-light performance and a simple way to capture panoramic pictures. Shoot amazing photos or 1080p video, and then edit and share them directly from your phone.

Beyond smart

Galaxy Nexus isn’t just a smartphone—it’s beyond smart. Ice Cream Sandwich gives you complete control over the amount of mobile data you use by helping you better understand and manage it. We’re also introducing Android Beam, which uses near field communication (NFC) to instantly share webpages, YouTube videos, maps, directions and apps by simply tapping two phones together. Face Unlock uses state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to unlock your phone with nothing more than a smile.

This weekend marks the third birthday of the G1, the first-ever Android phone. Nine releases later, more than 550,000 Android devices are activated daily.

Starting in November, Galaxy Nexus will be available in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Check out the Nexus website for a product tour and more info.

android , gadget , Galaxy Nexus , google , smartphones

Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus

takecy 10/20/2011