FalseGuide Malware Victim Count Jumps to 2 Million

2 Million Android Users Infected By Malware, Learn How to Protect Yourself

Check Point researchers recently reported that millions have unintentionally downloaded a malware called FalseGuide hidden in over 50 apps downloaded from Google Play Store. Attacks like this have been made through Play Store before with the use of malwares like Vikinghorde and Dresscode. The botnet malware spread through the download of guide apps for games like FIFA, Pokemon Go, Subway Surfers, GTA San Andreas, Asphalt and others. The malware quickly spread and infected over 2 million android devices, compromising their internet security. Initially, a report published on 24th April had informed that the malware has affected only 600,000 users but since then Check Point has researched that the FalseGuide malware attack is far worse. FalseGuide was uploaded onto Play Store as early as November last year and has been sitting there ever since, generating more and more downloads. Find out whether you have been a victim of this attack and learn how you can boost your internet security to protect yourself from such attacks.

How does FalseGuide operate?

Hackers behind this attack developed these simple apps as guides for games are widely popular and are downloaded by people all around the world. They don’t require much maintenance and updates which makes the hacker’s job all the more easier. This is how FalseGuide malware infects your device-

• After the installation of the game guide, FalseGuide asks for device admin permission from the user. 
• If you have given it administrative permission, it cannot be deleted from the device. It can then use methods to hide its activities.
• You will then be part of a botnet without your knowledge. The hackers will control your device for adware purposes and make an income through it. 
• Then FalseGuide registered itself on a message topic of the same name on a cross-platform messaging service called Firebase Cloud Messaging. After subscribing to this topic, the attackers can send messages containing links to more malware, download and install them to your device. 
• After restarting, a background service will start running and display illegal pop-up ads so the hackers can make money. 
• Highly malicious coding has been found in these modules which can actually allow the attackers to root your device, launch a DDoS attack or infiltrate private networks.

Did the attack originate from Russia?

Check Point surmised that the malicious apps containing FalseGuide malware was submitted to Play Store by two fake developers with Russian names, Sergei Vernik and Nikolai Zalupkin. Later, they updated their post with the information that 5 more of such apps had been found and these had been developed by Anatoly Khmelenko (translated from a Russian name).

What to Do If You Are a Victim?

Google has already removed the apps from the Play Store but your device might still be infected. You must perform a factory reset on your device. If it still does not work, you must take your phone to a professional.
How to Protect Yourself from Similar Attacks

• Only download apps from trusted sources and developers. 
• Beware of installing apps that request administrative permission. 
• Keep an updated antivirus on your device.

Plastic Eating Wax Worms Could Solve Our Pollution Problem

A planet saving caterpillar with hunger for ‘plastic’ is discovered

Our planet is becoming a dumpster with the use of plastic in varied forms and the worst thing about it is that it isn’t degradable. However, researchers have found a new kind of caterpillar which possesses the capability to eat away the bio-degradable plastic shopping bags. This caterpillar was actually bred to be used as fishing bait but researchers has found this unique plastic breaking ability during their study. These caterpillars are also referred as wax form because they used by the beekeepers to lay eggs inside the hive and they live rest of their lives as parasites on the beeswax. Their unique environment friendly ability was unearthed by a researcher when he was indulged in removing the parasites from the honeycombs.

They carried out a study in the UK supermarket where about 100 worms were exposed to a plastic bag. Within 40 minutes researchers started looking a tiny holes appearing on the bag and in 12 hours they 92 gram worth reduction in the total mass of the plastic bag. It is worth noting that the degradation rate was way faster than ever before seen in the natural environment.

Is it really happening?

Science is not just about believing the things we see but also proving that it is happening in the right fashion. Scientists have done a unique testing to confirm whether the plastic is being broken down by the environment friendly caterpillar or they are simply chomping on it. Scientists have mashed up some of the worms and smeared them on the polythene bags and the results were positive. Later on they have found that the unique plastic degrading skills shown by the worms are very much related to their ability to digest the beeswax. It is found that the complete digesting process of the beeswax as well polyethylene is almost similar as it requires the breaking of the similar types of chemical bonds.

The future application of these new caterpillars

One of the lead researchers named Federica Bertocchini has clarified that the polymer used in plastic is also a kind of wax which can be called natural plastic. Wax chemical structure is not very different from the polyethylene. During the research, it was found that the caterpillar happens to secrete a unique chemical which help in breaking the chemical bond present in the plastic. Now the next job I front of the researchers is to identify the molecular processes involved in this reaction and get the hold of the enzyme which is responsible for it.

This research will certainly help us in saving our continuously degrading environment as well will be able to break the plastic waste on a large scale. It should be noted that low-density polyethylene and plastic bags takes as much as 100 years to decompose completely while the harder and tougher plastic variants can last for centuries. Very soon we will be able to lessen the burden of plastic on the nature by introducing the chemical or even the caterpillar in breaking down the plastic wastes.

Benefits Of An Arc Flash Study

 
Having an arc flash study performed on your electrical system is a big step towards keeping you and your employees safe and staying in compliance with OSHA requirements. One of the biggest reasons to have an arc study performed is to stay in compliance and not get shut down while other reasons may include following corporate policy, certifications and insurance requirements. However, the main reason should always be to keep the working environment a safe one. An arc flash study is very labor intensive and includes many steps. Each of the steps build on top of each other to create an overall picture of the electrical distribution system. There are many benefits beyond safety that an arc flash study will provide.

Data Collection

The first step for the study includes a lot of data collection. This information contains data of each electrical device in the facility for the maintenance personnel and engineers to go through. Some of the electrical devices that will be looked at include the transformers, breakers, cables and fuses. In many cases, the maintenance teams never have enough resources or time to catalog this information themselves without outside help.

Arc Flash Drawings
After all of the data is collected and reviewed, an arc flash drawing is drawn up. The drawing will be a map of the electrical system starting at the main utility transformer and will go down to all of the mechanical disconnects and branch panel boards. This drawing ensures that any current problems can be addressed quickly and any future changes can be easily updated by following the map.

Arc Flash Calculations

This is the step where all of the data collection and map drawing is put to work to calculate any hazards in each electrical device. This step is very important because two key points of information are discovered. These two points include the PPE level necessary to work on each device and the incident energy. The benefits of this also includes providing information about the minimum required amount of protection needed to work safely. It also enables workers not to have to inconvenience themselves by being overprotective. Without the data collection, workers would constantly be overestimating risk factors and sometimes underestimating the risk factors.

Coordination And Mitigation

These steps are where the safety plans are set into place. The coordination involves identifying circuits in the electrical distribution system which aren't working properly. During the mitigation analysis, hazards are identified and plans to reduce them are set. In many cases, the coordination and mitigation hazards can be corrected with just a few simple changes to the upstream breaker system. In some cases, however, new equipment is necessary to get the hazards under control. In either way, these are done to make the electrical system more efficient and safe.

Installing Labels

The last step in an arc flash study is label installation. Each electrical device is labelled with a tag that identifies its hazard level. It will also indicate the shock and arc flash boundaries which are needed in order to determine if any work can be completed while the components are energized or not. Also, it will indicate what PPE and precautions should be taken into consideration.

Most arc flash studies will include some comprehensive arc flash training at the conclusion. This is essential for all employees and maintenance teams to be fully informed and knowledgeable about the electrical systems. The training and survey should always be conducted by a competent and reliable company such as with arcflashtraining. Their training is designed not just to raise an awareness about electrical system safety, but also to show the incentives of practicing safe electrical habits.

This is Google Jump Next Generation VR Camera Rig

Yi Halo/Yi360 VT

Yi Technology the Chinese company in the last two years, had made a niche for itself through its amazing proficient GoPro competitors. Presently the Xiaomi supported Yi is attempting to grow in the world of VR together with 360-degree video having two cameras.

This was announced at the NAB conference in Las Vegas where one is said to be for professionals and is known as the Yi Halo which had been created in partnership with Google while the other happens to be a consumer spherical camera known as the Yi 360 VR. The Yi Halo a 17-camera monster with the potential of shooting stereoscopic vide in 8K resolution at 30 frames per second or 5.8K at 60 frames per second comes at a price of 16,999. It had been designed to function with Jump a high-end VR creation platform which had been launched by Google in 2015.

The basic notion of Jump is to encourage VR film-making by removal of some of the huge barriers. Google tends to offer the general blueprints for the ringed camera rig together with server space for edging all the high-resolution imagery together and thereafter getting to kick back when hardware firms as well as film makers tend to create content for filling its promising Daydream VR platform.

Yi – First In Action Camera 

Yi is said to be the second company who has built a ring for the platform and last year, GoPro released the 16-camera Odyssey. The company has been utilising a modified version of 4K action camera in making up the Halo. The Yi Halo also tends to have another camera than the Odyssey which is said to be placed above the rig for improved capture of 360-degree footage directly above the head of the viewer when seen through a VR headset.

Besides this it also tends to have a smartphone app, a touchscreen control panel with levels on the rig structure for filmmaker. Moreover it has a capability for these small though meaningful benefits over what GoPro tends to provide.

 For instance, Yi had been the first in making an action camera which tends to shoots 4K footage at 60 frames per second which professional GoPro users tend to cry for since the release of the Hero 4 cameras.

Yi 360 VR – Release in June 

The spherical camera which GoPro had announced recently is the Yi 360 priced at $399 which can capture 360-degree video at 30 frames per second in 5.7K resolution somewhat edging out the 5.2K resolution of Fusion. Yi had showed up at NAB complete with specs for its announcement while GoPro had been thin on details for the Fusion.

The Yi 360 VR utilises a couple of overlapping 220-degree lenses, two 12-megapixel Sony IMX377 sensors together with an Ambarella processing chip to close the footage collected in-camera. Besides this it also tends to stream 2.5K footage at 30 frames a second over Wi-Fi and user have an hour of battery life. The limited release of Yi 360 VR would be made available in June.

 In the meanwhile, both the cameras would come to the US before making it to its home base of Yi in China. Sean Da, Yi CEO had informed `The Verge’ that while he hopes Chinese VR viewership to boom in the forthcoming years, this is due to the majority of `high performance, high quality video creators who tend to be US or European creators’.

How Should I Protect My Windows PC from Malware and Viruses?

Bitcoin – Secured Way of Collecting Cash

Several anti-virus programs is said to be a vital element of Windows setup but Windows has been transformed and the threat scenario has been changed. Some may be more prone to threats while other may be less sensitive to them. Some may tend to take the risk while other may require protection of their important information and all this needs to be considered.

Maximum of the main AV products began when several viruses had been written by amateurs who were keen on being noticed. Presently the malware have been written by experts who are on a money making spree and are not interested in viruses which duplicate themselves, their delivery mechanisms are websites and emails.

 They are not keen on showing off but would prefer to have their malware hidden. Their interest lies in the collection of financial information together with passwords and much more though there are also some in ransomware. They are aware that they can threaten people in making payment for something of great value, such as their personal files, financial information family photos, etc. With the development of Bitcoin a secure way of collecting the cash has been implemented.

Security Against Ransomware – Offline Backup

The best security against ransomware is an offline backup of all the important data. Several of the main AV products began when Windows together with its major browsers had been uncertain which is not the same now. Bill Gates, Microsoft cofounder had launched the Trustworthy Computing Initiative in 2002 making security the uppermost priority of the company.

TCI methodologies and training had transformed the way Microsoft had designed and created software where the results had shown a dramatic reduction in infection rates in Windows PC. Windows 10 presently comprises of a huge display of security and threat mitigation technologies wherein the main threats to Windows user is from the third party programs like Oracle Java together with some Adobe software.

Besides this there has also been a great boost in the security of web browsers especially Google’s Chrome as well as Edge of Microsoft. Chrome is said to be strongly sandboxed that tends in assisting in protecting the underlying operating system from web-based threats. `Bug bounty’ program run by Google pays researchers around $100,000 for every exploitable hole they find in Chrome or Android and has paid last year, over $3 million thus making Chrome much more secure.

Safe Browsing Structures

Additional security developments are from `safe browsing’ structures that tend to blacklist websites hosting malware. Google Safe Browsing has now been part of Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi and Apple’s Safari while on the other hand Windows 10 is said to have its own built-in SafeScreen filter.

In case of any doubt regarding a website the same can be manually checked at Google’s website. The outcome is that the users of Windows 10 are not like users of Windows XP as long as they have their software updated.

It comprises of updating browsers together with third-party software utilising a free tool like Flexera’s Personal Software Inspector – PSI, Patch My PC or Kaspersky software Updater. Anti-virus companies have begun protecting susceptible operating system together with browser code though we may have reached a stage where the weak anti-virus software tends to do more harm than good.

Problems in Back Rooms – Became Public

Last November, problems which had been debated in back rooms had become public when Justin Schuh, Google Chrome security expert had launched a tweet storm against well-known Bulgarian AV expert, Vesselin Bontchev. Schuh had tweeted that `you misunderstand your own ignorance. AV is my single biggest impediment to shipping a secure browser’.

The essence of the several complaints of Schuh was that AV programs messed the security of the other programs despite the fact that they had been written apprehensively. He had tweeted that `you ignore all security best practice, piling dodgy format parsing and other unsafe code in the kernel and expects it’s possible to make an AV that is not more harm than good, but none of you are even trying’. Robert O’Callahan, the former Firefox developer had sounded in with a positive blog post – Disable Your Antivirus Software (Except Microsoft’s).

Programmers usually don’t talk regarding these issues since they require the cooperation of the AV supplier when the AV tends to cripple or crashes the software. Users are informed to turn off their AV since they would be at fault should something corrupt should take place which leaves only one option.
 As Schuh tweeted later that `browser makers do not complain about Microsoft Defender since there is a huge amount of empirical data display which is the only well behaved AV’.For the purpose of security:

First Windows 10 with Windows Defender, the SmartScreen filter, cloud based heuristics as well as basic telemetry all of which are related to security, in turned position. With that you could possibly be secure.

Second  Windows as standard user and not as an administrator wherein running as a standard user could eliminate around 90% of threats.

Third  ensure that Windows together with all the software of the PCs are updated. Several of the malware tend to exploit security holes which have been patched already, sometimes many years ahead. For the purpose of extreme security purpose, you could run Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser like Vivaldi.

Fourth ensure that you have good backup of all the important data. Besides this in addition to normal PC backups you could use FreeFileSync to copy main data folders to an external hard drive daily which get backed up later to a second EHD. Blu-rays are also another choice since they cannot be encrypted to ransomware.

Fifth, you could run periodic scan in ensuring that your anti-virus program has not overlooked anything. Microsoft tends to do this with its MSRT – Malicious Software Removal Tool, before the installing of main updates while Kaspersky provides a good substitute. Free online scanners are also available from several AV companies inclusive of Bitdefender, Trend Micro, ESET and F-Secure.

Sixth, one should be aware that Windows 10 offers good refresh, reset and recovery choices and if these don’t do as needed then it may wipe your hard drive and you may have to reinstall Windows 10 from the start from a DVD or a thumb drive.