Ofutur's perspectives
My views on things
Will new Android 4.0 phones better protect our personal data?
0Now that Android 4.0 offers a keychain API, address space layout randomization (ASLR) and full device encryption for phones, I’m really hoping that Android phone manufacturers will start taking data/privacy protection issues seriously and offer something as good as what’s available on a BlackBerry.
It’s not just enterprises that need it. We store more and more information on smartphones and their associated cloud services and this data needs to be protected when at rest. Wiping a device after the device is lost or stolen is not enough. The first thing a thief does is to chuck the SIM card out.
iOS gets a mention for trying, but still fails and Android’s security model has been appalling thus far… so let’s hope 2012 will bring a much needed change.
Here is a list of all the new features of Android 4.0:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-4.0-highlights.html
Be careful about what you install on a Mac laptop, you may allow a remote attacker to blow it up, literally…
09 months ago
Apple has finally released an OS with security features on par with what other companies are doing, but there are some serious problems with their sexy hardware. They’ve been lazy and careless and the chip that controls the battery can be operated using the default password. That’s bad security practice!
Charlie Miller, a security researcher has demonstrated that it was possible to drain the battery, make it unusable and thinks it’s possible to make it explode.
He will be releasing a solution/patch next month at the Black hat convention.
Article on Forbes: Apple Laptops Vulnerable To Hack That Kills Or Corrupts Batteries
Criminals are having a field day with smartphones built to please and gain market shares
010 months ago
Let’s face it. The most popular smartphones on the market today are loved for their fun and useful features, not because they protect your privacy. They were not designed with security in mind, even though they hold so much information about an individual or an organization. And it’s worse if you jailbreak it in order to be able to customise it.
Some security researchers say all smartphones are vulnerable to malware and this could lead to identity theft, among other things. And it’s true, even though BlackBerrys offer better protection than iPhones (no sandbox) or Androids (no review system), it’s still possible to trick a user to go visit an infected website that could help leak information.
Choose your smartphone and the content you will put on it wisely. Treat everything that is on it as public information or just remove data you’d rather not see fall in the wrong hands, whomever they may belong to 
Guardian article about malware:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jul/22/smartphones-hacked-zeus-malware
Guardian article about how easy it is to steal your data if you leave the Wifi on your phone constantly on:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/25/wifi-security-flaw-smartphones-risk
We need a better ‘friends’ management system
0Neither Facebook nor Google got the ‘friends’ management system right…
It’s too much hassle to manage lists, circles and whatnot.
Google has to move to a concentric circles system.
Family at the centre, then friends, then acquaintances, then following.
You wouldn’t need to choose multiple groups to share with or put people in more than one groups. Viewing rights would trickle down.
And you could create communities the same way, with admins in the centre, then publishers and finally viewers.
Then if some people belong to multiple concentric circles, then you would need to manage that, unless Google adds the much needed functionality of subscribing to public circles.
