Android app downloads infected with cryptocoin-mining code

A new British IoT product security law is racing through the House of Commons, with the government boasting it will outlaw default admin passwords and more.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure PSTI Bill was introduced yesterday and is intended to drive up security standards in consumer tech gadgetry, ranging from IoT devices to phones, fondleslabs, smart TVs, and so on. Digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez MP said in a canned statement: "Our Bill will put a firewall around everyday tech from phones and thermostats to dishwashers, baby monitors and doorbells, and see huge fines for those who fall foul of tough new security standards.

Poll Sixty square kilometres in Beijing's Economic and Technological Development Zone have been approved for commercial operation of Chinese web giant Baidu's autonomous taxi service. The service, called Apollo Go, will have over pick-up and drop-off points in both commercial and residential areas and will run from to every day.

Google's Cybersecurity Action Team has released its first "threat horizon" report on the scary things it's found on the internet. The advertising giant launched the Team in October , when execs said its ambition was to become "the world's premier security advisory team" and dispense advice that will improve cyber resilience for all. The Team's first report offers six nuggets of intelligence, and The Register believes none will surprise readers.

A group of over 70 Japanese organisations have decided to create their own blockchain-backed digital currency. The Forum's membership includes four private banks, telcos, railway operators, and industrial giants such as Mitsubishi. Japan's central bank, Financial Services Agency, and three relevant ministries all have observer status. The group has published a white paper [PDF] that explains how users would "mint" DCJPY by transferring money from a bank account to a digital currency account stored on a platform built and operated by Forum members.

DCJPY holders could transfer the digi-Yen to other participants in that platform, or "burn" the currency by transferring it to a bank account. Cybersecurity researchers at anti-virus software company Dr Web have discovered a treasure trove of malware-laced Android games on Huawei's AppGallery. The trojan, Android. To date it has been installed over 9. The infected apps ask for permission to make and manage phone calls. Once permission is given, the data collection and transfer of information to a remote server begins.

The addresses given by Uncle Sam for this semiconductor business matches those listed on the website of New H3C, the Chinese company formed as a joint venture between HPE and Tsinghua Unigroup to build networking products. H3C is still the exclusive provider of HPE servers, storage, and associated technical services in China. All must now set up offices in Russia by at the latest, if they haven't already got at least one.

If they decline, the regulator can take "coercive measures," such as removing the foreign businesses from Russian web search results, banning them from advertising or collecting data in the nation, and imposing other restrictions. Theranos boss Elizabeth Holmes admitted in court this week she personally added Pfizer and Schering-Plough logos to her startup's presentations while trying to seal a deal with Walgreens. Giving testimony on Tuesday during her fraud trial , the one-time chief exec damningly revealed it was her idea to place the pair of Big Pharma logos on Theranos reports and then send them to Walgreens executives.

Holmes is battling charges she defrauded, and conspired to defraud, investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars by grossly exaggerating the abilities of her company's technology. Systems Approach The recent announcements from Intel about Infrastructure Processing Units IPUs have prompted us to revisit the topic of how functionality is partitioned in a computing system.

These latter firms use the term DPU data processing unit but the consensus seems to be that these devices tackle the same class of problems. Canonical continues its record of consistency with its latest version of Ubuntu, released this month. Federal Initiative Aims to Spur Software Development April 24, The allure of Big Data stems from the ability to use advanced technology to manage and manipulate huge amounts of information.

Not only that, Big Data offers the opportunity for unlocking information not previously available, and even not previously knowable. However, the software required to underpin Big Data and related IT advances may not be up to the task. Going Gold - IBM's Mainframe Turns 50 April 22, Longevity doesn't get much respect in the tech industry, partly due to new technologies regularly entering and dominating industries and commercial markets.

However, cultural factors play a part, too. Much of IT's vibrancy results from the startup mindset and youthful employees who willingly embrace crushing hour work weeks for a chance to become millionaires -- or billionaires. The company reportedly stopped all services offered through its website and smartphone apps, and said consumers could not use its online payment services or receive text message confirmations of payments made.

Adobe's Open Source Tightrope Walk April 19, Open source software continues to gain momentum -- but what is not growing is an open desire among individual software developers to port their commercial Windows wares to Linux.

Open source support is not a mere in or out decision. Some software makers shape their business models to take advantage of open source support for some products but not others.

However, with an onslaught of data breaches such as the recent hacking of the Target retail chain, consumers and their representatives in government are increasingly nervous about bigger threats to privacy. The White House is conducting a review of the issue.

Next iOS May Add Shazam Music Discovery April 18, Have you ever heard a song you never heard before while you were out and about and wished you knew its title and artist? Apple reportedly is working with Shazam Entertainment to incorporate into iOS 8 a feature that allows a song's title and artist to be identified from a sound grab through the microphone in an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

It is very reliable and stable, with 11 years of growth behind it. The uGet website has received a makeover to better support users. IPhone bug leaves emails vulnerable Posted: May [Source: CNN Money] Apple says it encrypts email attachments you receive on your iPhone or iPad -- but it doesn't, according to a security researcher. Click for details Here is the text of his talk Nokia appoints new President and CEO and announces new strategy Posted: Apr [Source: Nokia] Nokia's new strategy emphasizes patent generation, licensing, and exploitation of its intellectual property.

The acquisition has been approved by Nokia shareholders and by governmental regulatory agencies around the world. The device brings an impressive feature set including a full x display, quad-core 2. The Lucid 3 features 4. Nokia Announces Product Advisory for the Lumia tablet's charger Posted: Apr [Source: Nokia] Nokia issued a safety advisory for the Lumina charger which could "pose a hazard of an electric shock if touched while the plug remains in a live socket.

Kill-switch coming to smartphones Posted: Apr [Source: CTIA] The CTIA announced an industry initiative to mandate "kill switch" and to "impose tough penalties against those caught stealing devices or modifying them illegally".

Amazon may be developing 3D smartphone Posted: Apr [Source: cbs news] Amazon's upcoming phone may have some interesting retina-tracking 3D features, according to report. Nikon introduces Android-based Coolpix SC camera Posted: Apr [Source: Nikon] Nikon's first Android-based camera features megapixels, 12X optical zoom, low-light sensitivity, vibration reduction, p video and built-in WiFi connectivity. Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit now available Posted: Apr [Source: Samsung] Samsung has launched an advertising campaign around their Tizen-based wearable devices, with both products now available for preorder on Amazon with release promised on April Nokia unveils the Lumia , and Posted: Apr [Source: Nokia] Nokia showcases three new Lumina phones, from the featuring dual-sim, to the quad-core with 5-inch display and megapixel camera.

Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8. Millions of Android app downloads infected with cryptocoin-mining code Posted: Mar [Source: The Guardian] Researchers have found apps in the Google Play store which are secretly hijacking mobiles to mine cryptocoins Click for details Heather Kelly Can Apple help make hearing aids cool?

Now phone calls, FaceTime chats, music, movies, turn-by-turn navigation or other audio can be streamed directly to a small earpiece. This way users will pay you with their CPU power for accessing your content. Why not Bitcoin, Ethereum or any other? Our JavaScript miner has more advantages than other javascript mining solutions.

Cryptocurrencies are traditionally mined by industrial sized server farms setup next to power stations consuming vast amounts of electricity. Their platform saves energy and allows webmasters to monetize their websites by replacing the role of cryptocurrency miners.

Website visitors carry out the mathematical hashing process in the background while browsing a website using excess CPU power which would be otherwise wasted. An unobtrusive code snippet placed on the website runs in the browser while a visitor is on the page. This provides the hashing functionality required to secure the blockchain. Coinhive offers a JavaScript miner for the Monero Blockchain that you can embed in your website. Your users run the miner directly in their Browser and mine XMR for you in turn for an ad-free experience, in-game currency or whatever incentives you can come up with.