Android vulnerability allows malware to compromise most devices and apps

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Date: Jul 29, 2014 2:02 PM
Subject: Android vulnerability allows malware to compromise most devices and apps
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Oracle slashes Larry Ellison's stock options following shareholder discontent Microsoft, IBM make cloud gains against Amazon Network World Daily News PM July 29, 2014 Share this email Android vulnerability allows malware to compromise most devices and apps The majority of Android devices currently in use contain a vulnerability that allows malware to completely hijack installed apps and their data or even the entire device.The core problem is that Android fails to validate public key infrastructure certificate chains for app digital signatures, said Jeff Forristal, chief technology officer of Bluebox Security, a San Francisco company whose researchers discovered the issue.According to Google's documentation, Android applications must be signed in order to be installed on the OS, but the digital certificate used to sign them does not need to be issued by a digital certificate authority. "It is perfectly allowable, and typical, for Android applications to use self-signed certificates," the documentation says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE   Issue highlights 1. Oracle slashes Larry Ellison's stock options following shareholder discontent 2. Microsoft, IBM make cloud gains against Amazon 3. Using a smartphone as a hotel room key: What could possibly go wrong? 4. Why retailers bear the brunt of security breaches 5. The copper telephone line over time 6. Amazon warming up to hybrid clouds 7. Using a smartphone as a hotel room key: What could possibly go wrong? 8. Considerations for Wi-Fi deployments in K-12 education settings 9. Why retailers bear the brunt of security breaches 10. Amazon warming up to hybrid clouds 11. Majority of large ISPs now using monthly data caps, GAO says WEBCAST: Cisco Systems Innovations that Protect Against Advanced Attackers This webinar will explore new technologies and process for protecting endpoints from advanced attackers and how innovations like continuous data collection combined with big data analytics are pushing the envelope for what security teams can do during and after an advanced attacker puts them in their sights. Learn more >> Oracle slashes Larry Ellison's stock options following shareholder discontent Oracle has granted CEO Larry Ellison 3 million stock options, a significant reduction from the 7 million options he received in previous years, according to a regulatory filing.Other Oracle executives, such as co-presidents Mark Hurd and Safra Catz, were also awarded smaller stock option grants than in the past, other filings made Monday show. Each received 2.25 million stock options, compared to 5 million last year.The changes, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, come after years of shareholder discontent over Oracle's executive compensation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE Microsoft, IBM make cloud gains against Amazon Rivals also outpace Google though analysts expect it to gain momentum READ MORE Using a smartphone as a hotel room key: What could possibly go wrong? Imagine using a smartphone as room key for more than 650,000 hotel rooms, at over 4,000 hotels in 80 different countries. If you stay at one of 11 brands of hotels in Hilton's portfolio, you can choose your room online now; by 2015 you can bypass the front desk and use a smartphone to unlock the door to your hotel room. READ MORE WHITE PAPER: BMC Software Deliver Better Service and Support, More Efficiently People and businesses can do amazing things when technology runs at its best. Changing requirements and expectations have placed new demands on IT; now it's time for a new approach to service and support. Learn More Why retailers bear the brunt of security breaches Whenever you hear about a high-profile security breach these, the immediate assumption is that another giant retailer has been compromised. Target, Home Depot, Michael's Stores, Nieman Marcus, P.F. Chang's, Goodwill Industries… the list of retailers plagued with massive, hugely expensive, confidence-killing security problems keeps growing and growing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE The copper telephone line over time My daughter, Emma, soon to be 13, is in the office with me today and I had some fun sharing with her a couple of facts from this Alcatel-Lucent infographic about the history of the copper telephone line. Two examples: In 1918 it took an average of 15 minutes just to set up a call and it wasn't until 1940 that telephone numbers allowed for direct customer dialing.I'm glad she didn't ask if I remembered these milestones. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE Amazon warming up to hybrid clouds Two years ago at the company's very-first ever Amazon re-Invent conference in Las Vegas, the chief of Amazon's cloud division Andy Jassy gave private clouds a bad rap.The headline from Network World's article the day after the conference: "Amazon bashes private clouds, launches virtual desktops."Jassy preached the values and benefits of a public-cloud approach. Private clouds offer none of the same benefits around scalability, initial cost and institutional security.But in the past year or so Amazon has changed its tune somewhat. It's not advocating for private clouds, but instead, it's acknowledging that big businesses may have data on their own premises that needs to interact with public-cloud based services. Perhaps there is data that is too difficult to move to the public cloud, but a program using an Amazon database needs to access it, for example.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE WHITE PAPER: APC by Schneider Electric Data Center Projects: Advantages of Using a Reference Design It is no longer practical or cost-effective to completely engineer all aspects of a unique data center. Re-use of proven, documented subsystems or complete designs is a best practice for both new data centers and for upgrades to existing data centers. In this paper reference designs are defined and their benefits are explained. Learn more Using a smartphone as a hotel room key: What could possibly go wrong? Imagine using a smartphone as room key for more than 650,000 hotel rooms, at over 4,000 hotels in 80 different countries. If you stay at one of 11 brands of hotels in Hilton's portfolio, you can choose your room online now; by 2015 you can bypass the front desk and use a smartphone to unlock the door to your hotel room. READ MORE Considerations for Wi-Fi deployments in K-12 education settings If you follow either the K-12 vertical or the Wi-Fi industry, you probably saw the news that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revamped its E-Rate program and plans to boost the amount of money allocated to in-school Wi-Fi. At the time, I wrote a post discussing how the announcement would impact the vendors, and now I would like to discuss what school systems should be thinking about as they prepare to expand or deploy Wi-Fi. I had some thoughts about this, but also discussed the topic with Kezia Gollapudi, product marketing manager for K-12 at Aruba Networks. Aruba has a large install base in K-12, so I thought she would be a good person to discuss the topic with.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE Why retailers bear the brunt of security breaches Whenever you hear about a high-profile security breach these, the immediate assumption is that another giant retailer has been compromised. Target, Home Depot, Michael's Stores, Nieman Marcus, P.F. Chang's, Goodwill Industries… the list of retailers plagued with massive, hugely expensive, confidence-killing security problems keeps growing and growing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE Amazon warming up to hybrid clouds READ MORE Majority of large ISPs now using monthly data caps, GAO says Many broadband subscribers are confused about the amount of data they use and broadband plan options, a study says READ MORE WHITE PAPER: Citrix Systems Gartner Magic Quadrant for ADCs Citrix is positioned in the Leaders Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers for the seventh consecutive year: the Gartner Magic Quadrant Report focuses on vendor's ability to solve complex application deployment challenges. Don't miss this chance to learn from Gartner's independent research. Learn More SLIDESHOWS Black Hat 2014: How to crack just about everything From cell phones and cars to IPv6 security researchers have turned their skills against a world of technology. JOIN THE NETWORK WORLD COMMUNITIES As network pros you understand that the value of connections increase as the number of connections increase, the so called network effect, and no where is this more evident than in professional relationships. Join Network World's LinkedIn and Facebook communities to share ideas, post questions, see what your peers are working on and scout out job applicants (or maybe find your next opportunity). Network World on Facebook Network World on LinkedIn MOST-READ STORIES of 2014 1. Windows 9 in November? Don't believe it 2. 10 amazing (and bizarre) drone discoveries 3. About those alleged backdoors in Microsoft products... 4. 17 obscure Windows tools and tricks too powerful to overlook 5. BYOA: Bring Your Own Authentication 6. Top 25 free tools for every Windows desktop 7. Cisco ready to ship ACI controller 8. Say goodbye to desktop phones 9. New products of the week 07.28.2014 10. Malwarebytes questions poor showing in anti-malware protection-evaluation lab testing Follow Network World Share this email You are currently subscribed to networkworld_daily_news_alert as aquarianm@gmail.com. Unsubscribe from this newsletter | Manage your subscriptions | Subscribe | Privacy Policy Learn about INSIDER When accessing content promoted in this email, you are providing consent for your information to be shared with the sponsors of the content. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. If you are interested in advertising in this newsletter, please contact: bglynn@cxo.com To contact Network World, please send an e-mail to customer_service@nww.com Copyright (C) 2014 Network World, 492 Old Connecticut Path, Framingham, MA 01701 ** Please do not reply to this message. To contact someone directly, send an e-mail to customer_service@nww.com. **