DigitFreak

Tag: security

  • 5 default Android security options you should use

    5 default Android security options you should use

    There are dozens of third party security tips and tricks that can help you secure your android smartphone and make it literally invulnerable, but have you ever looked closely at the default security options and features on your device? There are few in-built features on android devices which can protect your phone from intruders.

    To make sure that your smartphone is safe and secure, you should have used these 4 default security settings on your phone. These are the basic security setup which is essential for keeping your device safe from any vulnerability.

     See Also: TrustoGo mobile security vs Bitdefender mobile security – Android app [Free vs Paid]

     

    1. Enable default Lock screen

    z 00072You should always lock down your device with the secure “screen lock” options available on your android smartphone. It is available at — settings > Screen Lock. You’ll find various options to lock down your android phone, which prevents non authorized person to access your personal data without your knowledge – your data will be secure when you are not using your phone or away from it. There was some vulnerabilities in the screen lock in the earlier version of the android phone, but it has been fixed in the android version released after Ginger Bread 2.3.6.

    Make sure your device is running latest android Operating System, which usually fixes all the security bugs. If your smartphone is old and your manufacturer has abandoned the ship, you can simply try the alternatives – it’s time when you start experimenting on your device and install custom roms. You can be active on Xda-Dev Forum, which is a knowledge hub shared by programmers and developers throughout the world – who are ready to help.

     

     

    2. Disable USB Debugging

    z 00073Make sure that “developer options” are disabled on your phone. This is the crucial region which is only meant for the programmers or app developers for the device. You should not play with the options here, unless you know what you are doing. One of the option in the “developer options” is USB debugging – which should always be disabled.

    USB Debugging mode enables anyone to bypass the lock screen lock and access the data on your device without requiring to enter your pass code at the scree lock. To disable it simply go to Settings > Developer Options – and make sure the check box is not selected.

     

    3. Enable Full Disk Encryption

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    If you require to turn on the USB Debugging due to some reason – you can still make your data secure and prevent anyone from accessing your data on your smartphone. Simple enable Disk Encryption on your device, so that no one can bypass the lock screen security before accessing the data on your phone.

     

    4. Ensure your device is up to date

    z 00075Android is always active when it comes to patching the OS security bugs. Always make sure that your device is up to date and synced with the server. Unfortunately, users are largely beholden to their carrier and cell phone manufacturer when it comes to this, but when you are finally prompted to upgrade your operating system, do so.

    Sticking to your official firmware and keeping your device always up to date is the best way to minimize the security threats on your device. However, if your manufacturer has stopped releasing the updates for your device for a while – you can try the alternatives, but always make sure that it is from the reputed source. I suggest you to download the setup files from the known sources. The top custom rom contributor is Cynogenmod – which recently jump started their private company. CynogenMod Team has developed the custom Rom for hundreds of smartphones – making the device faster and secure. You can also rely on XDA-Forums, which is the hub of programmers and developers.

     

    5. Use Google Play to download Apps

    This is actually a tip or suggestion – always keep your android app access to Google Play store. I know it is quite attractive to download the apps from the internet for free, but at the end you don’t know what it is packed with. It might be a malware or virus program which is specifically designed to steal your personal data.This is far less likely, but an attacker can also discover your PIN lock (which is necessary for him to root your phone) if you accidentally install a malicious app that records your personal data, including PIN. Most malicious apps are distributed through shady Chinese/Russian app stores.

    And always read through app permissions, as malicious apps typically make unusual requests. Most mobile security apps, like McAfee Mobile, Lookout Mobile, and F-Secure Mobile Security, come with an app auditing feature to help you keep tabs on permission requests.

  • [New App] Most popular windows malware detection tool Malwarebytes now available for android

    One of the most popular dedicated anti-malware suite for windows now debuts for android smartphones to protect your most precious gadget that you keep along with you whereever you go. It’s about time that android environment has a dedicated malware detection tool that can protect your smartphone against any intrusion.

    However, according to Google only 1 of the 100th app is actually capable of carrying malware to your android gadget by envading buit-in defenses in both android and Google Play store.

    In addition to updating the protection database automatically, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile proactively scans third-party applications and files for malware and spyware, and comes equipped with a number of features that identify and close potential security vulnerabilities.

    Additional security features found in Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile include:

    • Privacy Manager, which collects and categorizes what personal information is being accessed from third-party apps and breaks down access privileges in detail, so you can track what apps are using unauthorized personal data or costing you money by employing premium services without your knowledge.
    • Security Audit, which flags security vulnerabilities, like GPS tracking and unsecured WiFi, and suggests steps to close them.
    • Application Manager, which identifies what applications are currently running or installed and their CPU usage so you can terminate non-essential operations to conserve battery life and system resources, and to identify unauthorized applications.

     [Download Malwarebytes from Google Play]

  • Bitdefender Internet Security 2014 – the only security suite you’ll ever need [Review]

    Bitdefender Internet Security 2014 – the only security suite you’ll ever need [Review]

    Bitdefender is a behemoth in the Antivirus industry, but before trusting an antivirus with your inestimable data, you need a solid background check (Just like you need with your kid’s nanny, yeah I said it, data is as precious as one’s own kid).

    I installed the new Bitdefender 2014 in my laptop and ran an extensive background check, which included- downloading viruses, visiting malware webpages, inserting pen drives/hard-drives infected with viruses and installing keyloggers.

    See Also: How we test security tools and malware blocking [A Brief overview]

    Bitdefender has been selected as no. 1 antivirus on top10reviews — proving to be a strong competitor to the Russian security giant – Kaspersky. Here is a detailed review and test of the new Bitdefender Internet Security 2014.

     

    Installation:

    The installation is easy, can be downloaded from here – Bitdefender internet security 2014. You can also refer to company’s website for more options – Bitdefender Antivirus.

    The initial download is 5.44 MB, which seems very small, isn’t it?

    Well, unless you have bought a hard copy of the software by your retail shop, you’ll need to download the actual setup with the help of the installer that you’ve downloaded, which requires you to download additional file of size ~400 MB (which is original setup file).

    Real troublesome? Not really! You just need to run the intial setup file you downloaded from their website and it controls the rest.

    1After the whole setup is downloaded, you see a screen where you can choose if you want to share your scan results and the virus logs with Bitdefender (the screen also includes Bitdefender patting itself on it’s back, just saying).

    2Well, I know that no one reads the End User License Agreement, so here is a summary-

    • Bitdefender does not collect your personal data/information.
    • You are not supposed to sell the software.
    • You will get into trouble if you tamper with the verification process.

    The installation is a piece of cake, you just need to hit the install button.

    Then BOOM, another freaking download, yeah this gets a little annoying, they could have just given one installation step which includes download, for the sake of common sense.

    installation 3But then, you don’t need to press many “Next” buttons (only if you didn’t choose the “Customize my Installation” option, if you did they just ask you the directory where you want to install the antivirus). You are done with the installation, restart your computer and you’re good to go.

     

    Tour:

    Not the tour you were expecting, it’s just the tour to the security tools and options the antivirus has to offer!

    When you run the antivirus for the first time, it asks to run an update, this will not take long if you have downloaded the software from their website, for it is regulary updated, but if you purchase the CD it may take long. After running the update you can freely use the software, you are greeted with the screen shown below.

    To get to the screen on the right, you need to hit the right arrow four times (how convinient).

     

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    The good thing about the Home-Screen of this antivirus is that it’s fully customizable, you can choose the order in which the options are shown, by clicking the “Grid” icon next to the scroll bar.

     

    Customize Home

    The antivirus comes with an interactive and rather useful widget, which can be used in Windows Vista, 7 and 8. The widget has the following options:

    • Events: When clicked, this takes you to the virus detection log, where you can choose to delete or allow specific files, it also shows the virus details and the known threats. (When connected to the internet.)
    • Settings: Here you can customize the usual antivirus settings, like creating scan exception locations and setting automatic scan timings.
    • My Bitdefender Login: You can login to your Bitdefender account from here, but you can choose not to, no restrictions there. I would recommend signing in, they have 24 hours support.
    • Firewall Settings: Here you can change the firewall settings, turn it on or off, create exceptions or block specific websites.

    WidgetWidget while scan is in progress

    The Virus Scanner:

    Now, the most important part of an antivirus and an Internet security program, “The virus scan.” The process is comparatively faster than most of the antivirus softwares available in the market. The scan process is pretty simple and just one click away, you can scan specific folders and files by right-clicking on them, or you can create custom scan and add the drives you want to scan.

    You can also select the “Quick scan” option, it just scans the C drive (The one with the OS installed on it.) And it shows the threats found in realtime. You can also click on the “Events” on the widget and choose the action to be taken on the file while the scan is in progress.

    Scan in Progress

    The antivirus also comes with a “Bitdefender Wallet” feature, this feature securely stores your billing information which includes your credit/debit card number and the code. They do not access the information, it’s just securely stored, eliminating the risk of Keylogger programs, as many of the premium keyloggers are immune to antivirus softwares.

    You just need to allow the “Bitdefender Wallet” extention on the Chrome browser, the extention also comes for Mozilla Firefox.

    digitfreak 201300000521 digitfreak copy

    Hope, you enjoyed the tour, now comes the most IMPORTANT part, the test.

     

    THE TEST:

    The test, as important as it is, it puts the computer to a great risk. But then, as mentioned earlier, it is the most important part of determining the worth of an antivirus. I downloaded two deadly viruses, one “not-so-known” virus and one virus created by the digitfreak team, the software performed exceptionally well.

    It detected the two viruses as soon as they were downloaded and quarantined them (It also showed a warning just before the download was started.) The antivirus also has more than three brain cells, it could tell the difference between a software crack and a virus. It did warn about the crack being harmful. The antivirus performs well when it comes to the virus detection.

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    After the scan has been completed, you get a screen which shows the scan results, which includes the list of viruses detected and it also shows if a file needs your attention. It also shows an option to check the antivirrus logs, which is vividly detailed. The log includes the viruses detected in the last scan, number of files scanned and the number of threats detected.

    Log

    The screen below shows the events screen, which is just the non-detailed summary of all the viruses detected.

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    The firewall also performs really well, I went to a ton of popular malware infected webpages and a couple of very discrete malware webpages. It instantly displayed a warning page even when Chrome didn’t show a security risk page. The firewall is completely customizeable, you can create exceptions and block specific websites.

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    THE VERDICT:

    Well, honestly, I’m impressed, the only thing I didn’t like was that, the installation included two downloads. The antivirus performs exceptionally well, the firewall is good and customizable, the Wallet feature is really thoughtful, considering the amount of online shopping these days, the antivirus also has parental controls. It detects viruses in realtime and we can also choose the action to be performed on them, by clicking on the widget events while the scan is still in progress.

     

    PROS:

    CONS:
    • Impressive User Interface.
    • Exceptionally well antivirus performance.
    • Bitdefender Wallet.
    • The widget.
    • 24 hour support.
    • Two downloads during the setup.
    • Need to press the right arrow four times to get to the new home screen. (Each click displays just one new option.) 
    • Cost.

    Source: BitDefender (official website)

  • How we test security tools and malware blocking [A Brief overview]

    How we test security tools and malware blocking [A Brief overview]

    In 21st century, everyone hires a digital knight that fights off or blocks – vulnerable attacks , thieves, spy or other harmful intruders trying to get into your castle (Pc, laptop or other digital device). Before assigning such protector to do the hard work to live your life without any worries, you need to test their ability. At DigitFreak we do the same, when we test the security tools for your PC or other portable devices.

    We deliberately test the software for extensive protection and prevention ability. Some of them delivers near perfect results, while other just give up. Testing a security tool isn’t easy — we have to deal with the fair amount of bottlenecks or our own limitation to clone the infections and vulnerability.

    At DigitFreak we test every security tools manually with our own custom malware and virus scripts along with other virus samples collected for testing. We deliberately infect a protected system to find out if it is capable of fighting it off.

     

    Testing with Virus samples and custom scripts:

    digitfreak 201300000387 virus samplesThe DigitFreak virus and script sample includes malware, scareware, adware, worms, rootkit and Trojans. We also use free online virus test scripts provided by eicar.com and DigitFreak’s custom virus script.

    We used to test the security tools with the premium keylogger software, but most of the security tools are immune to it, thus we decided to shoot it when really necessary.

    We do full manual update of the security tool we are reviewing – to make sure that it has the latest virus database to provide best results. We also make sure that the program itself has the latest build, version number and the original md5 checksum.

    We bombard the security tool with the virus sample and rate it for the number of successful detection. If the tool detects 90% + virus sample, we rate it 9 or even 10 score for virus detection and best virus database and algorithm.

    We also load various known malware-hosting urls to test whether the tool we are testing is capable of holding off the user from visting it and thus, preventing the overall damage and rate the software accordingly.

    Live detection of viruses, vulnerability and security breach is also essential – we check if the tool automatically detects the virus from the virus sample folders or if we need to open each folder to let the tool detect the security risk for the computer.

    There are various other factors that we need to test to score the test tool effectively, like – virus removal, detection, firewall, url blocking, restrictive control, virus database, prevention and custom controls.

    Prevention is better than cure – so we basically concentrate on the detection ability of the security tool to make sure that it provides maximum security by testing it with our virus samples.

    Naturally a product scores a full ten points for each threat it eliminates and detects on sight. If any of the virus sample is somehow managed to escape the security – we execute the program in the sandbox (sandboxie) to note how the product reacts.

    At the end we include the results from the independent lab test and merge with our own results for optimal test results. DigitFreak expert reviewing team follows these guidelines to bring the best test results and scores.

  • How to Connect With DigitFreak via Email, RSS and Social Media

    DigitFreak has grown immensely since it was launched in humble middle of 2011. As we continue to move from a niche blog to a full-fledged news site, the topics we cover and the ways readers connect with us are changing.

    You can now find DigitFreak articles under ten channels: Social Network, Tech, Gadgets, Entertainment US & World. Reviews, How to Stuffs, security, Internet Buzz, Software. Most of them have a set of subtopics, such as Gaming and movie under Entertainment and Hactivities and Computer security under security, so you can dive deeper into more specific coverage areas.

    With this restructuring of DigitFreak content comes a change in our presence on the social web. While many readers visit the website directly or subscribe to our RSS feed, others prefer to read news via daily emails or Twitter and Facebook pages. Now that we’ve aligned our social accounts to match our new site topics, we thought we’d let you know how to find us however works best for you.