Beware of ‘Agent Smith’, a new malware that has infected 15 million devices in India, Electronics & Gadgets : Today Indya

Beware of ‘Agent Smith’, a new malware that has infected 15 million devices in India

Electronics & Gadgets

Hindustan Times

Disguised as a Google-related app, ‘Agent Smith’ malware exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without the users’ knowledge or interaction

Beware of ‘Agent Smith’, a new malware that has infected 15 million devices in India

Cyber security solutions provider Check Point on Wednesday revealed that ‘Agent Smith,” a new variant of mobile malware, has quietly infected around 25 million Android devices globally, including 15 million mobile devices in India.

Disguised as a Google-related app, the malware exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without the users’ knowledge or interaction, said Check Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Israel-based Check Point.

The malware currently uses its broad access to the devices’ resources to show fraudulent ads for financial gain, but could easily be used for far more intrusive and harmful purposes such as banking credential theft and eavesdropping.

This activity resembles previous malware campaigns such as “Gooligan”, “Hummingbad” and “CopyCat”.

“The malware attacks user-installed applications silently, making it challenging for common Android users to combat such threats on their own,” said Jonathan Shimonovich, Head of Mobile Threat Detection Research at Check Point.

“Agent Smith” was originally downloaded from the widely used third-party app store, 9Apps and targeted mostly Hindi, Arabic, Russian and Indonesian-speaking users.

So far, the primary victims are based in India though other Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh have also been impacted. There has also been a noticeable number of infected devices in the UK, Australia and the US as well.

Check Point has worked closely with Google and at the time of publishing, no malicious apps remain on the Play Store, said the company.

“Combining advanced threat prevention and threat intelligence while adopting a ‘hygiene first’ approach to safeguard digital assets is the best protection against invasive mobile malware attacks like ‘Agent Smith,’“ said the report.

In addition, users should only be downloading apps from trusted app stores to mitigate the risk of infection as third party app stores often lack the security measures required to block adware loaded apps.

Article Original Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/tech/beware-of-agent-smith-a-new-malware-tha...

#malware infected devices

LG Launches New Range of OLED, Smart, UHD, NanoCell AI ThinQ TVs in India

Electronics & Gadgets

gadgetsndtv

The new range starts from Rs. 24,990 and goes up to 10,99,990.

HIGHLIGHTS

• LG unveiled its new range of TVs at CES 2019 in January

• There are preloaded OTT apps such as Eros Now and Hotstar

• Select LG NanoCell models come with Apple AirPlay 2 integration

LG on Wednesday launched its new range of artificial intelligence (AI) powered televisions in India. The range includes various Smart, LED, UHD, NanoCell, and OLED AI ThinQ models. The South Korean company also offers Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant integration on its 2019 OLED TV lineup that was unveiled back in January -- just ahead of CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Additionally, there is Apple HomeKit integration on 2019 OLED and select NanoCell TV models to enable controlling through Siri and the Home app on Apple devices. Some LG TV models will also provide Apple AirPlay 2 support.

The new range of LG TVs extends from 32-inch to 77-inch models, between the price range of Rs. 24,990 and Rs. 10,99,990. The TVs come preloaded with a number of OTT (over-the-top) apps, including AltBalaji, Amazon Prime Video, Eros Now, Hotstar, Hungama Play, Netflix, Sun Nxt, YouTube, YuppTV, and Zee5.

As showcased at CES 2019 back in January, the 2019 LG OLED TVs come with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant integration to deliver voice assistance out-of-the-box. LG has also offered its ThinQ AI voice recognition technology to enhance the experience of the preloaded assistants. The TVs are also touted to include Contextual Voice Understanding. Further, users can access features such as Alexa Routines directly using the bundled LG Magic Remote.

For customers demanding high-quality image results with vibrant colour reproduction, LG has brought the NanoCell TV range that includes features such as Nano Colour with Full Array Dimming, Nano Accuracy, and Nano Bezel. The company claims its new panels on the NanoCell TV models are designed to deliver more vivid colours over the conventional LED TVs. The thin bezels of the new TVs are also aimed to provide an immersive viewing experience to users.

As mentioned, the 2019 OLED and select NanoCell TVs will support AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit. The AirPlay 2 addition will allow users to watch videos on the new LG TVs directly through their Apple devices. With the HomeKit integration, LG will bring the ability to control its TVs using Siri or the Home app.

The new LG TV range also has HDR support and there are various models with Dolby Vision. Likewise, LG has provided support for Dolby Atmos for an immersive, surround sound experience. There is also an Alpha 9 Gen 2 processor that is touted to offer AI picture, AI sound, and AI brightness.

LG has also given features such as Mobile Connection Overlay as well as Google Photos and Google Drive access. Further, the TVs have two-way Bluetooth feature that lets users wirelessly listen to the TV audio on a compatible device and connect the smartphone with the TV to stream music.

Product Head of Home Entertainment (OLED and UHD TV) Abhiral Bhansali at the launch event said that LG India was projecting to cover more than 84 percent of the AI market through its ThinQ AI TVs. The new TVs will be available for purchase through various online and offline channels.

Article Original Source : https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tv/news/lg-thinq-ai-2019-oled-smart-uhd-nanocell-t...