Tag Archive for: installing

Singapore Android users to be blocked from installing certain unverified apps as part of anti-scam trial

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In a previous update of Google Play Protect, users were recommended to conduct a real-time app scan to better detect whether an Android app may be infected with malware. When the scan was completed, users were notified about whether it could be safely installed. 

Eugene Liderman, director of Android security strategy at Google, told CNA the real-time scanning enhancement to Google Play Protect was fully rolled out in Singapore in November 2023.

Since the launch of real-time scanning last October, Google said it has helped identify over 515,000 potentially harmful apps, and blocked or warned users almost 3.1 million times when they attempted to install such apps. 

Scam victims are often directed to download an Android package kit (APK) file through sources such as websites, messaging apps or file managers. 

“Members of the public are advised not to download any suspicious APK files on their devices as they may contain malware which will allow scammers to access and take control of the device remotely as well as to steal passwords stored in the device,” the police said in an advisory last July. 

Sideloaded apps typically ask for permission to read and receive SMSes and notifications, and grant accessibility to devices.

These permissions enable scammers to intercept one-time passwords via SMS or from notifications and spy on screen content, said Google.

The tech giant’s newest security feature is designed to look out for such permissions, which are “frequently abused by fraudsters”, and block the app’s installation.

“Based on our analysis of major fraud malware families that exploit these sensitive runtime permissions, we found that over 95 per cent of installations came from internet-sideloading sources,” it added. 

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Security Intelligence Update not installing automatically

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Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus are automatically installed with the Windows Updates on your PC. Microsoft installs it as a security patch and there is no way you can undo the installation. If the automatic security intelligence cannot be installed via Windows Update, your computer security could be vulnerable.

Security intelligence update not installing automatically

Microsoft Defender is popular among Windows users due to its ability to provide system security without interfering with how the system and other apps work. However, some users have reported that the security intelligence is not installed which is scary for those who cannot figure out how to resolve the issue. Additionally, some users stated that the update would get stuck after installing, while others said that it didn’t install at all.

Fix Security Intelligence Update not downloading or installing automatically

If your computer cannot download and install Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, and you see error code 0x80070643, the follow these suggestions to resolve the issue:

  1. Run SFC and DISM Tools
  2. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
  3. Check this admin setting
  4. Manually download install the Security Intelligence update

Before you begin, restart your computer and your router and see if it helps.

1] Run SFC and DISM Tools

The System File Checker will repair and replace corrupted Windows OS files, whereas the DISM Tool will repair a corrupted system image. But our portable freeware called FixWin will ket you run them with a click.

Open FixWin, and from the Welcome page, click on Run System File Checker first. Wait for the scan to complete, and then restart your computer. If you feel you can also run the DISM Tool to repair the system image.

2] Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

windows update troubleshooter

The Windows Update Troubleshooter is a utility created by Microsoft to identify and correct any problems that may affect Windows updates. Running the update troubleshooter may resolve this issue.

To run this utility, open your Settings app and go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Windows update > Run the troubleshooter.

If the troubleshooter finds an issue, it will notify you what to do.

3] Check this admin setting

Disable Security Intelligence Updates when running on Battery Power

Check if…

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Stop and ask these 5 security questions before installing any app

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Before you download an app for your computer or phone, run through this simple app security checklist to help ensure the program is actually safe.

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Hamas Hackers Posing as Women to Con Snr Israeli Officials into Installing Malware

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A Middle Eastern hacking group supposedly connected to Hamas uses malware to steal sensitive data from Windows and Android devices of high-ranking Israeli officials.

Sophisticated Catfish Campaign Targeting Israeli Officials

Cybereason’s Nocturnus researcher team has reported a new malware campaign where Israeli government officials are targeted with catfishing lures. Apparently, the Hamas-linked Advanced Persistent Threat group/APT-C-23 is engaged in a sophisticated catfishing campaign specifically targeting high-ranking Israeli officials. The group is also known as Arid Viper, Desert Falcon, and FrozenCell.

Hamas Hackers Posing as Women to Con Snr Israeli Officials into Installing Malware
One of the fake Facebook profiles used by hackers to trick Israeli government officials (Image credit: Cybereason)

Israeli Officials Keep Getting Catfished

It is worth noting that APT-C-23 has a history of successfully catfishing Israeli military and government officials. The group’s campaign goes all the way back to 2015 when Trend Micro revealed that “Arid Viper” successfully targeted Israeli officials with ‘Porn Star Video’ malware.

In 2015 again, an independent security research firm, Blue Coat Systems Inc. (Blue Coat), confirmed that “Desert Falcons” successfully carried out a four-month spying campaign after breaching Israeli military servers. In their campaign, the group also used sensual photos of IDF’s women division to lure officials.

In 2017, Israeli authorities acknowledged that Hamas hacked dozens of IDF soldiers’ phones using seductive female images. In their campaign, hackers posted seductive pictures of young Israeli women on social media to attract IDF soldiers and successfully obtained classified information in return.

In 2018, the Times of Israel reported that the smartphones of hundreds of IDF soldiers were compromised by Hamas. According to the newspaper, IDF blamed Palestinian hackers for spying on its soldiers with spyware-infected World Cup and dating apps and using photos of attractive women.

In January 2020, Hamas hackers managed to lure more Israeli soldiers into falling prey to their Honey Trap operation in which several hundred Israeli soldiers got their smartphones infected with malware….

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