Tag Archive for: developer

Partial Screen Sharing To Better Security For Data, New Tweaks In First Developer Preview Here

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Android 15 Features: Google has announced the Android 15 Developer Preview for developers across the globe. The company also highlighted a range of features that are a part of the preview build. The significant changes revolve around privacy and safety and a few minor tweaks. Google will likely introduce more features in the forthcoming builds. Here is a report for a detailed context about the features in the recent build.

Latest Privacy Sandbox: The new Android incorporates the latest Privacy Sandbox for improved privacy and personalised ad experience in apps. The update brings “Android AD Services up to extension level 10.”

Also Read: Android 15 Developer Preview Is Here: Eligible Devices To What’s New, Things You Need To Know

Tweaks In Health Connect: The platform to collect health and fitness data will be tweaked to introduce support for data types across nutrition, fitness and more.

Enhanced File Safety: Via the new APIs, the files can be secured using cryptographic signatures to avoid tampering and improve security. It will also offer protection from malware and unauthorised file access that may compromise a smartphone.

Android 15 Developer Preview can be installed on select Pixel smartphones. (Image:Google)

Partial Screen Sharing: With the new option, users can record just the app window and not the complete screen. Plus, developers can also customise the experience for their apps. However, user consent shall be required before using the feature.

Improved Camera Controls: Targeted to creators, the company also highlighted that developers can control the brightness of the preview and adjust the flash intensity for photography.

Efficient Performance: The Android Dynamic Performance Framework, which allows apps (and games) to interact with the power and thermals of Android gadgets, will get new capabilities. The new power-efficiency mode will suggest apps “prefer power saving over performance” in the long run and in other scenarios. Plus, it can adjust the CPU and GPU workloads. The new ADPF can also interpret the thermal throttling status of a device.

Also Read: Android 15: Your Wish To Check Battery Health On Your Pixel Smartphone May Be Fulfilled Next Year;…

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Russian developer of Trickbot malware pleads guilty, faces 35-year sentence

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A Russian national pleaded guilty in federal court in Cleveland on Thursday to charges related to his involvement in developing and deploying the malicious software known as Trickbot. He faces a maximum penalty of 35 years, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, Vladimir Dunaev, 40, was a member of a cybercriminal organization that deployed Trickbot to steal money and install ransomware on victims’ computers. The group’s victims — including hospitals, schools, and businesses in the U.S. — suffered tens of millions of dollars in losses.

Trickbot, which was taken down last year, is believed to have stolen more than $180 million worldwide. Dunaev was extradited from South Korea to the U.S. in 2021.

Dunaev was actively involved in Trickbot’s operation, the DOJ said. In particular, he created browser modifications and malicious tools to harvest credentials and mine data from infected computers. He also improved remote access for Trickbot actors and developed a code to evade detection by legitimate security software.

“Dunaev and his codefendants hid behind their keyboards, first to create Trickbot, then using it to infect millions of computers worldwide… invading privacy and causing untold disruption and financial damage,” DOJ statement said.

Ten victims in the Northern District of Ohio, including Avon schools and a North Canton real-estate company, were defrauded of more than $3.4 million via ransomware deployed by Trickbot while Dunaev was involved in the operation, prosecutors said.

In June, one of Dunaev’s co-conspirators, Alla Witte — a Trickbot malware developer and Latvian national — pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.

In February and September, the U.S. and U.K. also issued financial sanctions on 18 other members of Trickbot, freezing their assets and imposing travel bans.

The individuals targeted by the sanctions “include key actors involved in management and procurement for the Trickbot group, which has ties to Russian intelligence services,” according to the U.S. Treasury.

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Europol Dismantles Ragnar Locker Ransomware Infrastructure, Nabs Key Developer

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Ragnar Locker Ransomware

Europol on Friday announced the takedown of the infrastructure associated with Ragnar Locker ransomware, alongside the arrest of a “key target” in France.

“In an action carried out between 16 and 20 October, searches were conducted in Czechia, Spain, and Latvia,” the agency said. “The main perpetrator, suspected of being a developer of the Ragnar group, has been brought in front of the examining magistrates of the Paris Judicial Court.”

Five other accomplices associated with the ransomware gang are said to have been interviewed in Spain and Latvia, with the servers and the data leak portal seized in the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden.

The effort is the latest coordinated exercise involving authorities from Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the U.S. Two suspects associated with the ransomware crew were previously arrested from Ukraine in 2021. A year later, another member was apprehended in Canada.

Ragnar Locker, which first emerged in December 2019, is known for a string of attacks targeting critical infrastructure entities across the world. According to Eurojust, the group has committed attacks against 168 international companies worldwide since 2020.

“The Ragnar Locker group was known to employ a double extortion tactic, demanding extortionate payments for decryption tools as well as for the non-release of the sensitive data stolen,” Europol said.

Cybersecurity

Ukraine’s Cyber Police said it conducted raids at one of the suspected members’ premises in Kyiv, confiscating laptops, mobile phones and electronic media.

The law enforcement action coincides with the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance (UCA) infiltrating and shutting down the leak site run by the Trigona ransomware group and wiping out 10 of the servers, but not before exfiltrating the data stored in them. There is evidence to suggest that the Trigona actors used Atlassian Confluence for their activities.

Just as the dismantling of Hive and Ragnar Locker represents ongoing efforts to tackle the ransomware menace, so are the initiatives undertaken by threat actors to evolve and rebrand under new names. Hive, for instance, has resurfaced as Hunters International.

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Steam Store Spreaded Malware After Hacker Hijacked Developer Accounts

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Valve’s Steam store was reportedly exploited to spread malware to a small number of users. 

The incident occurred after a hacker breached several game developer accounts on Steam. The attacker then circulated malware over the platform through game updates to users. 

The problem came to light after Valve was spotted sending out a message to affected users last month about the malware infections. “The Steam account for the developer of this game was recently compromised and the attackers uploaded a new build that contained malware,” the company wrote in the notice. 

Simon Carless, founder of the Game Discover Co newsletter, then connected the message to an announcement Valve made this week, notifying game developers about a new security requirement for their accounts. “Looks like it’s related to hackers taking over Steam dev accounts and adding malware to game builds,” he wrote. 

Valve has since told PCGamer that multiple game developer accounts were recently compromised. Fortunately, the intrusions only led to fewer than 100 Steam users receiving malware through the game updates. These users have since received warnings from Valve notifying them about the threat. 

To prevent future hijackings, Valve is essentially requiring game developers on Steam to enroll in two-factor authentication. However, the company is demanding developers do so by registering their accounts with a phone number to receive the SMS-based two factor codes. 

“This change will go live on October 24, 2023, so be sure to add a phone number to your account now. We also plan on adding this requirement for other Steamworks actions in the future,” Valve said in the announcement. 

The problem is that SMS-based two factor authentication can be vulnerable to SIM swap attacks and other forms of phishing capable of stealing the access codes. As a result, some game developers have been complaining about the new requirement and instead urging Valve to ditch the SMS-based two factor authentication for more secure authenticator apps. 

“Why does every company and their grandpa think they’re entitled to my PRIVATE phone number, that so far I’ve managed to keep reasonably spam free,” added one developer…

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