Tag Archive for: secure

New Feature Coming to Android: Secure Zones

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Summary: Android users can look forward to a new feature called Secure Zones, which aims to protect sensitive apps and data on smartphones. While Google is still working on the development of this feature, an early preview has given users an idea of what to expect.

Google is currently developing a feature called Secure Zones, which will allow Android users to keep important apps hidden in a secure area on their smartphones. Similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder, this functionality aims to protect sensitive information from prying eyes.

The Secure Zones feature, spottedAndroid expert Mishaal Rahman, was enabled on the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 software version. Although it is not yet functional, the preview provides insights into how the feature will work once it is officially released.

To access Secure Zones, users will navigate through their phone settings and select “Security & Privacy” followed“Private Space.” Apps within the Secure Zone will be protecteda lock and will not appear in permission manager, privacy dashboard, or other settings when the Secure Zone is locked. This ensures that app activity and notifications from the Secure Zone remain hidden.

Interestingly, Secure Zones will be created as a separate Android profile known as android.os.usertype.profile.PRIVATE. This allows for a clear segregation between the main Android OS and the Secure Zone. Users will need to sign into a Google account within the Secure Zone, further enhancing its security.

Google is also working on making Secure Zone apps accessible directly from the search bar. While this function is not yet operational, it indicates that more convenient access to Secure Zone apps may be available in the future.

The release date for the Secure Zones feature is uncertain, but it is expected to be introduced sometime next year. Speculations suggest that it may be included in the March feature drop for Android or in the Android 15 update set to launch in the fall.

Overall, Secure Zones will offer Android users a secure and private space to store sensitive apps and data, providing peace of mind and enhanced security for personal information.

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Best secure router of 2023

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In an era where network security is paramount, choosing the best secure router is crucial for safeguarding your online presence, whether at home, in the office, or in a small business setting. 

As more devices become network-enabled, the necessity to protect your network against unauthorized access and threats becomes more pressing. With the right secure router, you can enjoy not just fast Wi-Fi access, but also the peace of mind that comes with enhanced security.

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Vietnam’s ‘white hat’ hackers secure prestigious digital security award

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Last month, Viettel Cyber Security (VCS), a unit of Viettel, one of Vietnam’s largest state-owned enterprises, received thrilling news: they emerged as champions in the esteemed cybersecurity competition Pwn2Own Toronto 2023.

At the close of the competition on the evening of October 27, Viettel’s VCS team clinched the championship with an impressive total score of 30 points, earning them the distinguished title of ‘Master of Pwn’ and outpacing competitors by a significant margin of 12.75 points.

The total score was calculated based on successful participation and assigned Master of Pwn points in the competition’s category tables.

Pwn2Own 2023 was hosted by Toronto, Canada from October 24 to 27.

A team of young achievers

The sweet taste of success embraced the 14 young members of the team after three months of relentless dedication, working day and night, and competing fiercely against rivals worldwide.

Perhaps surprising to many, the youngest member, Do Anh Dung, a third-year student from the University of Engineering and Technology under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, was born in 2003.

Beyond the youthfulness of Dung, the other 13 members of VCS, who achieved significant success at Pwn2Own 2023, are also young. 

Despite their tender age, each team member boasts considerable experience in cybersecurity, cultivated over years of dedicated work.

Even the youngest, Dung, made a noteworthy contribution, securing a victory in one of the competition categories, aiding in the team’s triumph.

On the evening of October 27, VCS secured the final victory, surpassing formidable opponents such as Sea Security from Singapore, Vupen and Synacktiv from France, and last year’s winners Devcore from Taiwan.

Ha Anh Hoang, a VCS team member, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they were informed about the devices they had to compromise only three months before the contest’s opening day.

This meant a tight preparation schedule, including purchasing new devices, exploring their hardware and software, and awaiting the arrival of some tools ordered from abroad, which took up to a month.

Nguyen Xuan Hoang, another team member, acknowledged the presence of…

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All Companies Have Them—And Need To Secure Them

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Alon Jackson is the CEO and cofounder of Astrix Security, a leading enterprise solution securing app-to-app interconnectivity.

In modern development environments, “secrets” are authentication keys that are created by research and development teams to allow access to and between different resources and data. Secrets also allow services and non-human identities, such as third-party apps, to connect to your system, enhancing overall productivity and operations for the business.

To keep pace with the competition, it’s essential—and also inevitable—that we continue integrating non-human identities and generative AI tools into our systems, ones that will help with everything from email writing to lead generation insight.

Secrets are created almost on a daily basis, but securing them is a difficult task. In fact, wondering whether these secrets are actually safe and not exposed can keep security teams up at night.

Internal Vs. External Secrets

Secrets are typically bucketed into two categories: external and internal.

• External secrets are secrets (API keys, OAuth tokens, SSH keys) that you don’t own or have possession of, usually used by operating systems, i.e., plug-ins, add-on extensions and third-party applications that are connected to core critical systems like Salesforce, GitHub, and Microsoft365.

• Internal secrets are API keys and other tokens created by R&D teams within the organization. These “internal” secrets are sometimes shared, however, with external entities that often haven’t gone through proper security vetting and now have the same access to sensitive information—without your security team’s knowledge.

Securing secrets is difficult to understand, and ultimately manage. Oftentimes, DevOps and R&D teams own them but are not responsible for securing them. This leaves ample room for missteps, which results in secrets being leaked by human error, such as if an employee unintentionally shares a secret through a different channel or portal, a ticket or a Slack message.

The latest Microsoft breach, for example, occurred when a key was leaked in between processes. Ultimately, this allowed the attackers to download the memory and the secret key…

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