3 TIPS FOR SECURING YOUR ANDROID DEVICE

Recently, we asked you, our valued readers, to tell us which topics you would like to see on AndroidPIT in the future. The results showed that about 90% of you were interested in learning more about security and privacy. With that in mind, here are three things you can do today to make your Android device more secure.

• Our review of the Telegram messenger
• Is antivirus software really necessary for Android? 

1. Encrypting your device

Encryption is a process which encodes your private data on a device, so that it can't be read by anyone unauthorized. Once you encrypt your Android smartphone, any new data becomes encrypted automatically. Decrypting takes place automatically for you as well.

Android has two methods for encrypting your device:

Full disk encryption on Android (5.0 and up)

According to Google, "full-disk encryption uses a single key—protected with the user’s device password—to protect the whole of a device’s userdata partition. Upon boot, the user must provide their credentials before any part of the disk is accessible." This is secure, but when you reboot your phone, your data isn't accessible until your credentials are entered. Which means, things like alarm notifications and phone calls can't take place.

File-based encryption on Android (7.0 and up)

For those who have Nougat already, Android's file-based encryption "allows different files to be encrypted with different keys that can be unlocked independently." With the Direct Boot function, devices can "boot straight to the lock screen, thus enabling quick access to important device features like accessibility services and alarms."

2. Secure messaging on Android

The Secure Messaging Scorecard by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a great resource for evaluating all the complex ways a messaging service can be secured or unsecured. There are a lot of factors to take into account, and if you're not a security expert, you may not have considered something like whether or not your messages were encrypted during transit. Nevertheless, these details are still very important. 

Their scorecard evaluates messengers based on the following criteria:

• Encrypted in transit?    
• Encrypted so the provider can’t read it?    
• Can you verify contacts’ identities?    
• Are past comms secure if your keys are stolen?    
• Is the code open to independent review?    
• Is security design properly documented?    
• Has there been any recent code audit?

With these factors in mind, there are many apps which meet all the criteria on the scorecard. Since security and usability are often at odds with each other, some apps which meet these criteria aren't the most user-friendly or widely adopted.

For both security and usability, I recommend the average person to try Signal for secure communications. It's user-friendly and popular among the security-conscious crowd.

3. Enable Two-factor Authentication on everything

Two-factor authentication, also called two-step verification, requires two authentication methods, like passwords, PIN numbers, fingerprints or physical access to your cell phone. This method of securing your accounts works on many services, and you may already have used it with your online banking platform. 2FA, as it is sometimes known, even works with various social media platforms to prevent other people from hijacking your online identity. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all have the feature. Major payment platforms like PayPal and cloud storage services like Dropbox also usually support 2FA. And, very importantly, you should enable it on your Google Account as well.

What other security topics are you interested in? Have you tried any of the above methods before?

'Over 1 million Google accounts breached by Android malware Gooligan'

A new variant of an Android malware called "Gooligan" is believed to have breached the security of over one million Google accounts.

According to security firm Check Point Software Technologies, the malware roots Android devices and steals email addresses and authentication tokens stored on them.

This can give attackers access to users' sensitive data from Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs, Google Play, Google Drive, and G Suite, it said.

"This theft of over a million Google account details is very alarming and represents the next stage of cyber- attacks. We are seeing a shift in the strategy of hackers, who are now targeting mobile devices in order to obtain the sensitive information that is stored on them," Check Point's head of mobile products Michael Shaulov said.

No immediate comment could be received from Google on the matter.

Check Point's report said the malware campaign infects 13,000 devices each day and that Gooligan targets devices on Android 4 (Jelly Bean, KitKat) and 5 (Lollipop), which represent nearly 74 per cent of Android devices in use today.

About 40 per cent of these devices are located in Asia and about 12 per cent are in Europe.

After attackers gain control over the device, they generate revenue by fraudulently installing apps from Google Play and rating them on behalf of the victim, the report said.

"Every day Gooligan installs at least 30,000 apps on breached devices, or over 2 million apps since the campaign began," it added.

The infection begins when a user downloads and installs a Gooligan-infected app on a vulnerable Android device, or by clicking on malicious links in phishing attack text messages.

Check Point said it has reached out to the Google security team immediately with information on this campaign.

"We appreciate Check Point's partnership as we've worked together to understand and take action on these issues. As part of our ongoing efforts to protect users from the Ghost Push family of malware, we've taken numerous steps to protect our users and improve the security of the Android ecosystem overall," Google's director of Android security Adrian Ludwig was quoted as saying.

Among other actions, Google has contacted affected users and revoked their tokens, removed apps associated with the Ghost Push family from Google Play, and added new protections to its Verify Apps technology.

Check Point?s Mobile Research Team first encountered Gooligan's code last year and in August this year, the malware reappeared with a new variant and has since infected at least 13,000 devices per day.

Check Point is offering a free online tool that allows users to check if their account has been breached.

"If your account has been breached, a clean installation of an operating system on your mobile device is required. For further assistance, you should contact your phone manufacturer or mobile service provider," Shaulov said.

New Google phone comes with suite of 'smart' technology

Google has unveiled its new smartphone along with a suite of new hardware products that work together and make use of the company's personal assistant software.

At a product launch in San Francisco on Tuesday, the company officially announced the Pixel phone, the Daydream View virtual reality headset, the Chromecast Ultra streaming device and the Google Home smart speaker.

None of these devices are unique to Google, and the tech giant faces stiff competition from established companies like Apple and Sony.

But Google is gambling that the deep well of data it has accumulated about people through its search engine and online software puts it in the best position to leverage emerging technologies for individual consumers.

"Our goal is to build a personal Google for each and every user," CEO Sundar Pichai said. "We want to build a Google for each user."

Pixel phones

The Pixel phone marks the company's most aggressive challenge yet to Apple and Samsung.


Google has released a series of its own phones, dubbed Nexus, since 2010. Those phones had limited distribution and were typically embraced by Google purists. Now, the company is casting aside the Nexus name as it aims to become an even more prominent player in the mobile market.

Described as "the first phone made by Google inside and out," it comes with a voice-activated, built-in personal assistant.

Assistant, Google's answer to Apple's Siri, listens to voice commands and performs tasks, such as playing music or making restaurant reservations. It links directly to a user's Google account so it can access things like email and calendars to provide a personalized experience. 

Pixel is available for preorder in Canada for $899 or $1,149 for the larger version.

Google Home

Google is ready to start selling its echo of Amazon's Echo.

Googe Home is an internet-connected speaker that uses Assistant to transform your abode into a smart home.

It will be able to perform many of the same tasks as Echo, including playing music and fielding questions about everything from the weather to what's playing at the local theatre.

But Google is betting that the knowledge that it has gained while running the world's dominant search engine will make the computer-powered assistant in Home smarter than Echo's Alexa, which has been on the market since 2014.

Amazon Echo challenges Toronto's Ubi voice assistant

Home will also be able to control lights, appliances and other devices around the house, assuming you've installed "smart" versions of them.

And like most of Google's new hardware, Home will work closely with other Google devices. For example, if you have a Chromecast streaming device, you can use Home to control video on your TV.

Home will cost $129 US ($170 Cdn).

Daydream View

The company also gave us a look at its virtual reality headset Daydream View, which comes with a small remote and slate of exclusive content.

The new wireless motion controller for Daydream can function like a fishing rod, a steering wheel or a pointer to permit more sophisticated VR experiences.

The headset is paired with any Daydream-ready phone. For the time being, that exclusively means Pixel, but Google says more compatible phones will roll out. 

Daydream is a challenge to more sophisticated systems from Facebook's Oculus business, HTC and Sony.

Google says 50 partners are bringing apps and games to Daydream, with more on the way. Google services such as photos, YouTube and Street View maps will also come to Daydream.

The Daydream View will hit shelves in November for $79 US ($104 Cdn).

Chromecast Ultra

Google is updating its Chromecast video-streaming device for watching Netflix and other online video on big screens.

The new device, Chromecast Ultra, will support a higher-resolution format called 4K and work in concert with Google Home. 

Google is facing competition with low-end devices. Roku just announced a $30 Express model that's about the size of a finger, while Amazon just updated its $40 Fire TV Stick. Both of those devices come with a remote, making them suitable stand-alone gadgets. But neither streams in 4K.

What you need to know about 4K TV

Wi-Fi router

The new Google Wi-Fi system will be modular — just add new components based on how your home and rooms are shaped. Software will help manage the various access points for you as you move around.

It will cost almost $130 ($171 Cdn) for the main device. A three-pack for larger homes will cost about $386 Cdn.

New devices could help Google keep its services front and centre in the battle for consumers' attention, said analyst Julie Ask at Forrester Research.

Unlike a new mobile app or other software, she noted, it can be an expensive gamble to build and ship new hardware products. "But if you're Google, you can't afford to stop placing bets."​

Everything you need to know about Google Allo

The very best by Google is here! If you have been jostling to find one resource that provides consolidated information about the newly launched Google Allo, Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered messaging app that was announced alongside Duo, during its annual I/O event in May, this year, here we are.

There are several apps connecting people to their contacts – ranging from the most popular, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, to Hike, Hangouts and Viber, to name a few, Google decided to enter the market with its revolutionary and more personalized new messaging app that boasts artificial intelligence system, as well as other new features such as end-to-end encryption, voice messages, and sticker packs.
So, what is the app all about and how it is different from existing messenger applications that you have on your smart devices? Let’s find out:

Google Allo signup and account creation

Just like our very own Whatsapp, the process to sign up on Allo is pretty simple. It uses your mobile number, so you can use it to send instant messages to anyone in your phonebook, along with other Allo users. You can also sync your Gmail account with the app, and keep track of mails and important meetings with built-in AL powered by Google Assistant, the assistive technology. This feature makes it unique.

App interface and design

Google is known to keep the interface of all their products user-friendly. Regular Google users would not take long to figure out app’s interface, settings and features. The overall interface is pretty basic and seamless for any user to get acquainted to.
"Allo is a smarter messaging app, with machine intelligence and our natural language processing advances from search," explains Fulay. "Smart reply – which we first built for Inbox gives real time suggestions to quickly reply to a message based on your responses, and it learns over time."

Security

You can also use Allo in incognito mode, where your text messages will not be logged and the chat gets fully encrypted. However, this also restricts some smart features. To combat this problem, Allo plans to keep only temporary message logs, in order to improve the Google Assistant and Smart reply features. Allo offers an Incognito Mode, which means you get to access not only end-to-end encrypted messages but also value added features like expiring chats and private notifications. Benefit? You can keep all yours messages safe, as well as control how and when to permanently delete them from your device. Basically, you get additional controls over the privacy of your chats.

Smart Reply

One of the well-noted, distinctive features of Allo is its ability to send smart replies. "I actually miss this when I'm not using Allo," adds Fulay. "If I use any other messaging app I miss this because it really keeps the conversation going."
However, smart replies can take a week of training for someone to make the most of this feature. Fulay also demonstrated smart replies to show how they work effectively. He shows us how it responds to a picture and a number of common messages by offering a suitable and quick response.

Google Assistant

Finally, Siri like experience for Android users! If you have used chat bots like Slack, it won’t take you much time to get acquainted with the in-built virtual assistant that Allo has to offer.  You can call on Google Assistant at any time just by typing "@google" in Allo. For example, if you and your friend are making plans to visit a Chinese restaurant in your area, you can simply type in your query in the chat window to bring up these results. Google Assistant will proactively suggest options to your queries at the bottom of the app's messaging window. That means you no longer have to leave your messaging app to do a quick Google search for your favourite restaurants, Coldplay concert details, movie time and so on. You can simply copy the information from the bottom window to your chat window and share it with your friends. Allo's Google Assistant can get everything done in the app itself. During the launch of the app in May, Sundar Pichai, Google CEO said, “Think of the assistant, we think of it as a conversational assistant, we want users to have an ongoing two-way dialogue.”

Why would you use Google Allo?

You might want to give it a try for the amazing set of new and powerful features that this messaging app has to offer. Most distinctive features have been described above…and all of it is available totally free of cost.

Google Launches Android Skilling and Certification Programme in India

In a fillip to government's Skill India initiative, technology giant Google on Monday launched its "Android Skilling and Certification" programme to help make the country a global hub of high-quality mobile developers.

The programme aims to train two million mobile developers by offering a slew of initiatives to train and certify talented students and developers in Android development.

"With nearly four million developers, India is expected to have [the] largest developer population globally by 2018. But today, only 25 percent of them are building for mobile," Caesar Sengupta, Vice President (Product Management) at Google, told reporters in New Delhi.

India is uniquely placed to innovate and shape the internet experience of billions of users "who are and will come online on the mobile platform," he added.

Google also launched an instructor-led training programme on Android fundamentals to provide an in-person training to students in universities.

In addition to all public and private universities and training institutes of the National Skill Development Corporation of India, the course will be available free of charge on NTPEL (an initiative of IITs and IISc) as part of its online "Mobile Computing" course, starting from July 18.

Google has tied up with training partners like Edureka, Koenig, Manipal Global, Simplilearn, Udacity and UpGrad who will operate as authorised Android training partners in India to help Google train the trainers and update Android courseware to prepare students for Android certification.

"By building a world-class curriculum and making it easily accessible to the students, we want to contribute to the Skill India initiative and make India the global leader in mobile app development," Sengupta added.

Google also announced the launch of its globally recognised job-oriented "Associate Android Developer Certification" exam that will help candidates get an entry-level Android developer job.

After training, the aspiring candidates can log on to the Google Developer training website and take the certification exam priced at Rs. 6,500.

"We introduced the Android Nanodegree programme in India last year with Udacity and today, we have over 11,500 students in India enrolling every month in our courses," said Peter Lubbers, Head of Google Developer Training.

Google will also open-source all Android Developer Fundamentals practicals and courseware and make these available to everyone for free.