Search This Blog
Powered by Blogger.

Blog Archive

Labels

About Me

Load More
Trendy Right Now

Popular Posts

Showing posts with label Mobile App. Show all posts
Mobile Applications
AI Chatbot China Cyber Security iOS iOS App Store. Mobile Applications Mobile App Mobile Applications

Tencent’s AI Chatbot Yuanbao Becomes China’s Most Downloaded iOS App

 

Tencent’s AI chatbot, Yuanbao, has surpassed DeepSeek to become the most downloaded free app on China’s iOS App Store. The chatbot, launched in May 2024, gained significant traction following Tencent’s integration of DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model in February. This move provided users with an additional AI option alongside Tencent’s proprietary Hunyuan model. As a result, Tencent’s Hong Kong-listed shares rose by 1.6% on Tuesday. 

Tencent, which operates China’s largest social media platform, WeChat, further accelerated Yuanbao’s growth by adding a download button for the chatbot within the app. This gave its 1.3 billion users direct access to the AI tool, significantly boosting downloads. By late February, the number of daily active users surged from a few hundred thousand to three million, according to Li Bangzhu, founder of AIcpb.com, a website that tracks AI applications. 

This rise in popularity can largely be attributed to Tencent’s extensive promotional efforts. The company has leveraged WeChat’s vast ecosystem to recommend Yuanbao to users, place ads on its social timeline, and integrate the chatbot across other Tencent applications. In addition to its AI chatbot expansion, Tencent recently reorganized several teams, including those for Yunbao, QQ Browser, Sogou Pinyin, and learning assistant Im, moving them under its Cloud and Smart Industries Group.
  
The company’s aggressive push into AI comes amid intensifying competition from major Chinese tech firms such as Alibaba, Baidu, and ByteDance. Last month, Tencent launched Hunyuan Turbo S, an upgraded AI model designed for faster responses compared to its predecessors and even outperforming DeepSeek. Meanwhile, Baidu announced that it would introduce the latest version of its Ernie 4.5 model this month, which will be made open source on June 30. 

The company will also make its Ernie Bot chatbot free for all users starting April 1. ByteDance is also ramping up its AI efforts, with CEO Liang Rubo prioritizing advancements in generative AI for the first quarter of 2025. The company has launched the Seed Edge project, which focuses on long-term AI research, and has hired AI expert Wu Yonghui from Google to lead its foundational research initiatives. 

With rapid developments in the AI sector, Tencent’s strategic moves indicate its ambition to stay ahead in China’s competitive AI landscape. The success of Yuanbao highlights the increasing importance of AI-powered applications, as well as the role of major tech companies in shaping the future of digital interaction.
Read more »
Online Banking
2FA Banking Security Cyber Security CyberCriminal data security Mobile App Online Banking

Is Online Banking Truly Safe? Understanding the Safety Loopholes in Bank Websites

 

In today's increasingly digital landscape, ensuring the security of online banking platforms is paramount. With cyber threats evolving and becoming more sophisticated, financial institutions face the constant challenge of fortifying their systems against unauthorized access and data breaches. 

Recently, Which?, a respected consumer advocate, conducted an extensive investigation into the security measures implemented by major current account providers. This evaluation carried out with the assistance of independent computer security experts, aimed to scrutinize the efficacy of banks' online banking systems in safeguarding customer data and preventing fraudulent activities. 

The assessment, conducted over two months in January and February 2024, focused on examining the apps and websites of 13 prominent current account providers. While the evaluation did not encompass testing of back-end systems, it honed in on four critical areas essential for ensuring robust security protocols: security best practices, login processes, account management, and navigation & logout functionalities. 

Through rigorous testing, the investigation revealed significant variations among providers, with some demonstrating commendable security measures while others fell short of expectations. Among the findings, TSB and the Co-operative Bank emerged as the lowest-ranked institutions in both mobile app and online security. 

Notably, TSB's app exhibited a serious vulnerability, allowing sensitive data to be accessed by other applications on the device, raising concerns about data integrity and privacy. Similarly, the Co-operative Bank's failure to enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) on a test laptop highlighted potential weaknesses in their security infrastructure, necessitating urgent attention and remediation. 

Conversely, NatWest and Starling emerged as frontrunners in online banking security, earning an impressive score of 87%. Their robust security protocols and stringent authentication processes set them apart as leaders in safeguarding customer information. 

Meanwhile, HSBC and Barclays led the pack in mobile banking security, with HSBC notably eschewing SMS-based login verification, opting for more secure alternatives to protect user accounts. In addition to holding financial institutions accountable for maintaining rigorous security standards, consumers must also take proactive steps to protect their financial data when banking online. 

Which? recommends six essential tips for enhancing online security, including protecting mobile devices, using strong and unique passwords, and promptly reporting any suspicious activity. By adopting these best practices and remaining vigilant, consumers can mitigate the risks associated with online banking and thwart the efforts of cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities. 

In an era where digital transactions are ubiquitous, prioritizing security is imperative to safeguarding personal and financial information from unauthorized access and fraudulent activities.
Read more »
WhatsApp
Messenger Mobile App Mobile Application Hacking Mobile Security Pavel Durov Personal Data Secure Messenger Telegram WhatsApp

Durov Suspected WhatsApp of Intentionally Introducing Vulnerabilities

 

Russian entrepreneur and founder of the Telegram messenger Pavel Durov while criticizing the WhatsApp service said that the messenger, owned by Meta, was hardly ever secure, in his Telegram channel.

Durov also suspects that the service may intentionally introduce vulnerabilities. "Since the creation of WhatsApp, there has hardly been a moment when it was secure: every few months, researchers discover a new security problem in the application," he added. 

Durov noted that every few months researchers find a new security issue in the application. He recalled that he had already spoken out about the danger of the service in 2020. Since then, as the creator of Telegram considered, the situation with WhatsApp has not changed. 

As an illustration of his words, he cited a study by the American information technology company Boldend, which revealed a vulnerability in WhatsApp. The gap in the messenger has existed for several years and allows attackers to gain access to the correspondence of their victims unnoticed. 

In addition, the creator of Telegram commented on a Forbes report, which claims that Facebook investor Peter Thiel secretly funded a startup with the ability to hack WhatsApp. "WhatsApp users' messages have been available for attacks by potential hackers for years," Durov said about the report. 

"It would be hard to believe that WhatsApp technicians are so often incompetent. Telegram, a much more technically sophisticated application, has never had such serious security problems," Durov concluded. 

In December, Durov said that his Telegram remains protected from the influence of third parties. He cited the example of the FBI report, which claimed that the bureau has access to Viber, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Line, but Telegram, Threema, Signal, and Wickr do not transmit correspondence to third parties. At the same time, it was noted that Telegram can, at the request of law enforcement officers, issue the IP address and phone number of the user. 

Earlier, Pavel Durov's team advised the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine on cryptocurrencies. The Minister said that he actively uses the Telegram messenger for fast communications.
Read more »
Vulnerability and Exploits
Mobile App patch fixes Security patches Truecaller Vulnerability and Exploits

Guardian: Truecaller Fixes Location Vulnerabilty In Its New App

Caller ID and spam blocking company Truecaller recently launched its "Guardian" application that allows users to share their live locations with the trusted guardians in their contact lists. Anand Prakash, cybersecurity expert based in Bangalore, however, pointed out that the app had a major vulnerability and Truecaller soon fixed it. The individual security app has an emergency option that informs the user's selected peers of his/her live location, which gives real-time information during any emergency.  Mr. Prakash who founded Pingsafe, a cybersecurity startup, says that the vulnerability could allow any potential threat actor to gain access into any user's account via using a phone number. 

Later, the hacker could hijack the user account and take all its data, this may include the live location (both user and emergency contacts), user date of birth, and profile picture. Guardian was released on 3rd March and has over 1,00,000 downloads on the play store. "We are using an encrypted line between the two different clients...So that actually means that you can't revisit a previous journey because we don't store that data...The data that is shared with the 'forever sharing' option is the state of battery and signal, along with the location to help the trusted guardians follow the user," says Truecaller. Mr. Prakash contacted Truecaller the next day, notifying the latter about the vulnerability. 

Basic API error was the reason for the flaw. If API (Application Programming Interfaces) problems persist, it allows attackers to access website data and software, generally not accessible to a user. Mr. Prakash says he immediately looked into the app after its release and soon discovered issues with the app. using the "login API" option in the app, the researcher was able to gain access to another person's profile using his phone number. 

A similar pattern was tried with other contacts and the issue was reported to Truecaller. The company soon fixed the issue and later notified the expert. Mr. Prakash identified the issue as an "Insecure Direct Object Interference" flaw.  PingSafe's report says, "companies tend to miss out on such fundamental issues even after rigorous security assessments. The repercussions of such problems are enormous and impact customers’ privacy and lead to companies’ revenue losses." 
Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)