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Change These Settings to Prevent Your Android From Tracking You

 


You are being watched at every turn in today's connected world. You can have different kinds of apps and websites to track and collect your data for a wide range of purposes, both for personal and commercial use. A prominent example of this can be seen when Apple utilizes your data to process your transactions. Twitter can serve you with relevant advertisements, and Life360 can help it improve its location services based on your information.

There are, however, some apps and websites that utilize your personal information for the greater good, but not all of them. The same applies to your privacy, so it is always a wise idea to protect it as much as possible. 

The steps below are designed to help you stop your Android device from tracking you if you are using one. This includes deleting your web and app activity history, turning off your apps' location access, and disabling unnecessary location settings. 

By taking advantage of your location history 

The GPS feature of your Android phone is probably the most powerful way to track your location when using the phone. By signing into your Google account and allowing Location History to be enabled, Google can keep track of every place you visit when you are signed in. Several benefits can be gained from it, such as personalized maps, traffic reports, and the ability to find your phone when it is lost. These can enhance your experience in many ways. 

On the other hand, if you do not want Google following you everywhere, you can turn off location history. Here are the steps you need to follow to do so: 

  • Open the Settings app on your mobile device.
  • Open the Google search engine.
  • On the Google Account page, tap on "Manage your Google Account."
  • Click on the tab labeled "Date & privacy."
  • Next, below the History settings, select Location History. 
  • After that tap the "Turn off" button. 
  • Eventually, a dialog box will pop up, tap on "Pause". 
Regardless of whether you wish to delete your Location History or not, you can do so. As a result, you can remove data from the last 3, 18, or 36 months. 

You can set up Google to automatically delete your account by following these steps: 

  • Open Google Maps. 
  • Click on your profile icon. 
  • Select the timeline you wish to delete. 
  • Towards the top-right corner, click on the More icon (three vertical dots). 
  • Select "Settings and privacy" from the menu.
  • Under "Location settings," choose "Automatically delete Location History." 
  • Select "Auto-delete activity older than." 
  • From the drop-down menu, choose either three, 18, or 36. 
  • Tap Next. 
  • Select Confirm. 
  • Tap on the "Got it" button to exit. 

Your data will be automatically deleted from your account within the next few days if it has been older than the specified months. 

Tracing web and app activity 

Several settings on your phone can save your location, including Location History. The Web & App Activity gives you the same information as well as a lot more. Whenever you decide to enable Web & App Activity in your Google Account (via Google), you will be able to see the information you have entered and the location, IP address, ads you clicked, and even the things you have purchased (by Google). The following steps will guide you through the process of turning off this setting: 
  • Launch your Settings app. 
  • Scroll down and tap on Google. 
  • Select "Manage your Google Account." 
  • Navigate to the "Data & privacy" tab. 
  • Under "History settings," select "Web & App Activity." 
  • Click the "Turn off" button to disable Web & App Activity. 
  • Tap on Pause.
  • Click "Got it" to exit. 
  • Back on the "Web & App Activity" page, tap on the "Choose an auto-delete option" to automatically delete saved data. 
  • Select "Auto-delete activity older than."
  • From the drop-down menu, choose whether to delete saved data older than three, 18, or 36 months.
  • Click on Next. 
  • Select Confirm. 
  • Tap on "Got it" to exit. 

Update your location settings 


Additionally, you should also make sure that settings for your phone's location are changed, as well as blocking Google from saving your location. The settings you can turn off include the following:

Location

Scanners that help you locate nearby Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices: The phone can detect nearby Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices so it can get better location information based on their locations.

Location Services for Emergency Responses: Provides emergency responders with the ability to pinpoint your location when an emergency occurs.

Using the sensors on your phone, Wi-Fi, and the network of your mobile device, Google Location Accuracy improves the location information provided by your phone.

The steps listed below will guide you through the process of managing these settings (via Google): 

  • Launch the Settings app. 
  • Select Location. 
  • Toggle the slider off for "Use location" on top of the screen. 
  • Select "Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sharing." 
  • Turn off the sliders for both "Wi-Fi scanning" and "Bluetooth scanning." 
  • Return to the Location screen by clicking the Back button.
  • Select Advanced.
  • Tap on Emergency Location Service. 
  • Toggle the slider off if you prefer to do so. 
  • Return to the Location screen. 
  • Tap on Google Location Accuracy. 
  • Toggle the slider off next to "Improve Location Accuracy." 

Edit your device's permissions 

Location access is required by the majority of apps, if not all, so that you can get the best possible experience. If you live in a place where Facebook uses your location as an algorithm, you will be able to automatically include it when you post about it, find nearby places, and receive relevant ads.

By navigating to settings > Location > App access to location (via Google), you will be able to see which apps have access to your location and how they do it. The apps here fall under three categories: permitted all the time, permitted only while in use, and not permitted at all. If you have apps under "allowed all the time" and "available only while in use" that you want to remove location access to, simply tap the app. Then, select "Don't allow." 

The app will perform closer to your actual location if you enable the "Use precise location" toggle button for Android 12. This is only available when the app is running on Android 12, and when it does it uses your exact location. By switching this off, you will be able to see your approximate location instead of your exact location when you turn this off. Your location will appear to be somewhere within a radius of three kilometers of the actual location of the device. 

Check your Google Chrome settings 

It is common for you to come across websites when you are browsing the internet that will wish to know where you are located. A certain amount of help can be obtained from this method in some cases. Using a hardware retailer's website, for example, will allow it to display the closest hardware store near you, based on the information you provided on the company's website. 

You can check what websites currently have access to your location from your Google Chrome (via Google).

  • Launch the app. 
  • Tap on the More icon (three vertical dots) in the top-right corner of the screen. 
  • Select Settings. 
  • Scroll down to the "Advanced" section. 
  • Tap on Site settings. 
  • Select Location. 
  • Expand the "Allowed" section to check all the apps that can see your location. 
It is very simple to remove a site's location access by simply tapping on the site you wish to remove it from. Next, select the Block option from the drop-down menu. In addition, you can also turn off the location-sharing feature of Google Chrome to prevent it from tracking your location at all. By disabling this feature, you do not have to share your location with any sites you visit. Alternatively, if you are particularly concerned about the security of your data, you can consider switching to Tor or Firefox as alternative Android browsers. 

The advertising ID should be turned off

In today's world, ads are becoming more and more sophisticated. After researching plaid skirts one day, the next day you will be bombarded with advertisements for plaid skirts that you have never seen before. The ads online act as if they are watching every move you make and know exactly what you like before they ever reach your computer. Here, you will find instructions on how to disable this feature on your Android device (via Google). 

  • Launch your Settings app. 
  • Open Google.
  • Tap on "Manage your Google Account." 
  • Navigate to the "Data & privacy" tab. 
  • Under Ad settings, tap on "Ad personalization." 
  • Toggle off the slider next to "Ad personalization is ON." 
  • Select Turn off in the pop-up box. 
  • Tap on "Got it" to exit. 

However, disabling ad personalization does not mean you will stop seeing ads moving forward. They will still be there, but the upside is that they will only be general ads, not creepy personalized ones. 

If you disable ad personalization from your device, you may still see ads in the future despite disabling them.
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Payment Fraud
Digital payment system Fake Apps Google Play Store Malware in Google Play Mobile Security Mobile Security News Payment Fraud

Japanese Payment System Attacked By Fake Security App

A new malware has been observed by the Research team at McAfee Corp. This malware is found to be attacking NTT DOCOMO customers in Japan. 

The malware that is distributed via the Google Play Store pretends to be a legitimate mobile security app, but in reality, it is a fraud malware designed to steal passwords and abuse reverse proxy focusing on NTT DOCOMO mobile service customers. 

The McAfee Cell Analysis team informed Google regarding the notoriety of the malware. In response, Google has made the application unavailable in Google Play Store and removed known Google Drive files that are associated with the malware. In addition to this, Google Play Shield has now alerted the customers by disabling the apps and displaying a warning. 

The malware publishes malicious fake apps on Google Play Store with various developer accounts that appear like some legitimate apps. According to a tweet by Yusuke Osumi, a Security Researcher at Yahoo, the attacker lures the victims into installing the malware in their systems by sending them an SMS message with a Google Play Store link, reportedly sent from overseas. Additionally, they entice the users by displaying a requirement to update their security software. 

This way, the victim ignorantly installs the fraudulent app from Google Play Store and ends up installing the malware. The malware asks the user for a community password but cleverly enough, it claims the password is incorrect, so the user has to enter a more precise password. It does not matter if the password is incorrect or not, as this community password can later be used by the attacker for the NTT DOCOMO fee services and gives way to online funds. 

Thereafter, the malware displays a fake ‘Mobile Security’ structure on the user’s screen; the structure of this Mobile Security structure interestingly resembles that of an outdated display of McAfee cell security. 

How does the malware function

A native library called ‘libmyapp.so’ written in Golang, is loaded through the app execution. When the library is loaded, it attempts to connect with C&C servers utilizing an Internet Socket. WAMP (Internet Software Messaging Protocol) is then employed to speak and initiate Distant Process Calls (DPC). When the link is formulated, the malware transmits the community data and the victim’s phone number, registering the client’s procedural commands. The connection is then processed when the command is received from the server like an Agent. Wherein, the socket is used to transmit the victim’s Community password to the attacker, when the victim enters his network password in the process.

The attacker makes fraudulent purchases using this leaked information. For this, the RPC command ‘toggle_wifi’ switch the victim’s Wi-Fi connection status, and a reverse proxy is provided to the attacker through ‘connect_to’. This would allow connecting the host behind a Community Handle Translation (NAT) or firewall. With the help of a proxy, now the attacker can ship by request through the victim’s community network. 

Along with any other methods that the attackers may use, the malware can also use reverse proxy to acquire a user’s mobile and network information and implement an Agent service with WAMP for fraudulent motives. Thus, it is always advised by Mobile Security Organizations to be careful while entering a password or confidential information into a lesser-known or suspicious application.

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Threat actors
Cyberattacks Mobile Security Mobile Security News phishing kit Threat actors

Threat Actors Use Phishing Kits to Target Mobile Devices

 

Few threat actors are inspired by political leaders, some others by mischief or malice, but most of them are only I'm the game for cash and money. To make sure the criminal activities are making a profit, balance bus required between potential payday running against time, risk, and the resources required. It's no surprise that many people use phishing scams as their go-to attacks, harmful emails can be used to attack many targets without much difficulty, threat actors can buy easily available phishing kits that work as a basic prerequisite for everything the hackers need for a campaign. 

After thorough research of phishing email traffic, experts found that most of these attacks follow the cash either to big financial firms or big tech companies. Apple, Facebook (now Meta), and Amazon were among the top brands targeted with the phishing campaign. "On the financial side, Charles Schwab was by far the most popular target, and was the most used brand URL overall, accounting for 13.5 percent of all cases. Chase Bank – an American subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase & Co – RBC Royal Bank and Wells Fargo were also widely used in phishing URLs," reports Helpnet security. 

The top trend experts noticed was using of mobile technology for these phishing attacks like WhatsApp, SMS, and other services. Threat actors have also been using these techniques as a response to strict email security solutions. A mobile technology is said to be less secured compared to a desktop endpoint when it faces a phishing attack. Even if the mobile has a business email app, mediums like Whatsapp and SMS will escape any anti-phishing security that the device has. 

Cybercriminals might also combine mobile messaging and emails in a single attack, for instance, sending a phishing mail including QR code which is scanned by a mobile, doing so results in escaping detection and reaching the mobile endpoint. "Mobile-based phishing attacks are also harder to identify due to mobile devices’ smaller screen and simplified layout, compounding the lack of security solutions on mobile," reports Help Net Security.
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Mobile Security News
Mobile Hacking Mobile Security Mobile Security News

Cybersecurity experts called the signs of smartphone hack

Fast discharge of the smartphone, the appearance of strange notifications or spam when the screen is locked, blocking antivirus programs - all this may indicate that malicious software is installed on the device.

Experts named an unnaturally fast discharge of the battery as one of the main signs of hacking. As a rule, such software runs in the background on your phone, significantly eating up the battery power. Self-restart of the phone is another sign of hacking.

Dmitry Galov, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab, pointed out that when it comes to banking Trojans, miners, spyware and stalker software, whose task is to remain unnoticed for as long as possible, there are only a few indirect signs of infection.

"These signs include fast battery discharge, despite the fact that the phone may be new, the device overheating, the consumption of a large amount of Internet traffic, the appearance of strange notifications or unfamiliar programs that you did not install. And this is not a complete list," Mr. Galov said.

According to him, it is possible to correctly answer whether the device is infected only with the help of antivirus. However, if the device is hacked, the antivirus software may be blocked for unknown reasons, even restarting the phone will not help.

"If the user finds signs of infection with a miner or a banking Trojan on the smartphone, then he needs to check the device with an antivirus and remove the malicious software", the Kaspersky Lab expert explained.

Before deleting stalker programs, the expert recommends thinking about whether this step will create an even greater danger: "the initiator of surveillance will most likely find out about this soon, and it is unknown what the next steps of the attacker will be."

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Mobile Security Threats
Information Security News Mobile Security Mobile Security News Mobile Security Threats

Russian expert give tips on how to protect yourself from "eavesdropping" on your smartphone

A smartphone can "eavesdrop" on its owner, said information and computer security expert Sergei Vakulin. In an interview with Radio Sputnik, he explained who might need to record conversations and how to protect sensitive information

Some smartphone applications may record our conversations when we do not expect them to. Moreover, we ourselves provide them with this opportunity, giving them permission to access the microphone during the installation of the application, explained the expert on information and computer security Sergei Vakulin.

According to him, advertisers are primarily interested in obtaining such information.

"The app can spy on you to analyze your data and sell. Not just to collect it, but to sell it. We often have the situation where you took a loan from one bank, and you immediately get a call from another bank and offer another loan. Selling data - this is already a banal topic," the expert said in an interview with Radio Sputnik.

He clarified that once the app has gained access to the microphone, it will be able to turn it on whenever it wants, not just during a phone call. Sergey Vakulin claims that the recording function can be turned on even on a locked device.

"If you've given the app permission to access the microphone, it will be able to 'listen' to you even when it's locked. If you have access, the app can turn on the microphone at any time it wants and collect information," the expert explained.

According to him, you can protect yourself from eavesdropping by limiting the number of applications with access to the microphone.

Also, for particularly important conversations you can buy a phone without the ability to connect to modern communication networks.

"If you look closely at many officials and billionaires, both Russian and foreign, they walk around with push-button phones. A pushbutton phone will be very difficult to listen to, because there is no 3G, LTE and so on," explained Sergei Vakulin.

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