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Tens of millions of Android devices have been affected by serious security flaws that could give attackers complete access to phone’s data.
The bugs were uncovered by Checkpoint researchers looking at software running on chipsets made by US-based company Qualcomm.
Qualcomm processors are found in about 900 million Android phones, the company said.
However, there is no evidence of the vulnerabilities currently being used in attacks by cyberthieves.
A flaw in the latest version of the Android operating system has resulted in the month of December disappearing from People app for storing information about contacts
Affected devices included:
- BlackBerry Priv and Dtek50
- Blackphone 1 and Blackphone 2
- Google Nexus 5X, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P
- HTC One, HTC M9 and HTC 10
- LG G4, LG G5, and LG V10
- New Moto X by Motorola
- OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3
- US versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge
- Sony Xperia Z Ultra
According to the company, it took six months of work to reverse engineer Qualcomm’s code to reveal the problems.
The flaws were found in software that handles graphics and in code that controls communication between different processes running inside a phone.
Exploiting the bugs would allow an attacker to gradually be able to take more control over a device and gain access to its data.
Checkpoint handed information about the bugs and proof of concept code to Qualcomm earlier this year.
In response, Qualcomm is believed to have created patches for the bugs and started to use the fixed versions in its factories.
It has also distributed the patches to phone makers and operators. However, it is not clear how many of those companies have issued updates to customers’ phones.
Checkpoint has created a free app called QuadRooter Scanner that can be used to check if a phone is vulnerable to any of the bugs, by looking to see if the patches for them have been downloaded and installed.
Android owners should only download apps from the official Google Play store to avoid falling victim to malicious programs.
BlackBerry has reported a net loss of $5.9 billion for its latest financial year.
However, in the first quarter of 2014, BlackBerry recorded a smaller-than-expected loss of $423 million, compared with a loss of $4.4 billion in the previous quarter.
BlackBerry said it was pleased with its fourth quarter performance, and that it was on “a path to returning to growth and profitability”.
BlackBerry has reported a net loss of $5.9 billion for its latest financial year
CEO John Chen said the company was moving to a “sounder financial footing”.
BlackBerry devices have recently lost out in the high-end smartphone market to Apple’s iPhone and phones powered by Google Android operating system.
During the financial year, BlackBerry’s losses included $934 million on unsold Z10 smartphones, and restructuring costs of $512 million.
Fourth quarter revenues fell to $976 million, below analysts’ expectations of $1.1 billion.
As part of its turnaround plan BlackBerry is focusing on its services arm, and is also putting renewed emphasis on its keyboard devices.
John Chen was appointed as interim chief executive in November 2013.
BlackBerry’s shares fell nearly 5% on Friday, reversing initial gains of over 5%.
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BlackBerry has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the company co-founded by Ryan Seacrest that makes a keyboard case for the iPhone.
On Friday, BlackBerry filed a lawsuit against Typo Products LLC, a company that makes a slip-on keyboard designed to fit the iPhone 5 and 5S.
The company Los Angeles-based company was founded by entrepreneur Laurence Hallier and television personality Ryan Seacrest. The company’s flagship product, the “Typo Keyboard,” was conceived to make typing on the iPhone quicker and less prone to typos.
Now the company might be wishing it went a little slower. The keyboard, BlackBerry alleges, violates the company’s intellectual property rights for copying BlackBerry’s own keyboard designs.
BlackBerry has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the company co-founded by Ryan Seacrest that makes a keyboard case for the iPhone
Instead of developing its own design, “Typo chose to copy BlackBerry’s iconic keyboard design as embodied in, among others, BlackBerry’s Q10 smartphone,” the lawsuit alleges, which was filed Friday in the U.S. district court in the Northern District of California.
“This is a blatant infringement against BlackBerry’s iconic keyboard, and we will vigorously protect our intellectual property against any company that attempts to copy our unique design,” said Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry’s general counsel and chief legal officer, in a statement.
The suit seeks a trial by jury to obtain compensation for the copyright violation.
On Saturday, Typo issued a statement in response to the suit: “We are aware of the lawsuit that Blackberry filed against Typo Products. Although we respect Blackberry and its intellectual property, we believe that Blackberrys claims against Typo lack merit and we intend to defend the case vigorously. We are excited about our innovative keyboard design, which is the culmination of years of development and research.”
The statement added that the company plans to go ahead with its launch at International CES in Las Vegas and is on track to begin shipping pre-orders at the end of January.
BlackBerry has decided to abandon a plan to sell itself to its biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings.
Instead, BlackBerry intends to raise $1 billion in fresh financing.
Chief executive Thorsten Heins will step down and former Sybase chief executive John Chen will serve as interim chief executive.
Last month, BlackBerry reported a second-quarter net loss of $965 million.
Those losses were blamed on poor sales of its new smartphone, the Z10.
BlackBerry has decided to abandon a plan to sell itself to its biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings
Fairfax was planning to lead a consortium of firms in a takeover of BlackBerry worth $4.7 billion.
But that plan, announced last month, has fallen through.
Last week, Reuters reported that Fairfax was struggling to raise the financing needed for the deal.
Instead, Fairfax, which owns a 10% stake in BlackBerry, is contributing $250 million to the new fund-raising.
“This financing provides an immediate cash injection on terms favorable to BlackBerry, enhancing our substantial cash position,” said Barbara Stymiest, chair of BlackBerry’s board of directors.
In September, BlackBerry announced a plan to cut 4,500 jobs, or 40% of its workforce, to reverse giant losses.
The interim chief executive, John Chen, acknowledged the challenge ahead: “BlackBerry is an iconic brand with enormous potential – but it’s going to take time, discipline and tough decisions to reclaim our success.”
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BlackBerry has agreed in principle to be bought by a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion.
BlackBerry has announced in statement that Fairfax, its largest shareholder, had offered $9 a share in cash to buy the company.
Trading in BlackBerry shares was temporarily halted in New York pending the announcement.
On Friday, BlackBerry announced 4,500 jobs cuts in a bid to stem losses.
BlackBerry has agreed in principle to be bought by a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion
In August, the Canadian company said it was evaluating a possible sale.
BlackBerry said it has “signed a letter of intent agreement under which a consortium to be led by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited has offered to acquire the company subject to due diligence”.
The statement continued: “Diligence is expected to be complete by November 4, 2013. The parties’ intention is to negotiate and execute a definitive transaction agreement by such date.”
However, BlackBerry said it was not in exclusive talks with Fairfax and would continue to “actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations” with other potential buyers.
BlackBerry’s financial problems came to a head this year following disappointing sales of its new Z10 model smartphone.
Released in January – after many delays – Z10 has failed to enthuse consumers.
Over the summer, word trickled out BlackBerry had hired a series of advisors to help it explore options.
BlackBerry has decided to cut 4,500 jobs, or 40% of its worldwide workforce, in an attempt to staunch huge losses.
The smartphone maker said it anticipated a loss of as much as $995 million when it reports its second-quarter earnings next week.
BlackBerry shares closed down 17% after briefly being halted following the announcement.
In August, the Canadian company said it was evaluating a possible sale.
In a statement on Friday, BlackBerry’s chief executive Thorstein Heins said: “We are implementing the difficult, but necessary operational changes announced today to address our position in a maturing and more competitive industry, and to drive the company toward profitability.”
“Going forward, we plan to refocus our offering on our end-to-end solution of hardware, software and services for enterprises and the productive, professional end user.”
BlackBerry has decided to cut 4,500 jobs in an attempt to staunch huge losses
BlackBerry said the losses were primarily attributable to disappointing sales of its new Z10 model smartphone.
Released in January to much fanfare after many delays, the phone has failed to enthuse consumers.
In June, Thorstein Heins said that the company had shipped only 2.7 million Z10 phones out of 6.8 million total. Many BlackBerry users had instead opted to stick with earlier models.
Over the summer, word trickled out the company had hired a series of advisors to help it explore options.
In August, board member Timothy Dattels was appointed to a committee that would consider different business models, including a potential sale.
“We believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives,” said Timothy Dattels at the time.
Analysts have long indicated that BlackBerry’s trove of patents could be attractive to potential buyers, but none of the large technology companies have publicly indicated interest.
This week, BlackBerry released a new version of its handset, the Z30, which was praised by observers but was nonetheless overshadowed by Apple’s launch of its new smartphone products.
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Blackberry is exploring options for its business, which could see the company sold off.
Timothy Dattels, a Blackberry board member, will head a new committee that will consider different business models, including partnerships.
The smartphone maker wants to increase sales of its Blackberry 10 model, seen as crucial to the future of the company.
“We believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives,” said Timothy Dattels.
“During the past year, management and the board have been focused on launching the Blackberry 10 platform and BES 10, establishing a strong financial position and evaluating the best approach to delivering long-term value for customers and shareholders.”
Blackberry is exploring options for its business, which could see the company sold off
Prem Watsa, chairman of Blackberry’s largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial, resigned from the board as the formation of the committee was announced. Prem Watsa said he wanted to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
“I continue to be a strong supporter of the company, the board and management as they move forward through this process, and Fairfax Financial has no current intention of selling its shares,” he said.
Blackberry has struggled in recent years to regain market share lost to Apple and users of Google’s Android operating system.
“It’s quite surprising to see a statement like this made publically,” said Francisco Jeronimo from the technology research firm IDC.
“Everyone knows that they’ve been struggling and looking at their options. It’s clear that they haven’t been able to find anyone who wants to buy or form a partnership.
“Blackberry has very strong assets and is one of the most recognized portfolios in the industry.
“The question now is how much they’re asking and what’s on offer.”
Shares in the company rose by more than 5% as the news of the committee formation emerged.
The company dropped its Research in Motion name in January 2013 and rebranded as Blackberry, to coincide with the launch of the Blackberry 10 model.
In its most recent quarter, Blackberry lost $84 million and expects to lose more money in the three months to the end of August.
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Blackberry and Microsoft have both cut prices on their flagship products in a bid to boost sales.
In the US, Blackberry has cut the price of the Z10 phone to as low as $49 with a contract – down from $199 four months ago.
In the UK, Microsoft dropped the price of the 32GB Surface RT to £279 ($438) from £400 ($628), with the 64GB model’s price down by the same amount to £359 ($564).
Both companies have developed the devices to show off their latest software.
And both have tried to compete with Apple, Google and Samsung on smartphones and tablets – with limited success.
In the US, the cheapest Surface tablet went down to $349 from $499.
Blackberry in particular is battling to revive its share of the smartphone market with the touchscreen-only Z10, which shows off its new BB10 operating system.
Blackberry has cut the price of the Z10 phone to as low as $49 with a contract, down from $199 four months ago
Users can get the Z10 through US carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless, for $99 with a two-year contract, but the phone costs $49 with a contract at retailers Amazon and Best Buy.
The company reported an $84 million loss for its last quarter and refused to say how many devices running BB10 it sold – but it sold fewer phones in those three months than in the same period the year before.
Blackberry has said it shipped one million Z10s in the first three months of 2013.
Microsoft’s Surface tablet is intended to challenge the iPad and Android-based tablets and runs Windows RT, a slimmed-down version of its latest Windows 8 operating system.
Recent figures from analysts IDC show that 49.2 million tablets shipped in January, February and March – and about 900,000 of those were Surfaces.
Other Windows-powered tablets totaled 1.8 million units sold across all vendors. Apple’s iPad and iPad Mini accounted for 19.5 million of tablets sold.
“We’ve been seeing great success with pricing and cover promotions over the past several months on Surface RT in the US and other markets,” a Microsoft spokeswoman said.
“People who buy Surface love Surface, and we’re excited about all those additional people out sharing their excitement for Surface with other people.”
Microsoft also offers the Surface Pro, which runs the full version of Windows 8 and starts at $899 for the 64GB model. It has not had its price cut.
Blackberry maker shares have dived after it reported an $84 million loss for the three months to June 1st 2013.
The figure was better than the $518 million loss for the same period last year, but much worse than analysts’ forecasts.
Research In Motion (RIM), based in Ontario, Canada, also said it would post an operating loss for the next quarter running to September.
Blackberry shares fell 25% in early trading in New York.
Shipments of new smartphones increased, but Blackberry, which used to be called Research In Motion, did not release how many new handsets running the BB10 operating system were sold in the quarter.
Chief executive Thorstein Heins said the company was continuing to focus on the global roll-out of BB10 and was confident it would be a hit with customers.
“We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the Blackberry 10 platform and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions,” he said in a statement.
Blackberry maker shares have dived after it reported an $84 million loss for Q1 2013
Thorstein Heins added that the group would be increasing investments to support the roll-out of new products and services over the next three quarters.
Revenue rose to $3.1 billion in the quarter from $2.8 billion a year earlier.
Analysts had been particularly keen to see the numbers for the new Z10 handset, as it was the first full quarter that the model had been on sale in the United States.
Blackberry launched two all-new smartphones this year, the touchscreen Z10 device, followed by the Q10, with a mini keyboard favored by many Blackberry users.
Blackberry said that it had shipped 6.8 million phones overall in its first quarter versus 7.8 million in the same three-month period last year.
“It doesn’t bode well for the initial Blackberry 10 launch, particularly the Z10. But even the outlook for a second-quarter loss doesn’t bode well for the Q10 either,” said Brian Colello, an analyst with Morningstar.
Blackberry has been battling stiff competition in the smartphone sector, and has struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.
Daniel Ernst from Hudson Square Research said the company fell between two camps.
“They’re not the high-end provider any more, they’re not Apple. They’re not the low-end provider, they’re not Nokia. So they are in the middle and they do relatively low volumes,” he said.
“It’s difficult to make great margins on that kind of volume, so I would say the outlook is quite negative.”
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Black Berry 10 media event will take place on January 30, but pictures of BlackBerry X10, the touchscreen, QWERTY-equipped smartphone, and a hands-on video of the full-touch screen Z10 have already reached the internet.
Known as the BlackBerry Nevada or N-series, the X10 has a traditional BlackBerry Qwerty keyboard, but loses the trackpad and soft keys that were above the keyboard on previous phones, and makes more room for a bigger screen.
The photos showing off BlackBerry X10 appeared on Instagram and were posted on fan forum CrackBerry. Pictures may not show the finished device (slightly different models have been provided to developers to get their apps ready for BlackBerry 10). However, they give a clear indication of RIM’s desire to match the physical keyboard with the versatility of a decent-sized touchscreen.
A hands-on video of the BlackBerry Z10, known as the L-series, was published by the Austrian website Telekom-Presse. The all-touch BlackBerry Z10 has a 4.2-inches display size, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, according to the video. The website has also posted pictures of the smartphone and the interface.
Pictures of BlackBerry X10 prototype leak on the internet.
Details about the BlackBerry 10 L-Series smartphones, from a RIM training manual, were published on the web.
TechRadar website says according to the documentation BlackBerry Z10, has a 1,280 × 768 4.2-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 1,800mAh battery.
The X10 should have similar internal specs and, along with the Z10, two cameras. The front-facing camera will be 2 MP with a 2× digital zoom and 720p video recording. The back camera should be 8 MP and include a flash, auto focus, 1080 p video recording and a 5× digital zoom. BlackBerry X10 also said to have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, as well as NFC.
Also, a training document from Canadian carrier Rogers, which details RIM’s next-generation operating system features and devices was posted on Crackberry forum. Most of it has been explained by RIM already. Very interesting is the Time Shift mode in Story Maker, which takes multiple photos milliseconds before and after the shutter is pushed. The best picture can be chosen from the frames before and after your photo where everyone blinked.
BlackBerry World has 70,000 apps and more than 15,000 apps have been submitted in the last days.
The Canadian BlackBerry-builder Research In Motion announces that 15,000 apps have been submitted in less than two days and its Secure Element Manager (SEM) solution for NFC (Near Field Communication) mobile payments has been approved by Visa. Because of its enhanced security features, RIM has been a popular choice for corporations, and recently with the upcoming smartphones, 1,600 companies have signed up for the BlackBerry 10 training program.
Prospective carriers to host the handsets have leaked worldwide in the last months: T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T in the U.S., Vodafone in the UK, and Virgin Mobile in Canada.
BlackBerry 10 global launch on January 30 will include press events in cities worldwide: New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Johannesburg and Dubai.
You can read more news and interesting reviews on mobile phones and other devices on phones4u website, where you can compare prices and find useful information.
Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has been ordered to pay $147 million in damages after losing a patents case.
A jury in San Francisco upheld claims by Mformation Technologies Inc that RIM infringed patents it took out in 1999.
The software involved allows companies to access employees’ mobile phones remotely for upgrades, password changes or to delete data.
The fine was calculated by the judge as $8 per Blackberry device in use since the claims were first filed in 2008.
“We believe [the patents have] been fundamental to the success of Research in Motion,” said Amar Thakur, a lawyer for the winning side.
The damages only relate to royalties on past sales in the US, and does not cover future sales or sales outside the US.
A jury in San Francisco upheld claims by Mformation Technologies Inc that RIM infringed patents it took out in 1999
“Mformation created the mobile device management category in the late 1990s and was innovating in this area well before most of the market understood the fundamental importance of wireless mobility management,” said the firm’s founder Rakesh Kushwaha in a press release.
The case adds to RIM’s problems. Since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007, sales in the Canadian firm’s core Western market have been steadily declining.
The company is cutting 5,000 jobs – almost a third of its workforce.
RIM said in a press release that it was: “disappointed by the outcome and is evaluating all legal options.
“Additionally, the trial judge has yet to decide certain legal issues that might impact the verdict. RIM will await those rulings before deciding whether to pursue an appeal.”
Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the Blackberry smartphone, has warned it will make a loss in its latest quarter and make “significant” job cuts.
RIM also said it was hiring JPMorgan and RBC Capital Markets to help with a “strategic review” of the business.
It has lost ground as its traditional business clients have switched to iPhones or Android phones.
RIM shares fell 10% in after-hours trading.
Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the Blackberry smartphone, has warned it will make a loss in its latest quarter and make "significant" job cuts
Some have speculated that the strategic review may lead to a sale of the firm.
“The on-going competitive environment is impacting our business in the form of lower volumes and highly competitive pricing dynamics in the marketplace, and we expect our first-quarter results to reflect this, and likely result in an operating loss for the quarter,” chief executive Thorsten Heins said.
“There will be significant spending reductions and headcount reductions in some areas throughout the remainder of the fiscal year,” he added.
In the last financial year, RIM made a net profit of $1.2 billion, down from $3.4 billion in the previous year.
Thorsten Heins added: “Our global subscriber base continued to grow this quarter to approximately 78 million, driven primarily by growth in international markets, which is partially offset by high churn in the United States.”
Once heralded as one of the fastest-growing companies in the world, RIM has struggled to keep up with rivals in the smartphone market, such as Apple’s iPhone and handsets running on Google’s Android operating system.
It has also struggled to gain a foothold in the tablet market.
The launch of Blackberry 10, expected later this year, and a much-delayed new operating system, are expected to be crucial to its turnaround plan.
