Sony have recently rolled out an update to fix a problem with the Xperia Z which had the phone randomly dying and requiring a hard reboot. Now, that problem is fixed Sony’s programmers can now sit down and fix a new and rather serious security flaw.

A new vulnerability on the Sony Xperia Z allows anyone to get access to the home screen, apps, contacts and accounts by keying in the USSD code *#*#7378423#*#*. The hack can be seen in action in the video below and demonstrates just how serious this could be for anyone who leaves their phone unguarded in the presence of a tech savvy Android fan (not likely we know).

We’re waiting to hear what Sony plans to do, but expect another update (and possibly a new bug) for the flagship Xperia Z soon. Is this really a big deal? As long as you keep your phone by your side, probably not. That said, it certainly could be if your phone is lost or stolen.

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A number of unlucky Sony Xperia Z phone owners have been struck with a problematic bug which apparently kills the new phone for no apparent reason. While some owners report that resetting their phone fixes the issue, others haven’t been so fortunate.

The issue has become such a problem that Sony have posted a statement saying that a fix is currently in the works and should roll out with the next Xperia Z update. Although it never looks good to have serious bugs like this surface, keep in mind it isn’t all that uncommon for flagship devices to have such problems. Think back to some of the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920′s problems, for example.

Have you suffered from this problem, if so did you resolve it and how? Is this a deal-breaker or do you still love your Xperia Z as long as Sony gets the bug fixed? Let us know in the comments section below.

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A smartphone is as sacred as your diary, and much like your diary you want might want to keep all your personal details, private messages, saucy apps and photos to yourself. Thankfully most phone users can simply set up a password protected lock screen and your secrets will be safe, but owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 aren’t so lucky.

A new exploit allows anyone to be able to bypass the lock screen on your S3 with very little effort. All someone has to do to get hold of your most private of privates is simply:

1. Hit Emergency call.
2. Enter the Emergency Contacts menu.
3. Press the Home button.
4. Quickly press the Power button directly after the Home button.
5. If you were quick enough you will have an unlocked Galaxy S3 in your grasp

We haven’t managed to try this method, but we have been told that you may have to try a few times to get the timing right, and apparently once successful the lock screen will remain deactivated until the phone is rebooted. If you have access to an S3 give this workaround a go and let us know if you could pull it off.

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Apple might be a bit busy preparing for the official launch of their next generation iPad and iOS 5.1. But it appears like they will have to find more time to fix a new bug in iOS 5.0.1 which allows a person to get unauthorized access to the contacts and the calling features of an iPhone.

The details on the new issue comes courtesy of  iPhoneislam, who believe that it is a “major” flaw. But after watching the video, you will most probably agree with us on the fact that the passcode bypassing allowed by this bug is quite difficult to pull off.

The hack involves inserting and ejecting the iPhone’s SIM card, while you try to call the device. If you perform this for long enough, you will eventually get access to the phone app, and you will be able to make calls as well. But for the hack to work, it is required that you know the victim’s phone number (or have a spare SIM card) and a strong belief that it can be done.

It appears to be a very minor bug, but still, it won’t be very nice if someone who stole your iPhone gets free access to your contacts. Apple will most likely release a fix for it along with the upcoming iOS 5.1. In the meantime, you can check out the guy sweating it out in the video below.

The post This iOS 5.0.1 Security Bug Will Help Criminals With Tons Of Patience (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We know Apple has a strangle hold on which apps make it to the App Store. That’s why Google is preferred by many developers since their apps have more of chance to see the light of day on Android Market. But this freedom appears to have helped malware makers as well. According to Symantec, millions of Android devices have been infected by malicious chunks of code called Android.Counterclank.

Calling it the largest Android malware infection ever, Security software vendor Symantec has discovered 13 apps from three developers (iApps7, Ogre Games and redmicapps) which are carrying the Android.Counterclank spyware which is technically a trojan and is a minor modification of Android.Tonclank. Some of these apps have been available on Android Market for at least a month.

The malware is capable of receiving remote commands without your knowledge and can steal information from your device. According to Symantec, it has infected between 1 million and 5 million Android devices so far.

The list of apps (posted below) which carry the bug includes games such as Counter Elite Force and CounterStrike Hit Enemy, and naughty titles such as Pretty women lingerie puzzle.

If you have a doubt whether an application, which is not in the above list, is infected with the trojan, you can check by seeing whether a service with the same name is running at once when you open the app. It can also be detected by looking for an added Search icon above your home screen. According to one user who installed Deal & Be Millionaire, “the game is decent … but every time you run this game, a search icon gets added randomly to one of your screens. I keep deleting the icon, but it always reappears. If you tap the icon you get a page that looks suspiciously like the Google search page“.

If there is an infected app on your device, we encourage you to uninstall it and/or reboot your device entirely back to stock.

Some of the malicious apps have already been removed from the Android Market but we are waiting for an official comment from Google.  In the meantime, we have contacted the developers for a response.

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