Approov Blog

Threats (5)

When the NHSX contact tracing app was made available in the app stores last Thursday we decided to take a quick look at its operation and how the code has been put together. We used the Android version and the excellent MobSF tools to do our reversing analysis. On Friday the full source code of the app was also published on github. Read Full Story

The eBay concept first came to light as a browser based auction platform, giving sellers a chance to offer their goods to potential buyers from across the globe, before making the transition to become one of the world’s most popular mobile auction apps. Others have since emerged, with mobile auction apps giving event organisers the tools to simplify setup and management, and buyers the simplicity and speed of making bids and performing transactions with the swipe of a finger. Of course, every financial opportunity throws itself open to dishonest practices -- and mobile auction apps are no exception. Scalping and sniping are two of the major issues faced by mobile auction operators. Read Full Story

More details of the UK's controversial NHSX contact tracing app are being released as the app starts a wider scale trial on the Isle of Wight this week. NHSX is a digital transformation group associated with the UK National Health Service. Why controversial? There are many reasons, some to do with how the app development was initially procured, but also specifically from a technical perspective as the UK has opted for a centralised contact tracing approach rather than the decentralised model being championed by Apple and Google amongst others (including ourselves). Read Full Story

Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay The Android app store contains numerous Cloner Apps. These are an increasingly popular category that allow you to have multiple accounts associated with an app, such as a social media or messaging app. Our analysis shows that such apps introduce some really concerning potential security isolation risks that you should be aware of so that you can decide if you want to enable features to block the use of such cloner apps with your own app. Read Full Story

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash Last Friday, there was an unusual joint announcement from Apple and Google providing details of a new phone API for Covid-19 contact tracing via Bluetooth. The protocol allows mobile phones to continually transmit Bluetooth advertisements to one another. This includes a proximity identifier derived from randomly generated keys that can be held secretly on each device. If a phone user is later diagnosed with Covid-19, they are able to upload the daily tracing keys for those days when they might have been infectious. Read Full Story

With smartphone usage now a global phenomenon, mobile apps and connectivity are common denominators binding people the world over. And as the world’s nations grapple with the common dilemma of how to manage the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus or COVID-19, it’s little wonder that governments and health authorities across the planet are turning to mobile app technology as a weapon in their crisis management arsenal. Read Full Story

Photo by CDC on Unsplash In recent weeks we have been following the race to build contact tracing smartphone apps in the worldwide fight against COVID-19. Such apps are a powerful weapon in controlling the growth of infection by automating the scaling of the contact tracing process. By tracking interactions between people, the apps allow instant user notification if they have recently been in close proximity with anyone later diagnosed with COVID-19. This allows immediate social distancing or self isolation measures to be instituted for that potential infected user, slowing the spread of the virus. It would have been better if these apps were widely available during the initial phase of the pandemic, but they may still have a crucial role to play as we eventually emerge from full lockdown We have some specific suggestions about how this can be achieved while maintaining citizen anonymity. Read Full Story

At a time when the world could use some good news, any good news, the central health crisis continues to get compounded by a persistent wave of cyberattacks targeted at companies and their employees. Not even healthcare institutions and agencies at the center of responding to the emergency have been spared, with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and even a UK-based coronavirus testing facility being targeted by cyber profiteers. Read Full Story

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. The latest update was in November 2021. In my previous article, we saw how to bypass certificate pinning within a device you control and in this article we will see how you can protect yourself against such an attack. Read Full Story

We are often asked by customers and prospects to compare our beloved Approov with Apple's DeviceCheck offering. Since DeviceCheck is intended to uniquely identify iOS phone instances then this is a reasonable question. However, DeviceCheck and Approov are designed to do quite different things and therefore we wrote a handy guide to help our customers appreciate when to employ each solution and why. You can download the guide from here. Read Full Story