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Tagged: F-Secure

November 16th, 2015

Panache Air PC gets World Class F Secure feature

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August 5th, 2015

F-Secure and Mad Croc Bring Freedome to Mobile Gamers

New Mad Croc Game will feature an in-app Freedome incentive to let players power up with privacyprotection.

F-Secure and Mad Croc are working together to bring F-Secure’sFreedome VPN to mobile gaming fans. Mad Croc, a pioneer in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, is launching a new game in order to grab the attention of the mobile generation, and they’ veintegrated Freedome to highlight the importance of online privacy.

The new Mad Croc Game lets players assume the role of a Mad Croc crocodile navigating through treacherous waters. The crocodile progresses through the game by successfully swimming up different rivers while avoiding obstacles. The croc can also collect gold and bonus items, and players can use the gold to buy add-ons from the Croc store, such as extra stamina or other power-ups.

Freedome images are included prominently in each of the game’s levels, but the popular privacy and security appcan also be used to give players an extra power boost. Players that download Freedome for their iOS or Android device will receive a free in-game armor upgrade, making both their in-game croc and their mobile device more secure. Downloading Freedome through the game will also allow players that haven’t already installed Freedome to get an extended 3-month free trial for the VPN.

“We want to raise awareness about online privacy in the mobile gaming community,Mad Croc’s showing a lot of ingenuity with this idea, and partnering with them is an exciting way for us to help gamers really engage with the idea of protecting online privacy.”

said F-Secure Executive Vice President, Consumer Security, Samu Konttinen.

Mobile gaming is certainly becoming more popular, but it’salso facing new challenges as it becomes a more prominent form of entertainment. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency and other spy organizations have usedAngry Birdgames to spy on people.*Furthermore, F-Secure Labs detected 274 new variantsand families of mobile malware in the first half of 2015, indicating malware continues to threaten people using mobile devices.

Ari Koivula, CEO of Mad Croc, is a self-professed fan of Freedome and wanted to help spread its message to Mad Croc’s audience.

“Freedome’s a great way to protect privacy and keep mobile phones secure. It takes all of thesebig issues that people worry about and takes care of those worries with the push of a button. It’s a great concept and it’s exactly the kind of privacy protection app that we think Mad Croc fans are looking for, so we made an effort to include Freedome in the game.”

Freedome is a one-button VPN that gives people a hassle-free way to encrypt their communications, change their virtual location to access geo-blocked websites and streaming services, and block malicious websites and online tracking attempts. It is currently available for iOS, Android, Windows PC, OS X, and Amazon Fire devices. The Mad Croc Game was produced by Mad Croc in partnership with the Finnish game companyTribeflame. The game will launchfor iOS and Android devices on August 5th, 2015 at Gamescom, and will be released for Windows Phone devicesat a later date.

July 22nd, 2015

F-Secure action to counter Adobe Flash-based exploits

F-Secure security researchers recommend businesses migrate away from Adobe’s Flash plug-in following a recent surge in Flash-based exploits.

F-Secure Labs has discovered a recent surge in the number of exploits targeting Adobe’s Flash plug-in. Given the consistent use of Flash vulnerabilities in crimeware, F-Secure is adding their voice to other security researchers suggesting that Adobe and other companies reconsider using the popular plug-in.

Flash vulnerabilities were thrust in the limelight after a zero-day exploit used by the Italy-based surveillance company Hacking Team was stolen in a recent attack, resulting in its proliferation in exploits kits used by criminals. According to F-Secure Labs, detections of Flash exploits from exploit kits increased by 82% in the days following the attack.* Researchers are attributing this increase to the adoption of the zero-day exploit stolen in the hack, as well as the subsequent discovery of two additional zero-day exploits.** Consequentially, security researchers are becoming more vocal in their criticism of Flash’s security flaws.***

“Criminals using exploit kits typically target insecure software that’s widely used, and Flash has given them an easy target for at least the past seven or eight months,Newer technologies are available and becoming more popular anyway, so it would really be worth the effort to just speed up the adoption of newer, more secure technologies, and stop using Flash completely.”

said F-Secure Senior Researcher Timo Hirvonen.

Businesses Need to Better Manage Flash-Based Risks

Exploit kits are sets of tools that criminals use to create crimeware campaigns, and largely attempt to infect computers with malware that exploits vulnerabilities in software. Exploit kits have historically been proficient at exploiting vulnerabilities in Java and older versions of Microsoft Windows, but exploits targeting Flash have become more prominent in 2015.

According to F-Secure Security Advisor Sean Sullivan, businesses need to pay closer attention to how employees expose themselves to online threats by carelessly browsing the web.

“I characterize Flash as a low-hanging fruit because it’s become such a popular target for opportunistic attacks,Businesses need to be proactive about protecting their employees from this threat. F-Secure’s software is able to detect these exploits, and products like Software Updater ensure Flash and similar applications are promptly patched as soon as new vulnerabilities are discovered.”

Software Updater is a feature offered on F-Secure’s Business Suite and Protection Service for Business lines of corporate security products. F-Secure Booster is a consumer-oriented product that people can use to protect themselves from exploit kits by keeping their personal Windows PCs updated with the latest security patches.

June 26th, 2015