IT Security Stack Exchange
IT Security Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [smartphone]

A smartphone is a mobile device which combines many of the basic features of personal computing such as email, media playback and web browsing, with the traditional features of a telephone.

A smartphone is a mobile device which combines many of the basic features of personal computing such as email, media playback and web browsing, with the traditional features of a telephone.

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Is Telegram secure?

There is a new WhatsApp-killer application called Telegram. They said that it's open source and that it has a more secure encryption. But they store all the messages in their servers and WhatsApp doesn't store any messages in any server, only a…
ilazgo
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What security features are important when buying a smartphone?

I'm looking at replacing my very old android smartphone. Information security is increasingly a feature that I'm looking for. As well as being slow, I don't think I can upgrade my current handset to the latest android versions or even the latest…
James Bradbury
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How to securely dispose of a smartphone?

How to dispose of a smartphone (it's an iPhone 5) at home? I was reading through this SE site questions and found this one which hardly applies here. Besides, I'd want to do it so that: It's not damaging the ecology (at least not too much) I don't…
Alma Do
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Is a 'dumbphone' mobile more secure for basic phone calls than a smartphone?

By dumbphone I mean: no internet connection, very limited features, etc. By more secure I mean: secure from malicious and direct hacking. I don't mean as in protected from government tapping/snooping; I don't mean from authorities who could be…
infinite-etcetera
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Can a stolen Android phone with USB debugging enabled have screen lock bypassed?

My Android (8.0) phone was pickpocketed from me yesterday. It was immediately turned off by the thief and when I tried to locate it using Find My Device it shows as offline. As a programmer and a security enthusiast, I started to worry about what…
gtbono
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Does the saying "physical access = game over" apply to smartphones, too?

I was surprised to read in the responses to this popular question that it's considered nigh impossible to secure a computer system if intruders have physical access. Does this apply to smartphones as well? Let's suppose I have done the most I can…
Max
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Blocking people from taking pictures of me with smartphone

This question might be better suited for Skeptics, but I guess that those who can really answer this might hang around here. In the second episode of the fourth season of the french spy series The Bureau (see around 0:36 in this clip), one hacker…
bangnab
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Password manager: safer on laptop or on smartphone?

I want to recommend a password manager to my non-tech friends and family and help them set it up and use it. One of the decisions I have to make is whether I recommend one that works on laptops or one that works on smartphones. Smartphones: Have…
Luc
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Can malware be transmitted via a USB charger plugged into a wall socket?

I have a smart phone that I often plug into a wall socket for charging via a small adapter that rectifies the AC to DC power and transforms the voltage from line (120V or 240V) to 5 V DC, probably using a switching power supply. Standard stuff. I…
Stone True
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What is a good way to authenticate a user to a smart phone?

What would be a good way to authenticate a user to a smart phone? By good, I mean that it is both secure, and user-friendly. Passwords don't seem to be the best fit because a password needs to be long to be secure, but it is hard to type a long…
Jonathan
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Can I get malware on my phone, if my phone is tethered to my laptop downloading torrents?

I used a dongle before getting a phone, but now use my phone as a hotspot. I don't want my phone to get malware or viruses. Can my phone get viruses if I use it as a hotspot while downloading torrents?
user105748
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Listening to phone calls as user profiling for marketing

I had a landline phone call about xyz with an xyz-expert (also on landline) for about an hour, for the first time. After couple of days I started getting suggested links on websites as an ad exactly about xyz's services. Question: In theory, either…
zx8754
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Could my bank's two-factor authentication be hacked?

When I attempt to log in to my bank, an SMS code is sent to my phone. I then type this nine-character code into the bank's Web site, to login to my account. Is this vulnerable to attack, without hacking the bank's software or server, or without…
user13779
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How secure is Android's facial recognition?

Android supports using facial recognition for unlocking your phone. How secure is that mechanism? For instance, if someone has a good quality picture of your face, can they defeat the facial recognition scheme by holding up the picture to the…
D.W.
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Does disabling WiFi and mobile data make my phone impossible to hack online?

As I understand, a relatively outdated phone (Android 5, not updated for a few years) could be easily compromised by using security exploits through WiFi, mobile data, NFC or Bluetooth. I'm about to participate to an event where other people might…
Arseni Mourzenko
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