These fake Android apps steal your money when you aren’t looking

If you thought you were immune from hackers when downloading “legit” Android apps from Google Play, then think again. The McAfee Mobile Research team recently discovered a new campaign where at least 15 apps were “re-packaged” to secretly sign up for premium paid services in the background. The list includes Qrcode Scanner, Cut Ringtones 2018, and Despacito Ringtone. 

The campaign is run by the AsiaHitGroup Gang who first appeared in late 2016 to target victims primarily in Thailand and Malaysia. The group used a fake app installer called Sonvpay.A that, for a price, pretended to install popular apps delivered outside Google Play. But it secretly subscribed at least 20,000 victims to paid services in the background by sending SMS messages to premium-rate numbers.

But that was only the beginning.

The group then moved on to bigger bucks through Google Play during November 2017 in its second campaign targeting Thailand, Malaysia and Russia. They modified the fake installer, now called Sonvpay.B, to serve as full-fledged familiar-but-fake apps listed on Google’s storefront. For this campaign, Sonvpay relied on IP address geolocation to identify the victims’ country of origin. The campaign also used the same SMS method while adding WAP billing — aka direct billing to a mobile carrier — to secretly subscribe victims to premium services. 

The group’s third campaign began in January 2018 targeting devices accessing Google Play in Malaysia and Kazakhstan. Instead of creating fake apps, the group bundled legitimate Android apps with Sonvpay.C, which uses silent background push notifications to secretly subscribe victims to premium paid services. The apps themselves don’t pose any kind of threat outside wanting permission to access SMS messages. In fact, they act completely normal. 

“The subscription operates primarily via WAP billing, which does not require sending SMS messages to premium-rate numbers,” McAfee’s Carlos Castillo reports. “Instead it requires only that users employ the mobile network to access a specific website and automatically click on a button to initiate the subscription process.” 

After you install one of these apps, the Sonvpay component receives commands to sign onto premium paid services through push notifications that the device owner never sees. These services are billed directly to the mobile carrier. Even more, there’s a fake “update” component where if the device owner agrees to the update, Sonvpay.C will subscribe to premium services. Even if the user doesn’t agree, the services may show up on the mobile carrier’s bill anyway depending on the command sent through the push notification. 

The problem with carrier billing and this type of fraudulent charge is that it’s typically not discovered until the victim receives a monthly statement. These charges are typically subscription-based as well, so victims must figure out how to unsubscribe from the premium service.

When McAfee’s team discovered Qrcode Scanner, Cut Ringtone 2018 and Despacito Ringtone loaded with the Sonvpay.C component, they promptly alerted Google and saw the apps disappear from Google Play. Despacito for Ringtone appeared several days later, once again laced with Sonvpay.C, but was quickly nuked by Google.

Unfortunately, the AsiaHitGroup Gang will likely return for a fourth campaign. 

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Intel May Lose Apple Modem Business to MediaTek

Apple may choose to use modems manufactured by MediaTek instead of modems from Intel in future iPhones, according to an investor’s note from Northland analyst Gus Richard that was shared by Bloomberg.

Little detail was included in the note, but Richard believes Apple could be planning to shift its modem business away from Intel. The accuracy of that prediction is questionable, however, and there’s no clear timeline on when Apple might be planning to make the shift. Presumably this would impact 2019 iPhones, as deals for 2018 iPhones are established.

For many years, Apple relied solely on Qualcomm chips, but added Intel as a manufacturer a couple years ago. Current iPhones use LTE chips from both Qualcomm and Intel, but Apple is embroiled in a lawsuit with Qualcomm and is rumored to be aiming to ditch Qualcomm chips, too.

Given the sheer number of iPhones Apple produces each year, it’s not clear if Apple could rely on MediaTek as sole supplier for its LTE chips, so the conflicting rumors of Apple cutting ties with both Intel and Qualcomm are somewhat confusing.

Apple is developing its own modem chips to reduce its reliance on both Intel and Qualcomm, but it will need to continue to use third-party chips until its in-house solution is ready to be deployed in iOS devices.

Current rumors suggest Intel will supply approximately 70 percent of LTE chips set to be used in the 2018 lineup, with the rest of the chips continuing to come from Qualcomm.

Apple is also moving away from Intel chips in its Mac lineup, with rumors suggesting the company is developing its own custom Mac chips that could be deployed as early as 2020.

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Blackberry Key2 tips and tricks

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

More on the Blackberry Key2

Blackberry Key2 Review

Blackberry Key 2: Everything you need to know

The best Blackberry Key2 cases

Less than six months after TCL released the Blackberry Motion, the smartphone giant is back with its latest offering, the Blackberry Key2. Reminiscent of last year’s Blackberry KeyOne, the Key2 packs a physical keyboard as well as upgraded specs for 2018.

While the Key2 runs on Android 8.0 Oreo, its been heavily modified to include Blackberry’s suite of privacy and productivity apps. Here are a few of our favorite Blackberry Key2 tips and tricks to get you acquainted with your new smartphone.

How to use Blackberry Hub

Blackberry Hub acts a universal inbox for all of your communications. Text messages, emails, call logs, and even some messages from third-party apps are all sorted sequentially in Blackberry Hub. Setting up Blackberry Hub is easy: Simply tap on the hamburger menu icon in the app and tap the + icon next to accounts.

Once Blackberry Hub is set up you can customize it to display and prioritize certain accounts. To create a custom view, open Blackberry Hub and tap on the hamburger menu icon. Select Add View and enter a view name. Select your preferred radio boxes for accounts and filters.

If you want to identify messages from different accounts even quicker you can color text by account. Open Blackberry Hub and select the hamburger menu icon. Tap Settings > Text Messages > Account Color and select the desired text color. Repeat the same series of steps for each account.

How to use Privacy Shade

Want to keep wandering eyes from reading your display? BlackBerry’s Privacy Shade has you covered. Privacy Shade blocks out everything on your screen except for a small viewing area that you can move and adjust.

There are two ways to enable Privacy Shade. The first way is to add it to your Quick Settings drop-down menu. Use two fingers to swipe down from the top of the display and select the pencil icon on the bottom menu bar. Scroll down to the Drag to add tiles section and drag the Privacy Shade icon into the active Quick Settings menu area. You can now enable Privacy Shade by tapping on the corresponding icon in the Quick Settings menu.

If you’d prefer to use a gesture to enable Privacy Shade, go to Settings > Shortcuts & gestures and toggle on the option for Three-Finger Privacy Shade. You can now swipe down from the top of the display with three fingers to quickly turn on Privacy Shade.

Once you have Privacy Shade enabled, you can make adjustments to suit your needs. If you’d like a larger area of exposed text, simply double tap on the eye icon. For adjustments to shape and opacity, tap the overflow (three-dots) icon within the Privacy Shade. Finally, when you’re ready to exit the feature, just tap the arrow icon.

How to use the Redactor

In addition to Privacy Shade, Blackberry also offers a feature called Redactor. The feature allows you to quickly redact personal information from any website or document that displays on your screen.

The easiest way to access Redactor is from the Quick Settings menu. Simply use two fingers to swipe down from the top of the display and tap on the pencil icon. Go to Drag to add tiles and find the Redactor icon; simply drag the icon up to the active Quick Settings menu area to add. Now accessing Redactor is as easy as tapping on its icon from the Quick Settings menu.

Once Redactor mode is enabled you’ll see a new menu bar at the bottom of the screen. The leftmost finger icon allows you to change the size and shape of the redaction tool. The back arrow icon allows you to undo your most recent redaction, while the share icon lets you share your redacted document. The gear icon lets you watch a brief tutorial or add a persistent notification. The rightmost arrow icon exits out of Redactor.

How to map the Convenience Key

In addition to custom productivity software, the Blackberry Key2 also has a custom hardware feature to make your life easier. The Convenience Key, located below the power button, allows you to quickly access apps and functions on your Blackberry Key2 with the touch of a button.

There are several different profiles for the Convenience Key. To set up the default profile, go to Settings > Shortcuts & gestures and select Convenience key. Tap the Add new shortcut icon and select the appropriate app. Repeat this process until you have three apps selected. Once you have your Convenience Key apps selected you can tap the key from any screen to select from your chosen apps.

There are also three additional profiles that can be enabled: A car profile, meeting profile, and home profile. To enable each profile, tap on its icon and toggle on the corresponding slider. You can then add custom apps for each profile.

How to use Locker

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

One of our favorite Blackberry software features is an app called Locker. With Locker, you can easily store private information and apps in a secure area on your phone.

To use Locker, just tap on the Locker app. The first time you open Locker you’ll need to set up a password to access the app. Once open you can tap the + icon to add photos, documents, and apps. Since Locker creates a separate instance of any app you add, the data associated with it will not be visible from the primary app. You can also use Firefox Focus inside Locker for a secure browsing session that blocks ads and other content that can track you online.

While you can take private photos directly from the Locker app, Blackberry also provides a shortcut that will let you store your images to Locker directly from the camera. Simply open the camera and tap the fingerprint sensor instead of the shutter button; your photo will be automatically moved to your private Google Photos folder in Locker.

How to conserve your battery with Power Center

Power Center allows you to customize how individual apps perform on the Blackberry Key2. You can select from one of three power saving modes: Performance, Balanced, and Energy saving. To add apps simply open the Power Center app and tap Apps and games. Tap the + icon, select the app you wish to use and toggle on the slider. From here you can select your chosen power saving mode.

In addition to setting power profiles for each app, Power Center also allows you to make changes to the OS that will save battery. From the Power Center app, you can turn off apps that open automatically in the background, dim the screen, turn off location mode, and shorten the length of time until your display turns off.

Finally, Power Center gives you the option to turn on battery saver automatically when your battery is running low. Open the Power Center app, select Turn on battery saver automatically > Change settings and toggle on the Battery saver slider.

How to use the Productivity Tab

While the Blackberry Key2 has dozens of special software features, the Productivity Tab is one of our favorites. Productivity Tab allows you to quickly access common Blackberry apps like the calendar, email, tasks, and contacts, as well as custom widgets by swiping on the home screen.

When you initially set up your phone, the Productivity Tab will automatically be enabled. However, you can make adjustments to it to fit your preferences. To customize the look of the Productivity Tab simply open the app and tap the gear icon to open the Settings menu. From here you can easily make adjustments to the placement, height, and opacity of the home screen icon.

If you want to customize the tabs in Productivity Tabs, open the app and tap the gear icon. Scroll down to Content Settings and select Choose your tabs or Reorder tabs. In Choose your tabs you can remove unwanted tabs or widgets, while Reorder tabs allows you to change tab order.

Finally, if you want to add a widget to your Productivity Tab just open the app and select the gear icon. Tap Choose your tabs and select one of the Widgets options. Return to the Main Productivity Tab menu and you will see a widgets tab below the other Blackberry tabs. Tap the widget icon followed by the plus key to add a widget.

How to add keyboard shortcuts

Sure the physical keyboard on the Blackberry Key2 makes typing long emails a pleasure, but did you know there are a ton of hidden features you can access directly from it? In fact, keyboard features are so robust on the Key2 that we’ve created an entire tips and tricks post just to cover them, but we’re going to show you how to set up keyboard shortcuts to get started.

There are two types of keyboard shortcuts. The first, the long press method, can only be used from the Home screen. To use this method, simply long press on the key you want to map and wait for the shortcuts menu to appear. Once the menu appears you can select from common tasks or tap the Open app icon to select a particular app.

In addition to long tap shortcuts, the Blackberry Key2 now has a Speed Key that allows you to open shortcuts from any screen. To map a shortcut with Speed Key, simply tap the Speed Key and chosen shortcut key at the same time and wait for the shortcuts menu to appear. Once it appears you can select from one of the common tasks or tap the Open app icon to map a particular app to the key.

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Scientists may soon be able to treat autism with CRISPR gene editing

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing is capable of some pretty impressive feats, from creating more efficient crops to malaria-resistant mosquitoes. Now researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and other institutes have discovered another potentially life-altering application: Editing out the genetic traits commonly associated with autism. While it’s so far been demonstrated on mice only, it raises the possibility of revolutionizing autism treatment for millions of people around the world.

“This study shows the first time demonstration of the rescue autistic symptoms using gene editing in autism mouse model,” Hye Young Lee, an assistant professor of cellular and integrative physiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, told Digital Trends. “On the top of that, we used nonviral way to deliver to do it, which supports the potential therapeutic treatment for brain disorders.”

The work involved injecting the CRISPR complex into a specific brain region in mice, via special nanoparticles. This so-called “striatum” brain region is known to mediate the forming of habits, including the repetitive behaviors often seen with autism spectrum disorder (ASD.) The Cas9 disabled a specific receptor gene, which resulted in the dampening of exaggerated signaling between cells, thereby reducing repetitive behavior. In the case of mice, this meant a 30 percent decrease in compulsive digging and 70 percent drop in jumping, both of these behaviors associated with autistic behavior.

As another important development in the study, researchers discovered a way to ship the CRISPR particles long distances (in this case from Berkeley to San Antonio, Texas), as well as manufacturing them in a reproducible manner. This eliminates a key bottleneck affecting many projects involving nanotechnologies.

Could a similar treatment to this one day be used in humans? “Not right away, but it can be used for human treatment once we make sure it is safe to use, and once it is tested in bigger animals than mice,” Lee said. In the future, the researchers think it might also be possible to inject these particles into the central nervous system by way of the spinal cord, rather than having to inject them directly into the brain.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

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Buy a professionally refurbished iPhone 6 and save $100

Apple gadgets can get expensive — a fact that fans are all too familiar with — and the iPhone is no exception. In fact, the company’s latest flagship, the iPhone X, was the most expensive one yet at a cost of $1,000. Deals can also be rather scarce on Apple gear as well, but you can score some serious discounts if you opt for older (but still great) models like the excellent iPhone 6.

You can stack even more savings by shopping for refurbished iPhones and this is often the most reliable way to find Apple deals when there aren’t any big sales going on. If you’ve been considering an iPhone and have been waiting for a deal on one, now is your chance, as both Amazon and Walmart are offering the professionally recertified iPhone 6 for as low as $150. Buying a refurbished phone is a better option than buying a used one, as these are backed by warranty support that you won’t get when you grab one on eBay.

Apple went a bit larger after the iPhone 5, following the current trend of bigger phones, but the iPhone 6’s 4.7-inch retina display thankfully doesn’t veer too far into “phablet” territory. Our review team cited this nice, crisp HD touchscreen as one of the selling points of the iPhone 6 along with its great build quality and solid camera — none of which should come as any surprise given Apple’s long-standing reputation for creating arguably the most polished mobile devices on the market today.

Buying a new iPhone 6 today would normally set you back $250, which is still pretty affordable for an Apple flagship even if it is an older model. Now, however, you can score a professionally refurbished iPhone 6 for as low as $150 from Walmart (or $160 from Amazon), giving you a nice discount of around $100 off of its current retail price. These models come fully unlocked as well, so you can activate them with any GSM carrier of your choice.

$150 from Walmart

$160 from Amazon

Looking for more great stuff? Find Apple deals and more on our curated deals page, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for regular updates.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

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Microsoft pulls its ‘Sets’ feature in the latest Windows Insider build

The latest preview build for Windows Insiders is out, Build 17704, and with it sees the removal of Sets. Originally slated to be a part of the next major feature update dubbed as Redstone 5, Sets intended to group your favorite apps together for a more productive workflow, presenting a tab-like interface for switching between these grouped apps and tools. But based on feedback, Microsoft decided to simply remove Sets in order to “continue making it great.” 

“Some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow,” says Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar. “If you have been testing Sets, you will no longer see it as of today’s build, however, Sets will return in a future WIP flight. Thanks again for your feedback.” 

Outside the departure of Sets, Build 17704 is packed with juicy new features and updates to Microsoft’s platform. The list is long and begins with Microsoft Edge, as the browser received a number of upgrades to make your browsing experience easier. That includes a new depth effect to better emphasize active tabs, an overhauled Settings menu, and a customizable Microsoft Edge toolbar. You can now also prevent media from automatically playing. 

Skype for Windows received a major update, too. The chat client now sports a new layout so you can easily access and view your contacts. You can also choose a color and theme for Skype to brighten up the experience and make it your own. Other improvements include controls for sharing your screen with other callers, taking snapshots, and rearranging the group call canvas so you can decide who is front and center. New calling features were added to the client as well for a “best in class” experience. 

Microsoft’s Windows Diagnostics Data Viewer, available on the Microsoft Store here, now lets you directly view Problem Reports. The update brings changes to the user interface as well, pulling the filter feature over to the right side of the search bar and the export data feature up into the top right corner of the app. Overall, this app enables you to see what data is sent to Microsoft, such as browsing history, product and service performance, device connectivity and configuration, and more. 

As for other bells and whistles in the latest preview build, Microsoft added means for better viewing videos outside. The feature relies on your device’s ambient light sensor and will automatically adjust the video brightness according to the current lighting conditions.

Meanwhile, if you want to install a font on a shared Windows 10 device and don’t have administrative rights, Build 17704 provides means for installing a font without the need for permission. Simply download the font, right-click on the file, and select “install.” The other available option — Install for all users — requires permission from the device administrator. 

The list goes on from here, covering improvements to Task Manager, Windows security, Ease of Access, Windows Container, and loads more. 

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How to use Gmail’s new ‘smart compose’ feature

Gmail’s option to enable experimental features gives users access to unreleased functions and tools which, though still in an unfinished state, can provide solid and convenient upgrades to email. One such feature is Smart Compose. Expected to be rolling out in the next couple of months, this is a neat tool that can eliminate the need to type common phrases and streamline email writing.

Smart Compose draws on the same technology as Gmail’s Smart Reply feature, released last year. That functionality, which offered potential messages for the user to send in an email reply, has been extended by Smart Compose to apply to new email compositions. Not only this, but the recommendations come in line, as the user is typing, allowing for a faster, modular approach to email writing.

If you’re inviting people to an event, Smart Compose might suggest phrases indicating time of day, the location of the event, or the cordial language typical of an invitation. Now implemented for simple phrases, Google’s AI Blog indicates that future iterations of the feature may be able to match the user’s specific writing style when generating suggestions.

How do I enable it?

Step 1: To access experimental features, you’ll first have to upgrade to the latest version of Gmail. You may have already received a notification like the one below.

Step 2: If not, click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the page and then click on “Try the New Gmail” at the top of the drop down menu:

Step 3: Then click Settings. Under the General tab, scroll down and check the box that reads “Enable experimental access.”

Step 4: Finally, scroll to the very bottom of the page, hit Save Changes, and you’re ready to start using Smart Compose!

In Practice

Step 1: To use the feature, hit compose as you normally would.

Step 2: While typing, you’ll notice grayed out suggestions after the cursor for certain sentences.

Step 3: Hit Tab as the prompt indicates and the suggestion will fill in.

And you’re off and running with Smart Compose! To learn more about the new Gmail design you can look at our article detailing the changes and new features.

For more tips to help optimize your workflow, check out this article on Gmail shortcuts and tricks.

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How to recall an email in Gmail

The instantaneous delivery of email comes with consequences. Most importantly, once you send an email, you might not be able to take it back. That could cause problems if you send a message when you aren’t ready — or send it to the wrong people.

The good news is that Gmail provides a quick, effective way to unsend an email before the worst happens. This brings the email back and keeps it from appearing in anyone’s inbox until you are ready. Here’s how to use the feature!

Step 1: Check your unsend settings

In the past, you had to enable the “unsend” option to recall Gmail emails. However, Google has made this a standard feature for Gmail, so it’s now always on. But you should still check the settings to make sure it’s properly customized.

Start by signing into Gmail with your account. and then selecting the gear icon in upper right corner, just above your email list. From this menu, select “Settings.”

Step 2: Adjust settings if necessary

The settings menu holds all the special features you can activate or adjust in Gmail. Scroll down the “General” tab until you see the “Undo Send” section. Here you will see an option to adjust the “Send cancellation period.” You can choose to recall an email up to 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds after you sent it.

If you are worried about sending the wrong email and it’s happened in the past, you probably want to set the cancellation period to at least 10 seconds, just to be safe. Five seconds isn’t very long to realize you made a mistake, and hit the unsend option. When finished, scroll to the bottom of the “Settings” section and save your changes.

Note that the email may show up in the inboxes of those you sent it to while the unsend option is present. Recalling the email will make it disappear, but it’s possible that someone could have started reading it, so it’s still important to act quickly.

Step 3: Send a test email

Now that you know how long you have to recall an email, it’s time to test the service out. Hit “Compose” and address a quick email to yourself. When you are ready, hit the blue “Send” button.

Now, immediately look in the lower left corner of your Gmail window. You should see a quick sent notification pop up there that lets you know that says, “Message sent” and gives you an option to view the message or create a new one. In the middle of the notification bar will also be an option to “Undo.”

If you wait, you will see this Undo option vanish. That means that your cancellation period has ended and it is now too late to recall the email. If you aren’t sure how long to set your cancellation period, we suggest you try this several times just to get a feel for how long different periods last.

Hit the Undo option, and you will see that your email pops back up in the same state it was when you sent it. This allows you to freely change the content or address before sending it as intended. Once the email has been recalled, there’s no time limit on how long you have to work on it, or simply delete it and start over.

You may also want to check out other tips and tricks for Gmail here!

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Add two USB ports to any wall outlet with the $7 Aukey power strip

Multiple. Ports.

The Aukey dual USB/AC wall outlet power strip is down to $6.99 with code 7MSJ8ZG2 on Amazon. It’s $14 without the code, so you’re saving 50% off the price. The grey version is also down to $7.99, just a dollar more, with the same code. That’s a drop from $16. We have seen these go on sale before but not since late April.

Sure, the plug requires both outlets to use, but it gives you those outlets back and adds two USB ports for you! The top of the device has a little lip that can hold your phone while it’s charging, too. It has safety precautions to keep your devices from over-heating and over-charging. Aukey backs it up with a two-year warranty. Users give it 4.4 stars based on 32 reviews.

See at Amazon

NVIDIA Shield TV Android 8.0 Oreo update rollout is back on!

NVIDIA Shield TV is still the gold standard for Android TV. It starts at $179 on Amazon.

The only Android TV box you should buy just got better.

Update: After a false start at the end of May, the Android 8.0 Oreo update is rolling out once again to NVIDIA Shield TV!

Big news for those of you who have NVIDIA Shield TV — which, by the way, is the only Android TV box you should consider right now. The Android 8.0 Oreo update (which brings it up to the latest major version of Android) is available starting today.

This’ll bring along a major update to the user interface. You’ll get new sections along the left side of the screen, with your favorite apps (customizable, of course), play next (where what you’ve been watching and playing recently will appear) and channels (which is what apps are now called, sort of).

In addition, Amazon Prime Video will get a major refresh, Plex Media Service is improved, and a whole bunch more.

And, of course, Google Assistant still plays a big role here, and that means you can take advantage of all the smart stuff you’ve got scattered throughout your home, accessible via the Shield remote or game controller.

A few other things NVIDIA says to look out for:

• Hold the back button to access to the settings menu from the home screen
• A higher polling rate for gaming mice for NVIDIA GameStream
• Improved support for game controllers like the Shield controller, Xbox 360 and DualShock controllers
• Can connect to Wifi without disconnecting Ethernet
• Improves Bluetooth re-pairing

To update your Shield TV, just head into the settings menu, then About, then choose the update option.

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

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