Hacker infects Android devices connected to PCs

Malware installs phony Google App Store on your device
Earlier this week, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, tweeted out a report showing that 99% of malware is targeted at Android devices. One sneaky way to inject this poison into the veins of your Android device was disclosed by Symantec. When you sync your Android flavored device to a Windows PC, this malware, named Trojan.Droidpak, creates a phony version of the Google Play Store while the device is in USB debugging mode. This is a mode normally used by developers, but is sometimes used when rooting an Android device.

Symantec has made an interesting discovery, This particular malware, when installed on an Android device, looks for Korean on-line banking apps, deletes them, and installs an infected version of the app. But there are solutions to avoid getting infected. Symantec suggests that Android users turn off USB debugging when not in use. Symantec also suggests that Android users be very cautious when syncing to an unknown PC, and install security software like Norton Mobile Security.

We have a screen shot from an infected Android handset for you to take a gander at, and most of you right away will note how the malicious app is listed as Google APP Store. If something doesn't look kosher on your app tray, odds are that you should tread lightly.
"The malicious APK actually looks for certain Korean online banking applications on the compromised device and, if found, prompts users to delete them and install malicious versions. It also intercepts SMS messages received by the user and sends them a remote server."-Flora Liu, Symantec researcher
source: Symantec, PCWorld via BGR

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xPC wants to be your next tablet, desktop and crowdfunding gamble

We've followed ICE Computer's modular PC design all the way from first conceptto prototype to demo unit, and after several years, it's now almost ready for prime time. The company has recently taken to Indiegogo, where it's set a $300,000 crowdfunding goal that'll finally put xPC into production. The idea is xPC will be several devices in one, housing all its main components within a smartphone-sized case: x86 Intel Atom quad-core CPU (Bay Trail), 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth and webcam. Now, to make use of what's inside, you marry it with peripherals such as the xPad 10.1-inch tablet dock (much like ASUS' Padfone range), or the xAdapter dock, which turns the xPC into a mini desktop. The company talks of other accessories like the xTop (an xAdapter with external storage) and xKeyboard to compliment the xPad, but these aren't mentioned in any of the pledge descriptions, leading us to believe they'll be made later.

ICE Computer's pitching the xPC as a long-term investment. Thanks to "open connector architecture," third parties are encouraged to make other docks and peripherals that'll work with this and future generations of xPC. You see, the plan is to merely refresh the base hardware -- the outfit also expects to achieve a fully functional smartphone/xPC "within the next year." For now, though, an xPC with full-fat Windows 8 installed, xAdapter and July shipping estimate is going for the early bird price of $369. It's not too enticing a figure when you're essentially betting on an underdeveloped ecosystem, but at least you'll have something to show for it, unlike a similar concept that's never risen past big promises and pretty renders.

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