Find out the week’s top mobile stories from around the world.
This week.. FCC seeks record fine against alleged scam operators, all mobile networks vulnerable to DoS, impersonation and fraud, TikTok’s Data Privacy Policies Draw Eyes Of EU and much more.
FCC seeks record fine against alleged scam operators who made 1 billion robocalls
CNN
The US government is seeking fines of up to $225 million from health insurance telemarketers who allegedly made a billion unwanted robocalls in violation of Federal Communications Commission rules.
The record-breaking penalty, announced Tuesday, is the largest proposed fine in FCC history. It targets Texas-based Rising Eagle for allegedly spamming consumers in more than a half-dozen states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.
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All mobile networks vulnerable to DoS, impersonation and fraud attacks
TechRadar
s a result of security vulnerabilities in the GTP protocol, all mobile networks are vulnerable to denial of service (DoS), impersonation and fraud attacks based on new research from Positive Technologies.
The firm’s new Vulnerabilities in LTE and 5G networks 2020 report highlights the cybersecurity risks to networks that utilize the GTP protocol which is used to transmit user data and control traffic on 2G, 3G and 4G networks. However, non-standalone 5G networks are also vulnerable.
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TikTok’s Data Privacy Policies Draw Eyes Of EU Authorities
PYMNTS
TikTok, the popular Chinese short-form mobile video app, is facing more scrutiny over its privacy policies, Bloomberg reported.
The EU’s investigative unit will form a task force to examine TikTok’s activities across the 27-nation bloc following a request from a lawmaker concerned about its data collection and its security and privacy risks. EU authorities can fine companies for violations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
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COVID-19 Saw Big Falls in 4G Mobile Speed and Rise in WiFi Use
ISP Preview
Opensignal, which specialises in crowd-sourced testing of 4G and 5G based mobile networks, has updated their study of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis to show how much of an impact it had on Smartphone users across the UK and the world. Suffice to say that mobile users spent a lot more time on WiFi via home broadband. The company previously reported (here) that they first detected a “statistically significant week-on-week increase” in the percentage of time British Smartphone users were spending on WiFi in the third week of March (starting March 16th), which saw the “Time on WiFi” jump to 68.9% (up from 64.7% in the prior week).
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FBI warns about cybercriminals exploiting mobile banking apps
Tech Republic
The coronavirus quarantine has led to the temporary shutdown of many types of businesses, including banks. That move has prompted more people to use mobile banking apps to conduct financial transactions. And that naturally can encourage cybercriminals to target potential victims through fake apps and other malware. A warning issued by the FBI on Wednesday cautions bank customers to watch out for cyberthreats and offers advice on protecting your bank accounts.
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Busan Introduces Blockchain-based Mobile Identification Service
Korea Bizwire
The city of Busan announced Tuesday that it will invite citizens to try out a new mobile identification system that uses Decentralized Identifier (DID) technology. DID technology refers to a digital ID management system that enables users to manage their ID information online.
Anyone can try out the DID service by becoming a member via the Busan Blockchain Experience App.
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Mobile game ad revenue jumps 59% during pandemic
Mobile Marketer
Mobile game advertising revenue jumped by as much as 59% in April from a year earlier as the coronavirus pandemic led millions of people to spend more time playing games on their smartphones, according to a report from Unity Technologies shared with Mobile Marketer. The developer of software tools to create video games said ad impressions surged 57% over the pandemic period.
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Using the IoT to ensure a safe return to work
Smart Cities World
Rigado, an IoT solutions provider, has joined Cradlepoint’s Technology Alliance Partner programme to introduce a flexible IoT solution to help US organisations get back to the workplace safely under Covid-19 restrictions. Cradlepoint is a provider of cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions.
Rigado’s Safe Workplace IoT solution, hosted on Microsoft Azure IoT Central, will be the first to use Cradlepoint’s new NetCloud Edge Container Orchestrator (NCCO) for deploying and managing application containers on its wireless routers.
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Hyper Growth For Hyper Casual Mobile Games: 2X Installs, 72% More Sessions
Forbes
Hyper casual games are simple. They’re easy to understand. They’re fun even if you’re not a hard-core gamer. They’re also relatively cheap and easy to produce, and sometimes last for only weeks or months. Flappy Bird is a great example, if you remember it. Ballz, currently number four on the App Store for games, is another. Subway Surfers and Super Mario Run probably fit the genre too. All that it takes is a game you can pick up and play almost instantly.
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Smart Technology will be Fundamental for Airlines to Safely Return to the Skies in the Coming Weeks
Aviation Pros
SITA, the technology provider for the air transport industry, today sheds new light on how technology is helping airports and airlines safely resume operations and help implement new hygiene measures to restore passenger confidence after a lengthy shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The past few weeks have seen airlines across the globe tentatively take to the skies. This is reflected in a resumption in activity across our network and improved baggage volumes, up 55% month-on-month in May where volumes were at a record low,” said Sebastien Fabre, vice president airline and airport, SITA.
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