Exploit Wiping Samsung Galaxy Phones

Just a quicky this time around. In an earlier post, I ran a comparison for the best browser for ICS in which Chrome came out on top. In light of an article published today on UK newspaper The Telegraph's website, I would like to re-affirm Chrome as my browser of choice now for the most important reason of all.

The article details how a small code consisting of just 11 characters can be embedded onto any website, prompting an unsuspecting Samsung Galaxy SIII to be wiped. This includes restoring the phone to factory settings whilst also deleting contacts, photographs, music, apps and "other vulnerable data". It is not clear whether this only effects local resources or if cloud storage (such as google contact sync) is affected, however at this point in time, MB assumes it is only the former.

Whilst this concern is isolated to Samsung phones, it would be worying to hear an exploit like this circulating the web targetting Xperia phones.

The recommended solution to this problem is to use Google's Chrome browser rather than the stock browser, as Chrome will prevent the scripts from running. As the scripts require no user intervention and performs the wipe in a matter of three seconds, a block such as this is the only way to to be certain not to come across this through a website without deciding to stop browsing the web completely.

The internet is not the the only way to exploit this as text messages, QR Codes and NFC tags can also make use of this script. This is of great concern, however at this point we would recommend that whilst Xperia phones are not affected, using Chrome may prevent you from finding out when such a script does begin to affect Xperia devices. Also if you are using a Samsung device, then we extend this advice to you, aswell.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/samsung/9565395/Hidden-web-code-means-hackers-can-wipe-Samsung-Galaxy-S3.html

The police want my money!!

ok, this blog post isn't necessarily anything to do with mobile phones or android, or sony, or anything that I normally blog about, however is still within the technical assistance I aim to deliver through experiences I've come across. Hopefully you'll never need this blog post, but it's here incase you do.

10 Questions from the Sony Mobile GB Facebook Group

So this is the first time I've done this, and depending on how successful it is I may look into doing this on a somewhat regular basis.

The idea is that many many people are using social networking to request more information or support on their products, much of which gets ansered, some of which that doesn't, but most importantly, a lot of these questions are shared amongst multiple members of the community. In an effort to add a further contribution to the Xperia community, I've found 10 questions on facebook and provided my own responses.

How many Xperias does it take to get online?

What an end to a very long week. Probably made so by the fact the weekend just passed was non-stop during a family BBQ to celebrate my birthday. I haven't rested in nearly two weeks and I'll be lucky to get any rest this weekend coming up.

However, the point of this blog post isn't to show you my family photos. It's to tell you about how Xperia saved the day in a modern world where internet dependency is etched within our nature.

Happy Birthday MB!

It occurred to me today this blog is now over a year old, and I never threw a party! So, over the past year I have aimed to provide blog posts favouring quality over quantity. Posts have been a bit of a mix, be it tutorials, troubleshooting, even general debate, however now I want to know what you wish to see from Making.Believe in the future.