In the last 12 months, the threat of compromised smartphone cameras and microphones has taken on bigger real estate in the public consciousness, transforming from a largely abstract fear into a real, widespread and potentially devastating problem. The bad news is that this problem will get worse before it gets better. The good news is that security-centric organizations are looking for ways to proactively defend against this threat. So what will the next 12 months hold in store? Below, I’ve outlined six predictions for the coming year.

Topics: Mobile Security, Privoro, Smartphone Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, spyware, SafeCase, Data in Vicinity, Smartphone Anti-Surveillance

Last month, we released our second-generation product, the Privoro SafeCase, which is compatible with the iPhone 7 and 8. While SafeCase can be used by organizations for a variety of use cases, smartphone counter-surveillance protection is a core functionality. The case blocks the host smartphone’s cameras and actively masks each of the microphones with randomized noise. At Privoro, we believe that only physical, verifiable protections can overcome the threat of hijacked smartphone sensors targeting national security agencies, publicly traded companies and high-profile individuals.

Topics: Data in Vicinity, anti-surveillance, Mobile Security, SafeCase, Mobile Espionage

The mobile security of political candidates and their staff gets lost in the shuffle when discussing threats to our elections. However, a series of trends point to mobile espionage becoming the next major vehicle for electoral interference. These trends include:

• The smartphone’s rising importance in conducting the day-to-day business of a political campaign
• The increasing use of intrusive smartphone surveillance tools to target political officials
• A growing appetite by malicious outsiders to interfere in elections by any means necessary

In this mobile security blog post, I’ll discuss the reasons why smartphones may be the next electoral hacking target and the potential consequences of such a shift.

Topics: Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Election Security, NSO Group, Pegasus Spyware, Government

Earlier this month, a controversial report in Bloomberg Businessweek ignited a larger conversation about a topic that has long been a concern of security professionals: the hacking of the hardware supply chain. The fear of backdoors built into devices isn’t new (see: the blacklisting of Huawei and ZTE products by the US government), but concrete evidence is rarely made available to the public.

Topics: Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Bloomberg Businessweek, Supply Chain Attacks, China, Supermicro, Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Risk

We started Privoro in 2013 not merely as a company, but as a philosophy: that security and privacy need not be casualties of our hyper-connected, sensor-driven, mobile-first world. That we should be able to trust and control our electronic devices. That our information is ours alone, and we should be able to control how it is accessed and shared.

Topics: Mobile Security, Privoro, Smartphone Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Data Privacy, spyware, SafeCase

By John Chambers, Founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures and former CEO and Chairman of Cisco

Ten years ago, I would have said that voice was an interface of the past. Yet today, the voice revolution is well underway and it’s becoming clear that voice will, in fact, be the next major interface. Just look at the proliferation and capabilities of virtual assistants and voice-activated devices, whether it’s asking Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Echo to turn down the thermostat, having Google Home recite your schedule for the day, or instructing Apple’s Siri to read your emails out loud. While nearly one in five Americans has access to a smart speaker today, Gartner predicts that 75 percent of households in the U.S. will have smart speakers by 2020.

Topics: Smartphone Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Mobile Security, Voice Security, IoT Security, Connecting the Dots, JC2 Ventures, John Chambers

We conducted our second annual survey on attitudes about smartphone privacy and security on August 1^st, 2018. The results show a slightly elevated level of concern, but not as much as one might think given the endless stream of news reports about smartphone hacks and exploits. Check out the infographic of the results here.

Topics: Mobile Security, Mobile Surveillance

Privoro recently attended the GSF Modern Warfare conference at Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne (I highly recommend researching the history of this division if you’re unfamiliar). Although our trip to Fort Bragg was a first, what wasn’t new at all is the problem smartphones are causing government employees across the military, intel agencies and Capitol Hill.

Topics: Smartphone Security, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, Mobile Surveillance, Mobile Security, Government

On Sunday, August 26^th, the country will celebrate National Dog Day. Sure, this day was chosen to celebrate man’s best friend – those loving companions some of us just can’t live without.

Topics: Privoro, National Dog Day

Our world is filled with news and conversations about hacking. From well-publicized public hacks like Target, OPM and Equifax down to the private internal discussions of how to keep information safe, hacking is all around us.

Topics: Smartphone Security, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, Mobile Surveillance, Mobile Security