First malware ever found in iOS App Store malicious app removed

For the first time, according to Kaspersky Labs, security researchers have unearthed what appears to be malware on the Apple App Store. "Find and Call", a Russian-language app which touted contact list simplification, was discovered to be a little toointerested in its users' contact lists. Security experts discovered that Find and Call would upload the victim's entire address book and GPS coordinates to a remote server, and then proceed to spam all of their contacts.

Apple quickly pulled the app, citing guidelines which prohibit app makers from uploading contacts to remote servers. However, this is not the first time an app from the App Store has quietly stolen address books from unsuspecting iPhone and iPad users.

Path, a popular social photo-taking app, was busted last year by an observant developer who noticed the app was sending more data to third-party servers than it should have. It was discovered that Path was actually storing contact lists on remote servers in order to suggest friends its users.

While Path responded appropriately and their intentions seemed mostly benevolent, users had no idea this was occurring. Following the discovery, Path modified their app to warn users of the behavior. Apple also responded by updating its developer guidelines; however, Apple has since been criticized for not uniformly enforcing some of those rules.

Love it or hate it, Apple's walled garden has seemingly had a positive effect on minimizing malware -- at least, so far. On the other hand, the Android Market (now known as Google Play) has been portrayed as something very different. Reports of malware on Google Play have been frequent and plenty, but Google has taken steps this year to clean up their app store.

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GSM security vulnerability affects 80 percent of mobile phones worldwide

A new flaw in the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cellular network technology could potentially allow a hacker to gain control of a phone and force the device to send text messages or place phone calls. Criminals could use the exploit to send messages or make the calls to expensive premium phone services, lining their pockets with cash and leaving phone owners to foot the bill.

GSM technology is used by billions of people worldwide and is said to represent about 80 percent of the global mobile market according to Reuters. The latest vulnerability was discovered by Karsten Nohl, head of Germany’s Security Research Labs. Nohl says that his team can perform the attack on hundreds of thousands of phones in a short timeframe.

Nohl will be speaking at a hacking convention in Berlin on Tuesday. Although he isn’t planning to present details of the attack at the show, he notes that the code will likely be replicated within a few weeks.

Similar attacks have been waged on landline phone systems in the past. Hackers will set up bogus 900-type numbers in Africa, Asia and Easter Europe then force thousands of phones to call the numbers, charging ridiculous fees to the phone provider who then passes them on to the owner of the line. Users usually don’t even notice any fraudulent activity until they receive their bill. By that time, the hacker has shut down shop and set up a new operation somewhere else.

Skype offers free Wi-Fi in airports, but not for Android

In a display of Skype's holiday spirit, the company will be gifting travelers with one hour of free Wi-Fi access at over 50 major airports across the United States. The offer will begin on Dec 21 and last until Dec 27.

In order to take advantage of this offer, travelers must have a device capable of utilizing Skype Wi-Fi, a protocol found in newer versions of Skype that is being used to authenticate against hotspots around the country, not just at airports. To make sure you can enjoy free Wi-Fi this holiday season, simply install the latest version of Skype on your Windows, Mac OS or iPhone OS device.

Did you notice that Android was missing from that list? While this is a great offer for most devices, it looks as though Android users will be left out in the cold. Although Skype exists for Android, the app currently found in the Android Market is said to not support Skype Wi-Fi. That means a plethora of phones are tablets will not be able to nab free Wi-Fi at airports this year. The Skype Blog goes out of its way to explicitly name Windows, Mac OS and iOS devices without mentioning Android anywhere. Combine this with the fact a new version of the Android Skype app was released about a week ago and it quickly sounds like Android support will not be added any time soon.

Now owned by Microsoft, Skype has some deep pockets to reach into. This campaign sounds like a very effective way to get people installing the software on their portable devices although millions of Android users will be left disappointed.

Google rolled out a similar but more exhaustive campaign last year, offering free wireless Internet at participating airlines and on planes (where applicable). The offer lasted for about six weeks and hit about the same number of locations.

AMD's 28nm mobile graphics roadmap leaked Radeon HD 7000M

DonanimHaber has published a presentation slide that outlines AMD's mobile GPU roadmap for the next year. The company launched its 40nm Radeon HD 6000M chips (codenamed Seymour, Whistler and Blackcomb) last November, and that lineup will remain in play until later this year and early next year as AMD ramps up production and distribution of its next-gen mobile graphics.

The Radeon HD 7000M will be manufactured on a 28nm process and features four GPUs: Thames, Chelsea, Heathrow and Wimbledon (least to most powerful). Slated for release in November 2011, Thames will have a slightly higher TDP of 15-25W than Seymour (6400M) and it pack twice the performance, which is partially thanks to a 128-bit memory interface (up from 64-bit).

AMD appears to be blurring the lines between its mainstream and performance segments. Chelsea will operate in the 20-30W range and also features a 128-bit bus. Nonetheless, it should bring a 30% speed increase over existing Whistler products (6600M/6700M). It's also due in the last quarter of this year, presumably alongside if not soon after the arrival of Thames-based chips.

AMD is preparing two enthusiast GPUs representing different thermal levels. Heathrow will have a TDP above 35W and will be offered in 128-bit/192-bit variants with 1.5GB/3GB of VRAM. Meanwhile, Wimbledon will represent the series flagship, featuring a 256-bit interface and a 65W TDP. Heathrow should land this year while Wimbledon is coming in the second quarter of 2012.

In other company news, AMD has announced an initiative dubbed "Project Mjölnir" that focuses on "increasing performance and providing improved stability of the AMD Catalyst software." To kick things off, the company released a Catalyst 11.4 preview that brings various enhancements, features and bug fixes. You can download the update here and read the highlights below:

• Delivers performance enhancements for the AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series & Windows 7.
  • Up to 70% performance improvement in Civilization V
  • Up to 49% performance improvement in Call of Duty: Black Ops
  • Up to 23% performance improvement in F1 2010
  • Up to 21% performance improvement in Wolfenstein MP
  • Up to 15% performance improvement in Tom Clancy's HAWX
  • Up to 17% performance improvement in STALKER: Call of Pripyat
  • Up to 28% performance improvement in metro2033
  • Up to 33% performance improvement in Left 4 Dead 2
  • Up to 26% performance improvement in FarCry 2
  • Up to 15% performance improvement in Crysis Warhead
  • Up to 50% performance improvement in Unigine Heaven
  • Up to 22% performance improvement in Batman: Arkham Asylum
  • Up to 19% performance improvement in Aliens Vs. Predator
• Includes enhancements to the AMD Catalyst Control Center
  • New task based Display Management controls
    • Simplifies the configuration of displays and display setting
  • New Eyefinity setup group
    • Setting up an Eyefinity group has never been easier
  • New branding (based on system configuration)
    • AMD based platform – AMD VISION Engine Control Center
    • Discrete AMD GPU with Intel CPU – AMD Catalyst Control Center
  • AMD Catalyst update notification (found within the Information Center)
    • Please note this functionality is not yet enabled, but will be in a future AMD Catalyst release
    • This feature will be used to notify users that new AMD Catalyst software packages are available
• Includes fixes where Dragon Age 2 would hang in DirectX11 on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products.
• Includes fixes where MediaEspresso 6.5 and 6.0 may crash while initializing