What gave it away?

from here and here

I suppose you don't necessarily have to be a master of operational security to be a flight attendant, but if you're going to call in a bomb threat on the plane your ex-boyfriend is on then a bit of opsec would probably help.

"Smart" Armour

from here and here (image source)

Of course the person whose phone saved them from a bullet was actually just really, really lucky. Phones aren't bulletproof, and body armour made out of them would cost far more than they'd be worth. Of course if you did do it then you'd probably want the phones to partially overlap each other, like dragon skin body armour, rather than what the guy above was doing.

Cutting edge security

@normalmemess #phone #joke #funnyvideos ♬ Originalton - Normal Memes

Something no one really wants to talk about is the fact that most biometric authentication is just one knife accident away from being token-based authentication.

Brute Force: Now with less brutality

from here and here

My fingers are resting just a little bit easier knowing that there are now attacks against fingerprint authentication that involve a dictionary of digitized fingerprints. I'd just as soon the vulnerabilities involved not get fixed as that would force attackers back to using less civilized means. 

I suppose it might be more accurate to call it a dictionary attack rather than a brute force attack, but what do I know?

How To Use Your Smartphone to See Through Walls

Watch on YouTube

It's a neat trick, but more important than what you could do with it is how it can be used against you. It may not give a particularly clear picture through walls, so you don't need to be worried about being caught naked (yet), but it can clearly be used to monitor your movements.

Maybe the real friends were the scammers we met along the way

found on Something To Laugh At

I'd just as soon not hear from anyone if this was the case.

Stab Out The Eyes Of The State phone case

Product Page

It's certainly an interesting message. Here's a free tip, though: Don't carry this while you're actually out doing what it says on the case.

You'd think they'd have better defenses

from here and here

Who the heck is in charge of the DoD's app store, and how did so-called "unapproved" apps get into it? I feel like if it's in the store that is implicit approval. Maybe the person responsible didn't have the authority to make that approval but then they probably shouldn't be in a position where they're able to do that - which brings us back to the question of who the heck is in charge.

Scam Messaging Service

from here and here

Opting out of having a cell phone isn't easy. There are lots of things I can't do, lots of sites I can't use, lots of accounts I can't restore, etc. But you know what? there are more ways to get scammed over SMS than there are people I want to talk to, so no thank you. I wonder if the same thought has crossed the mind of this person who recently got scammed by a phony Canada Post text.

Keep your private information private

found on eBaum's World

Just in case you can't read the fine print, it says:

No one is interested in your conversation - trust us. Trust us - we DON'T want to know. Please keep your voice low when talking on your cell phone on the CTA, or send a text instead. Keep your personal conversations personal.

That is excellent advice, and I wish people would follow that everywhere. 

It's a tracking device that also happens to make phone calls

from here and here

Do Russians not watch the same movies and TV shows that we do? Tracking a cell phone is child's play for the authorities, so I find myself wondering what was going through their heads when Russian soldiers gave away their position by using their cell phones. Perhaps the answer is "nothing"

Maybe you should take care of that before you die

found on Flickr

I'm pretty sure by the time you're a skeleton there's nothing you can do to protect the secrets on your phone, so you should really consider doing something about it long before that happens. Now would be a good time. 

No location tracking data for you!

from here and here

The newest thing that's supposed to be the end of passwords is the passkey, and colour me shocked but it requires a cell phone. Now cell phone based authentication has been misused for tracking so many times now I'm not even going to pretend to believe there was any other motive involved in that particular design decision.

No protection is perfect

found on Izismile

I'm sure the argument could be made that covering that spot would have provided better protection, but it also would have blocked the camera. Protection doesn't exist in a vacuum. If it prevents legitimate use then that's just another way in which it can be imperfect.

Surveillance with a smile

from here and here

So both Tim Hortons and the RCMP have been spying on people. I'm starting to wonder about my home and native land. Is everything spying on me? Are even those damn geese spying on me? 

I suppose technically neither Tim Hortons nor the Royal Canadian Malware Purveyors are actually spying on me because I don't have a mobile phone for them to attack (and people question my decision to forgo cell phone ownership).

Good thing you didn't forget which finger to use

found on Acid Cow

There are a variety of reasons why unlocking a phone with just a fingerprint might not be a good idea (such as the fact that it can be entered without your consent by an intimate contact or compelled from you by the authorities) but if those kinds of adversaries aren't part of your threat model then forgetfulness is certainly an argument in favour of fingerprint unlock.

So much for having a private moment

from here (source image)

He better not be texting his side piece or he's going to get it from his wife.

I Know Your Password case

Product Page

If you want someone to give you space while you're talking on the phone, this may be just the thing to get them to back up and give you some privacy.

Biometrics are easy, they said

found on Reddit

There are a lot of assumptions inherent in any authentication mechanism, but ones that are relatively new deserve to have things spelled out a little more clearly than just 3 words. It's not like they don't have room for more words, there's plenty of room.

Biometrics, how do they work?

from here and here (image source)

Is this a real mistake that people make? I don't know, but I do know that people do make mistakes with biometrics. Try as we might to make idiot-proof systems, the universe just keeps making bigger and better idiots.