Latest news with #IdentityCheck
Digital Trends
21 hours ago
- Digital Trends
Android 16 put a digital bodyguard on my phone and you must enable it
Over the past couple of years, Android's focus on user safety and device security has been pretty evident. The company has leveraged AI to build features that listen to calls and read messages in real-time and alert users if they are at risk of getting scammed. Similar guardrails have also been put in place for web browsing in Chrome, and a whole bunch of lost device portion protocols have been baked into the OS' core. A few of them have remained exclusive to Google's Pixel phones (and some Samsung devices) so far, but with the release of Android 16, these benefits are now being extended to the entire platform. Recommended Videos Two of those standout features that are now standard fare for Android devices moving ahead are Advanced Protection and Identity Check. These two essentially serve as digital bodyguards when the phone's in your hands, and even in scenarios it's beyond your reach. Identity Check The idea behind Identity Check is not too different from theft protection. Think of it like carrying a briefcase that contains sensitive paperwork, and it can only be opened using keys that are in the hands of higher-ranked officials in a lab, and those keys can never leave the lab, either. In the case of Android 16, trusted locations act as that security key to access sensitive features on your Android phone. When you enable it, access to the following data and settings is automatically locked behind an identity verification: Password autofill, Passwords and passkeys, changing screen lock method and details, factory reset, Find Hub deactivations, disabling theft protections, turning off identity check, changing and viewing trusted locations, setting up a new device using a stolen phone, and access to developer options. Those are all changes that pose a tangible risk to the security of your data. In other words, if someone steals away with your phone, or you are worried that a bad actor is peeking at your screen for the passcode or service passwords, locking it behind a biometric verification in untrusted places will keep the data on your device safe. And with it, everything else associated with your Google account. The threat is real. In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported how thieves, using the knowledge of an iPhone's passcode, are locking users out of their own phone and causing all kinds of trouble, including serious financial damage. In a nutshell, when you enable it, all your sensitive data and settings will require an extra layer of identity verification. I will strongly suggest that when you activate it, try to enable biometric lock (fingerprint or face scan) so that even if it can't be replicated by a thief, even if they have stolen your device, or someone is just trying to mess with your unattended phone. Also, the trusted location is stored on your phone and not shared with Google. Additionally, you can (and should) enable it for all your Android devices separately. Advanced Protection Think of this as some sort of magic pill that offers end-to-end protection for your Android 16-powered phone. Whether you are browsing the web, installing apps, or there are risks from malware packages and leaky networks, enabling Advanced Protection will cover it all. In fact, once you enable it, all the native features that are designed to protect you from attacks can't be disabled without your explicit approval. As soon as you enable it, your phone gets hardware as well as software-level protection across apps, web browsing, messaging, and calling. The core idea is that you no longer have to dig into the Settings pages or a web dashboard to enable safety features for each scenario. There is also a dedicated system to protect your Google account. To enable it, go to the settings app, open the 'Security & privacy' dashboard, and scroll down to find the Advanced Protection option. So, how does it work? Let's start at the device level. As soon as you enable it, it activates theft detection lock, offline device lock, inactivity reboot, and USB protection. What does that mean? To start, it blocks the USB port so that it only allows charging, and no data transfer or exfiltration. Android 16 relies on an AI-powered system that can sense if a device has been snatched using motion cues. For such scenarios, the phone automatically locks itself. If the device is kept offline by the thief or they try to repeatedly unlock the screen by guessing the passcode, the device lock defaults to your biometrics, which can't be spoofed. If you realize that your phone has been stolen, using the verified phone number and security question on a web dashboard, you can remotely lock the phone's screen. Finally, if your device stays unlocked for 72 hours, it reboots itself, which makes all the stored data unreadable until a fresh unlock. Next, Advanced Protection automatically enabled safe browsing protocols in Chrome. When you visit a site that is risky, the browser will show you warnings about malware, abusive sites and extensions, phishing risks, malicious page elements, and intrusive ads. Moreover, if you intend to download a file package, you will see a warning about that, as well. The Enhanced Safe Browsing mode can identify scam URLs that try to pass off as a legitimate service. All this happens because a sample of the webpage you are visiting is sent to Google for threat analysis, and it is accordingly flagged. Sniffing scams everywhere In the pre-installed Messages app, Google's AI will look for patterns in text messages to sense scams. Once something fishy is detected, users will be warned and given an option to instantly block and report it. The AI will look for package delivery and job scams, among others, and will also warn them about risky links, especially from unknown contacts and international numbers. A similar system is in place for calls, where the AI will screen and decline spam calls. Additionally, an AI will listen to the conversations, and when users are at risk of a social engineering attack or any such scam, they will see on-screen, audio, and haptic warning messages. For example, if a bad actor tells users to share an OTP, enable screen sharing, or install an app, an alert will be issued mid-way through the call. Finally, to thwart risks from bad apps, Advanced Protection in Android 16 will enable the full Google Play Protect security suite. Aside from regularly scanning apps for malware, it also blocks the installation of apps from untrusted sources and enables an MTE feature that prevents an app from corrupting the local memory. Overall, if you ever wished for a one-ring-to-rule-them-all safety solution for your phone, Android 16 finally brings it to your table. And once you install the update, make sure that you activate Advanced Protection and Identity Check without any delay.
Otago Daily Times
23-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
'Face capture solution' sought by Internal Affairs
Biometric spoofing is becoming more sophisticated and Internal Affairs is looking for a supplier who can handle the growing threat. File photo. Internal Affairs (DIA) says the latest biometric technology it is after does not involve facial recognition. It has put out a new tender for a "new genuine face capture solution", saying this was about getting new online technology that helped people take a good selfie when applying for a passport, or for RealMe verification. "DIA is not seeking a facial recognition solution," it said. "We are talking about online technology capable of capturing high-quality, genuine images." A tender document said biometric spoofing was becoming more sophisticated and it needed a supplier who could handle the growing threat. Its existing tech forced staff to manually review people's photos, and it needed to simplify that and cut costs, it said. A selfie is typically fed into existing systems that already use facial recognition, such as the department's Identity Check service. "Biometric technologies underpin our ability to provide fast, secure and efficient identity verification," DIA said.
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Internal Affairs seeks new 'face capture solution'
Biometric spoofing is becoming more sophisticated and Internal Affairs is looking for a supplier who can handle the growing threat. File photo. Photo: 123RF Internal Affairs (DIA) says the latest biometric technology it is after does not involve facial recognition. It has put out a new tender for a "new genuine face capture solution", saying this was about getting new online technology that helped people take a good selfie when applying for a passport, or for RealMe verification. "DIA is not seeking a facial recognition solution," it said. "We are talking about online technology capable of capturing high-quality, genuine images." A tender document said biometric spoofing was becoming more sophisticated and it needed a supplier who could handle the growing threat. Its existing tech forced staff to manually review people's photos, and it needed to simplify that and cut costs, it said. A selfie is typically fed into existing systems that already use facial recognition, such as the department's Identity Check service. "Biometric technologies underpin our ability to provide fast, secure and efficient identity verification," DIA said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Forbes
Stealing Your Phone Just Got Harder—Why You Need This Now
The phone theft nightmare is out of control. Phone thefts now plague cities around the world, and it's down to phone makers to fix given policing has largely failed to stem the problem. New updates won't stop a kid on a bike snatching your phone, but will make it harder to unlock your phone and access your data. Just as critically, this also makes it harder for that phone to be resold. Google Confirms Secret Chrome Tracking—How To Stop It Apple and Google have enhanced iOS and Android to make theft protection a headline feature set, and the latest news from Google is to be welcomed. If you own an Android device, this is one upgrade you need to enable as soon as you can. Per Android Authority, Google's Identity Check 'prevents thieves from unlocking sensitive apps even if they know the phone's passcode. Currently, Identity Check is only available on Pixel and Samsung phones, but it will be available on more devices with the upcoming Android 16 update.' Pixels have had access to this feature since December, and it's included in Samsung's long-delayed One UI 7 upgrade. Now other OEMs can add the same. Protections work best as a deterrent if they're widely available, changing the game for phone thieves and their victims. The less valuable a stolen device, the less worthwhile the risk in stealing it. Just as with iPhones, the thinking behind Android's Identity Check is to partition an enclave of security and device settings that requires additional security to unlock. Theft protections can be triggered by a location — if the phone is away from home, or an incident — the phone detecting that it might have been snatched from its user. 'When Identity Check is enabled, the biometric prompt dialog — which asks the user to scan their finger or face — does not permit using the device's PIN, password, or pattern as a fallback authentication method. Normally, the biometric prompt dialog allows this fallback, unless the triggering app specifically requests biometric authentication only.' There have been increasing reports of attackers watching a user unlock their phone with a PIN before stealing it. Here again, this safeguards users against the risk. There are trade-offs though. 'When Identity Check is enabled, the biometric prompt dialog—which asks the user to scan their finger or face—does not permit using the device's PIN, password, or pattern as a fallback authentication method.' Android Authority suggests users with devices other than Pixels or Samsungs 'check for the Identity Check feature after updating to Android 16.' But it won't be available for everyone, as it requires a certain level of hardware as well as the OS upgrade. Samsung Confirms One UI 7 Bad News—Do Not Update Your Phone Kudos to both Google and Apple for grappling the phone theft epidemic and making new devices harder and less worthwhile to steal. There's more to be done though. The spate of phone thefts is out of control and shows no signs of slowing. It needs to stop.
