The Carrier IQ software is what’s known as a rootkit that is installed at a carrier’s request on mobile phones. The software raises user privacy concerns in light of the fact that it runs in the background and monitors and logs user activity.

Carrier IQ is believed to be installed on well over 100 million devices today.

The class action lawsuit was filed by Delaware-based Sianni & Straite LLP. The suit targets Apple, HTC, Samsung and Motorola. Wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are also named in the lawsuit that alleges an “unprecedented breach in the digital privacy rights of 150 million cell phone users.”

AT&T and Sprint claim the Carrier IQ software is only used as a means to “improve service performance.”

In response to the Carrier IQ scandal, Apple announced that “stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update.”

According to a press release heralding the partnership, MasterCard will fuse its expertise in payment processing and commerce with Intel’s strengths in silicon innovation and chip-based security.

It is designed to provide more options for a safer and simpler checkout process for online merchants and consumers using Ultrabook devices and future generations of Intel-based PCs.

Intel and MasterCard are working together to optimize a variety of emerging payments technologies, including MasterCard’s PayPass and Intel’s Identity Protection Technology (IPT).

All told, it’s a great time for these new partners to take up this endeavor as consumers continue to shift their shopping to the Internet.

Online sales topped $176 billion last year in the United States alone and will likely grow at double-digit percentage rates annually for the next 5 years based on recent projections from Forrester Research.

“MasterCard is constantly working to improve the shopping experience for consumers and merchants,” says Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer at MasterCard. “The collaboration with Intel will deliver enhanced security and faster checkout – with the convenience of a simple click or tap.”

“Our goal is to enable users of Ultrabook devices and future generations of Intel-based PCs to enjoy the convenience of e-commerce while making online payments safer from malware and hackers with the advanced security capabilities of Intel Identity Protection Technology,” concluded George Thangadurai, general manager of PC Client Services Division at Intel Corporation. “Online commerce is a key focus area for Intel, and through this partnership with MasterCard, we intend to deliver an innovative, personalized and safer e-commerce experience to consumers.”

Unfortunately, QR codes have been targeted as a new way of delivering malware to smartphones.

According to Laptop Magazine, security firm Kaspersky Lab discovered QR tags “embedded with code that directs the Android smartphones that interact with them to malicious websites hosting an Android Trojan.”

The high-profile incident of QR code tampering was uncovered late last month in Russia. Numerous people downloaded an Android app called Jimmm, which actually delivered malware capable of sending SMS codes to a premium rate number.

“Usage of QR codes for malware spreading was predictable. And as long as this technology is popular cybercriminals will use it,” said one Kaspersky Lab source.

With malware-infested QR codes being new to the mobile security community, greater efforts must now be taken by software vendors and mobile users alike to curb the impact of this nefarious practice.

For the time being, however, consumers are being told that they shouldn’t be too concerned with QR code contamination.

“There’s a interim step between scanning the code and launching an app in which consumers can determine if they’ve been scammed. If it’s a game and it’s requesting SMS, then you know something’s wrong,” Tim Armstrong, a malware researcher at Kaspersky Lab, tells Mashable.

The following is a guest post James Bentham on behalf of Mobile Interactive Group.

With the majority of large retailers in the UK choosing to capitalise on the mobile commerce channel, those who have been left behind are now scrabbling to catch up. Still in its relative infancy, mCommerce has developed quickly throughout 2011 and shows no signs of slowing. The brands who have benefitted most were the ones not afraid to innovate and take some risks.

Amazon and eBay both set up strong mobile presences during 2010 and both have seen huge returns, forging a path for other brands to follow. Amazon optimised their site for mobile phones as well as offering apps for the iPhone and Android operating systems in various territories. They were one of the first to introduce cross platform accounts, with users able to add products to their basket via their mobile phone and then purchase them next time they log in on a computer. eBay’s app enabled both buying and selling processes to take place via a mobile and, via a highly effective user interface, made the application a pleasure to use. This produced some massive sales through their mobile channel, including that of a Lamborghini for $350,000 and a yacht for £150,000.

So what has brought about this necessity for retailers to move into mobile commerce? comScore research states that 10% of women and 17.9% of men in the age group 13 to 44 have attempted to access an online retailer via their mobile. Another survey from YouGov revealed that 25% of consumers said that if they couldn’t access a retailer’s site on their mobile, they would go to a competitor and not try to access that site again.

mCommerce is forecast to grow to over $100bn per annum by 2015, particularly in the UK and Europe which appears to be catching and will likely overtake the US in terms of usage. Mobile transactions are predicted to have jumped from $170 billion in 2010 to $630 billion by 2014. There are plenty of other indicators to indicate now is the time for retailers to go mobile too. Ocado now receives 5% of its orders through its mobile app and US Pizza Hut generated more than $1m just from its first 3 months.

Now mobile commerce has fledged, it is important for any retailer to ensure they have a website that is optimised for mobiles, but not at the expense of application development. The main stumbling block for retailers is getting their eCommerce system properly integrated with their front end mobile app or site. In order to provide the best customer experience, more brands are opting for complete systems that deliver APIs for their products, account managements and dealing with transactions.

The act of downloading an app in itself is a positive movement by the customer to interact with a brand and is worth much more than simply bookmarking a mobile site. Once downloaded, the app becomes a feature of the users mobile and they will be much more likely to return and browse on a regular basis, particularly if the user interface has been uniquely designed.

This aspect of mCommerce is continually changing and new web standards in HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript are allowing more creative options for designing interfaces and a more exciting user experience. These developments, coupled with the explosion of touch screen smart phones throughout 2011, have brought with them features including drag and drop, inline video, 360^oproduct view as well as live data entry validation.

Going forward, eBay has just released information about a new mobile photo feature, where users can take pictures of products they like the look of and the app will suggest similar products available on the site. Innovations such as this are revolutionising the way people shop and unifying in store, online and mobile retailing experiences.

For those unfamiliar, Google Wallet is a new service that allows users to make mobile payments from their mobile devices using Google Prepaid Cards or a Citi MasterCard.  At the moment, the service is extremely limited — only available to users rocking Sprint’s Nexus S 4G — but availability to other phones and carriers should be announced in the coming months.

One of the biggest improvements is the addition of in-app offers, which replace the email notifications that were sent our for each offer when the service was first announced.  Here’s a full list of the updates and enhancements:

• Updated transaction detail screen (for Tap & Pay and in Transaction History)
• Merchant name and amount now available for Google Prepaid Card purchases
• Improved button to turn your cards on and off
• Five minute default PIN timeout for new users
• An improved tutorial
• Account Number validation for some gift cards
• Bug fixes

Google has high hopes for Google Wallet, but until compatibility and NFC adoption catch up, it’ll remain limited to a select group of users.  Apple is also planning NFC integration with the iPhone, but it likely sees the writing on the wall in terms of low adoption.  Google, never one to wait until the market catches up with its ideas, is taking a preemptive strike.  Only time will tell if it gives them first-mover advantage.

The following is a guest post from Tope Abayomi, Founder of Emityme Apps.

Can your customers pay for product and/or services through a mobile phone?  If not, you should start thinking of implementing an option unless you’re comfortable  leaving money on the table.

New forecasts from PayPal show that this year’s total mobile payments (TMP) volume is expected to reach $3 billion.  But PayPal only serves a small part of the mobile payment market.  For all mobile payments sent through all systems in the US, the total volume is set to hit the $6B mark, according to Forrester Research. PayPal’s number is double from what they expected at the start of the year, as the number of customers using their phones to pay has soared.

And they spend a total of $10 million a day, compared to $6 million back in March — only months ago.

Options for Enabling Mobile Payments

There are several ways customers can pay you on the go, ranging from the now quite ordinary, like paying for a new ring tone or giving a donation to charity through a premium text message, to the advanced with solutions like Google Wallet — which just launched in September.  Some mobile payment platforms are less advanced than they look however.  PayPal supports both ‘text to buy’ and payments in mobile internet browsers,  with the latter being quite similar to a desktop payment.  There are other providers for mobile web payments too, and of course, credit cards can be used for mobile web payments as well.  But the combination of ‘mobile’ and ‘credit cards’ still makes many of us shiver, as mobile security doesn’t have the best reputation.

Google Wallet or Square — Big and small brands are heavily invested

Enter a trusted brand; Google has recently launched Google Wallet.  Can you actually pay for your day to day shopping and transport with your phone?  Google says you can, and it looks like there are no major competitors since Apple decided to forgo NFC integration in it’s latest iOS 5 release.  NFC (Near Field Communication) chips, the very technology Google uses for its Wallet, communicates with a new type of credit card terminal, without the need to physically swipe your card.  And your virtual loyalty cards are in the wallet too, so you don’t actually have to carry a traditional wallet around for much longer.  Maybe only to buy an ice cream, but more about that later.  How Apple will challenge this technology in later iPhone releases, very few people know, but it’s likely that retailers will choose to invest either in Google or in Apple infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Square has teamed up with Apple to develop a swiping device for the iPhone and iPad that plugs into the headphone jack.  With Square, anyone can take debit or credit card payments at a flat rate of 2.75%.  This may change the way we pay for products from small mobile businesses like ice cream, a burger or a newspaper. It’s a small step forward to losing the traditional wallet altogether.

Only one credit card company has so far joined Google Wallet, and it’s possible that the other card providers are waiting to see what Apple does before they invest in this new technology.  Google’s temporary solution is a virtual Google prepaid card which sits within the Wallet.  This card can be topped up with any credit card to begin using it for purchases.  Still, It looks like a lot of investment is needed from retailers, banks and credit card companies before we can actually go shopping without our wallet, but with our phone instead.

One thing’s certain though, mobile payments are set to change our world and you need to begin planning your strategy for allowing customers to pay you on the go.

About the Author

Tope Abayomi is the Founder of Emityme Apps, creators of iPhone and iPad apps.  When he’s not building apps, you can find him on twitter @emityme, trying to act cool.

On Tuesday, Sony announced it’s installment of a former high-ranking U.S. Department of Homeland Security official as the new chief security officer at Sony.

Philip Reitinger, the former deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will now serve as “senior vice president and chief information security officer” at Sony.

As Sony Group’s top information security executive, Reitinger will be responsible for assuring the security of Sony’s information assets and services. He will oversee information security, privacy and internet safety across the company, coordinating closely with key headquarters groups and working in partnership with the information security community to bring the best ideas and approaches to Sony.

According to a statement released Tuesday by Sony, Reitinger has worked in and with the information security community for many years, and has also held key cyber security positions at Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Justice. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degree, and from Yale Law School.

In addition to warding off future hacks, Sony is looking to bolster public confidence in the company, which has seen its stock fall better than 40% since the high-profile hacker attacks of April 2011.

And the carrier is putting its money where its mouth is.

Aware of the increasing need to protect consumer and enterprise mobile devices from the growing number of troubling cyber attacks, AT&T is investing in a new mobile security platform, the telecom giant said Thursday. It will allow customers to better protect their devices against security threats.

AT&T has executed an agreement with Juniper Networks to deliver this security capability and additional services based on the platform in the future. This new agreement is part of AT&T’s mobile security strategy to manage and protect smartphones and customer information.

AT&T says that its strategy is distinguished from other approaches to mobile security. According to AT&T, the endeavor will provide a comprehensive security solution that will integrate wireline and wireless security policies for consumer, enterprise and government customers.

The first phase of the platform – the AT&T Mobile Security application – is expected to be available later this year and is based on the Juniper Networks Junos Pulse solution.

“Mobile security is the ‘next frontier’ for our continued effort to mitigate cyber-threats and to help protect our customers’ information,” says Ed Amoroso, chief security officer at AT&T. “With the help of Juniper Networks and the power of AT&T Labs and the AT&T Mobility Security Research Center behind us, we’ll be able to deliver new security capabilities to provide peace of mind to companies and consumers alike.”

“As the use of smartphones and tablets continues to grow, Sprint is actively working with developers, manufacturers and leaders in the industry to provide solutions that can help protect customers’ information and their devices,” the companies said in a joint press release.

McAfee Mobile Security champions the safeguarding of data and other personal user information from loss, theft and viruses. McAfee Family Protection Android Edition lets parents filter inappropriate websites on their child’s mobile device.

“Sprint takes mobile security very seriously, and we are working to provide tools for our customers that can help protect their devices from viruses and give them the ability to lock or wipe data from their device remotely if it becomes lost or stolen,” says Fared Adib, senior vice president of product for Sprint. “McAfee is recognized as a leader in this space, and we are pleased to be working with them and to feature the McAfee Mobile Security software in Sprint Zone.”

The McAfee Mobile Security software is available as a seven-day trial and can be purchased as a 12-month subscription for $29.99. The McAfee Family Protection Android Edition is available as a 30-day trial and can be purchased as a 12-month subscription for $19.99.

The amount of personal health information (PHI) stored and accessed on mobile devices is ever increasing, with 10,000 mobile healthcare applications existing that allow users to access electronic health records (EHR).

Additionally, one in three physicians own an iPad, and another 28 percent are planning on purchasing one within the next six months. This doesn’t even include the privacy risk that the 64 percent already using a smartphone produces.

With numbers like these, it is clear that a lot of patient data is at jeopardy. In fact, the Office of Civil Rights has reported that within the past two years, the PHI of 1.9 million patients has been exposed. This release of private information is linked to 116 data breaches of over 500 records due to the theft or loss of mobile devices.

These numbers are not only troubling from a legal standpoint, but also from a business view, as consumer confidence in electronic health records wavers in response.

However, this does not need to be the case. The president of ID Experts Rick Kam explained that there are several steps that healthcare providers can take to make certain that patient privacy is maintained and these security breaches are averted.

This includes measures for securing wireless devices such as encrypting any sensitive data, using a password for protection, and setting the lock screen to appear after a short period of time without activity. Additionally, enabling the “remote wipe” feature on mobile devices allows physicians to erase data from lost or stolen devices, preventing situations such as those that have led to the breach of almost two million patients’ information recently.

Other measures that Kam suggests revolve around the protection of healthcare providers’ Wi-Fi networks. This includes suggestions such as using a password protected Wi-Fi network, changing the default service set identifier, and keeping this information private.

By following the steps Kam laid out and relying on best practices, convenience and mobility do not have to mean a simultaneous reduction in privacy standards.