S-E Computer Engineering

Affective computing is transforming the way machines understand and interact with human emotions, integrating computer science, psychology, and neuroscience. With advancements in emotion recognition, ethical practices, and immersive technologies, this field is set to revolutionize interactions across healthcare, customer service, and virtual reality.

Android phone users have been urged to delete apps that have been affected by invasive malware with thousands of people believed to be at risk.

SharkBot is a banking trojan which was first discovered in 2018 and the malicious app was found targeting cryptocurrency apps where it would steal the victims' login information. This allowed hackers to use the victims' accounts.

The malicious malware resurfaced on Google Play earlier this week and users have been warned to look out for two apps which have been corrupted. These apps only become infected with the virus once they have been downloaded on to a phone.

The two apps are called Mister Phone Cleaner and Kylhavy Mobile Security and have both been found to be infected with the malware, according to software experts at Fox-IT who made the discovery which was reported by The Express.

Anyone who has both apps installed on to their devices have been urged to delete them immediately. Google has already banned both Mister Phone Cleaner and Kylhavy Mobile Security from Google Store but phones with the apps already downloaded could become the next cyber victim if they choose to ignore the advice.

By using Sharkbot, scammers can bypass Google's stringent security credentials and steal money from Android users' online bank accounts, and create fake login pages for the hackers to steal user names and passwords.

Speaking to The Express about the malware, Fox-IT's Alberto Segura said: "This new version asks the victim to install the malware as a fake update for the antivirus to stay protected against threats. We have found two SharkbotDopper apps active in Google Play Store, with 10K and 50K installs each of them.

"On the 22nd of August 2022, Fox-IT’s Threat Intelligence team found a new Sharkbot sample with version 2.25; communicating with command-and-control servers mentioned previously. This Sharkbot version introduced a new feature to steal session cookies from the victims that logs into their bank account."

Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
Foo Yun Chee


BRUSSELS - Fortnite creator Epic Games has taken its fight against Apple to European Union antitrust regulators, escalating its dispute with the iPhone maker over its App Store payment system and control over app downloads.

The two companies have been in a dispute since August, when the game maker tried to avoid Apple's 30% fee on some in-app purchases on the App Store by launching its own in-app payment system.

That prompted Apple to kick Epic's Fortnite game off the App Store and threaten to terminate an affiliated account that would have effectively blocked distribution of Unreal Engine, a software tool used by hundreds of app makers to create games.

"The 30% they charge as their app tax, they can make it 50% or 90% or 100%. Under their theory of how these markets are structured, they have every right to do that," he told reporters.

"Epic is not asking any court or regulator to change this 30% to some other number, only to restore competition on IOS," he said, referring to Apple's mobile operating system.

The company also accused Apple of barring rivals from launching their own gaming subscription service on its platform by preventing them from bundling several games together, even though its own Apple Arcade service does that.

Apple said its rules applied equally to all developers and that Epic had violated them.

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VIDEO Epic Games takes Apple fight to EU regulators
"In ways a judge has described as deceptive and clandestine, Epic enabled a feature in its app, which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines that apply equally to every developer and protect customers," the company said in a statement.

EUROPEAN GATEKEEPERS

Epic Games' EU complaint drew support from lawmaker Rasmus Andresen at the European Parliament, which will in coming months seek to reinforce EU tech rules proposed by the Commission to rein in U.S. tech giants.

REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID
"We as legislators need to ensure that these platforms who act as gatekeepers in the digital market have to respect a predefined set of rules in order to guarantee fair competition and balanced market powers," he said in a statement.

Apple has in recent months made changes to its practices by lowering fees for some developers and giving them a way to challenge its rulings. Such measures have not satisfied the company's critics.

Fortnite is expected to return to the iPhone at some point in the mobile Safari browser as part of Nvidia's streaming game service.

Epic first pursued legal action against Apple in the United States and the two parties have in recent weeks have been trading documents and conducting depositions ahead of a trial scheduled for May.

The European Commission, which is investigating Apple's mobile payment system Apple Pay and the App Store, confirmed receipt of the complaint.

"We will assess it based on our standard procedures," a Commission spokeswoman said.

Epic Games has also complained to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and to the Australian watchdog.

Big companies such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify and Match Group Inc have also criticised Apple's App Store fees and rules.

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Update: Possible buyer LG might leave the smartphone market soon, CEO confirms
Ben Schoon

LG’s space in the smartphone market has been chipped away at for years, but next year the company might actually call it quits. That’s right, LG has officially confirmed that it’s considering leaving the smartphone market in 2022.

A report earlier this week from The Elec (since deleted) claimed that LG higher-ups had notified employees of the potential plans, but LG representatives flat out denied that this was the case. Well, now another report from The Korea Herald is bringing that back to the table, and this time LG isn’t saying no.

LG CEO Kwon Bong-seok sent an internal memo to employees on Wednesday saying that “it’s about time” for the company to take a hard look at things and possibly make “the best choice.” What is that best choice? Apparently, LG is weighing out downsizing its smartphone business, withdrawing from the market entirely, and potentially even selling off its smartphone business and assets.

Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice. The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business.

Unlike last time around, LG has since confirmed that this message is real, saying to The Verge that nothing has been decided on at this point.

Update 1/22: Well, it seems a sale might be coming sooner than later. According to reports from The Korea Times and Business Korea, a sale to Vingroup is in the cards. The Vietnamese entered the smartphone industry in 2018 and has produced phones under the VinSmart brand as well as being an ODM for LG’s affordable Android phones. Behind Oppo and Samsung, Vingroup is the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in Vietnam. An acquisition of LG’s smartphone business would give Vingroup an easy way into the US market.

Honestly, this comes as no surprise. To say that LG has failed to gain traction in the market is an understatement. Over the past several years, LG’s mid-range and flagship phones have consistently been behind competitors such as Samsung and Apple and have been less critically revered than devices from Google and other Android OEMs.

Software support has also been an ongoing issue for LG as the company has been notorious for not updating its Android smartphones in a timely manner for years. As a result of evaporating consumer interest, the company has seen very little success in all markets, especially in the United States where LG phones are no more than vessels for carriers to adjust and sell as they see fit.

To put things in perspective, the last time that an LG phone was truly compelling against Samsung, Apple, and Google releases was the LG G4 released in 2015. There have been some highlights in the time since such as LG V60, LG Velvet, and even the wacky LG Wing, but those efforts were simply too little, too late.