Urgent warning for Android users over bug that can empty your bank account | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
The Chrome browser is popular with Android users (Picture: Getty)
Android owners who use the Chrome app for browsing online have been warned about a new type of malware that could empty their bank accounts.
The new bug, called Brokewell, is disguised as an update for the app. However, when downloaded, it allows cybercriminals to not only access personal data, but also take over the entire phone – potentially allowing them access to banking apps.
Screenshots provided by ThreatFabric, which discovered the bug, show how difficult it is to spot the fraud.
The team is warning Android users to be on alert, and only download updates from official sources, such as through the Google Play store.
They added that Brokewell is a 'significant threat to the banking industry'.
'Our Threat Intelligence shows that device takeover capabilities remain crucial for any modern banking malware family, and new players entering the landscape are no exception,' the team said on its website.
The official Chrome update, left, and fake update from Brokewell, right
'Thus, it comes as no surprise that ThreatFabric analysts recently discovered a new mobile malware family, "Brokewell", with an extensive set of device takeover capabilities.
'Brokewell uses overlay attacks, a common technique for Android banking malware, where it overlays a bogus screen on a targeted application to capture user credentials.
'After stealing the credentials, the actors can initiate a device takeover attack using remote control capabilities.'
Once downloaded, Brokewell allows whoever has taken over the device to perform a range of actions, such as touches, swipes, and clicks on specified elements.
The arrival of Brokewell marks a move away from launching dodgy apps to try to hack people's phones, something cybercriminals have been doing for years and which more and more users are aware of.
By appearing as a perfectly legitimate update to an existing – and well-known – app, users may not stop to consider what they're doing before hitting download.
However, with the discovery of Brokewell, it is even more important to take your time and properly consider anything that asks to update your device. If in doubt, ignore an update prompt and update the app manually yourself.
Violent clashes spread across US between protesters and riot police | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
Fireworks, police batons and arrests have been spreading across the states (Pictures: AP)
Following the arrest of dozens of protestors at Columbia University in New York, a similar demonstration at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has spiraled into chaos.
Video of pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protestors throwing pallets and hitting each other, leaving many bloodied, have begun to circulate as reporters on the ground have reported no police presence – with one witness saying 'security ran away'.
Police are now slowly moving into the scene to help corral people into a certain direction and break up the skirmishes, and some officers have been seen putting on gas masks.
Other California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department officers have been spotted lining up outside of the encampment, which has a large homemade barricade made with metal barriers and plywood to keep the two sides apart.
A corridor has been created on a walkway to allow protestors to leave the area peacefully without being arrested as police continue to move in.
Earlier, video showed batons being used as the demonstration unraveled into chaos, with a news anchor commenting: 'Where are the police? Where is security? Where is the authority? It's something I've never covered…'
A large police presence is standing nearby the UCLA protest (Picture: ABC7)Tear gas has been deployed on the site(Picture: AFP)Fireworks were thrown onto the pro-Palestine side by pro-Israeli demonstratorsOfficers are reportedly prepared with plastic handcuffs (Picture: AFP)
In one clip, a protestor appeared to be hit by a wooden pallet someone threw at him – to which the news anchor watching gasped at. The scenes began unfolding around 11pm California time.
Journalist Jack Ross has reported that pro-Palestinian protestors have been taking their own to hospitals because 'UCLA PD won't let EMS' in. Earlier, it was reported that a female Jewish student had been 'knocked unconscious'. Both of these reports are unconfirmed.
He quoted a source saying: 'Which means our camp has treated 100+ people so far for medical injuries including tear gas pepper spray head injuries from projectiles fireworks burns shock. Not a single EMS from outside our camp or network has been able to respond, actively being blocked.'
One video showed a firework being thrown towards the pro-Palestine encampment, with protestors screaming and ducking behind umbrellas before it exploded.
Riot police have been seen on the ground, and were greeted by pro-Israel demonstrators, some draped in the Israeli flag, with chants of 'USA! USA!'
LA councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said in a statement: 'Everyone has a right to free speech and protest, but the situation on UCLA's campus is out of control and is no longer safe.
'I'm grateful to LAPD and Mayor Bass for stepping in to ensure the safety of everyone on campus.'
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More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on university campuses in Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey.
At Columbia University, Hamilton Hall – which protestors renamed 'Hind Hall' in honour of a killed Palestinian girl – was cleared of protesters who took over building on Tuesday.
The scene unfolded shortly after 9pm yesterday evening as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, gathered at the Ivy League university's entrance.
Students at the City College of New York were dragged away hours later (Picture: Getty)Fireworks have been repeatedly thrown in the encampment (Picture: X)Pro-Palestine/Pro-Israel protestors have been clashing for hours in LA (Picture: BBC)
A statement released by a Columbia spokesperson late on Tuesday said officers arrived on campus after the university requested help – hours after the NYPD said officers would not enter the university campus without university request or an imminent emergency.
The White House condemned the standoffs at Columbia on Tuesday and California State Polytechnic University Humboldt earlier in the week.
Other universities have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstrators in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies.
The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7.
Demonstrations have erupted across the country, and abroad, as university students begin to protest (Picture: AP/Metro.co.uk)Police at the University of Texas pepper sprayed and arrested demonstrators en masse (Picture: AFP)
Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages.
In return, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
The reasons behind the protest vary slightly, but overall agree that the US should end military support to Israel.
Some university students, such as those at Columbia, are demanding their schools sever any financial ties to Israel and other companies involved directly in the conflict.
Mass arrests have led to calls for amnesty of students and faculty who are disciplined for their involvement in the protests.
What has Sadiq Khan done as a Mayor and what are his re-election policies for 2024?
London's City Hall, a regular destination for the London Mayor (Picture: Getty)
Sadiq Khan launched his campaign for re-election in March and his pledges can be found on Labour's campaign website.
He unveiled his full manifesto 'A fairer, safer, greener London' on Thursday afternoon at the Design District Unit in Greenwich.
There are a number of key areas Khan will be working to improve, ranging from transport to housing to job creation.
Here is a summary of some of the key areas of his manifesto.
Cost of living
TfL's revenues have taken a big hit during the pandemic (Credits: PA)
The cost of living crisis is the main concern of most voters as energy bills and inflation leaves households feeling the pinch.
In order to tackle this, Khan says City Hall would fund a scheme to give every primary school pupil free meals.
The mayor's office has said the project, first introduced last year, would help more than 270,000 children in the capital and save families about £1,000-per-child over two years.
All 1,900 state primary schools in London participate in the scheme, which costs £140 million a year.
It's available for all primary school children, regardless of family income.
In a post on X, Khan said that he wanted to 'make London the greatest city in the world to grow up in'.
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The Labour mayor claims his Tory opponent Susan Hall would cancel the policy. Hall has said she would extend the programme "for as long as the cost of living situation requires it".
Khan has also pledged to fund baby banks in every borough.
The baby banks will stock essentials like bedding, nappies and clothes.
'I want every child to have the best possible start in life,' the Labour candidate said in a post on X.
Another key plank of Khan's offer on the cost of living is targeted at commuters: a Transport for London fares freeze, extended to March 2025.
City Hall estimates the policy will save tube and bus passengers around £90-a-year and makes fares 12% cheaper than they would have been uncapped.
Khan confirmed the continued freeze on fares after the government stepped in to plug the £250m hole in TfL left by the Covid pandemic. City Hall Conservatives accused the mayor of trying to buy votes with the plan.
Housing
Khan wants to address private rent in the city (Credits: PA)
The housing shortfall in cities is high on the agenda for every mayoral candidate trying to win power in May.
Khan has pledged the "greatest council housebuilding drive in a generation", with 40,000 new social homes completed by 2030. The pledge includes 6,000 rent-controlled homes for key workers in the capital.
The former MP for Tooting has a strong record on housing, with City Hall boasting a ten-fold increase in building since Labour won power. Housing remains in short supply, however, with private rent prices up and 61,810 families in temporary accommodation last year, up from 59,830 in 2021.
Khan has also pledged to "pursue dodgy landlords" who fail to follow proper regulations, with maximum penalties of two years' rent returned to tenants.
Transport
Hybrid and electric buses will likely be seen more and more in the future (Credits: Getty Images)
Beyond the fares freeze, Khan would point to the new Elizabeth line, the introduction of the Night Tube, investment in green buses and a five-fold increase in protected cycle lanes.
The manifesto commits Khan to "continuing to invest in public transport to ensure it is safe, affordable and reliable, keeping fares as low as possible, working to put TfL on a sound, sustainable financial footing after the pandemic, and supporting a revolution in walking and cycling
He has pledged to extend the Superloop express bus network, including a link between Lewisham and Elephant and Castle as an alternative to the Bakerloo extension. Critics say the 'Bakerloop' extension is aimed at masking underinvestment in Tube upgrades.
Crime
As mayor, Khan also acts as the capital's police and crime commissioner.
According the Crime Survey for England and Wales, individuals are less likely to be a victim of crime in the capital than they are across the country as a whole. But concern the level of violent crime is likely to be a central part of the election fight, with drug dealing, gangs and knife crime blighting some communities.
If re-elected, Khan has promised to boost the Met's police budget by £88m, mainly using cash from council tax hikes, and seek more central government funding.
'Erasmus' scheme
One of the more eye-catching pledges so far has been Khan's vow to offer young people studying in London a new version of the EU's student exchange scheme lost after Brexit.
The aim is to give students grants and support to study and work abroad, in the EU and elsewhere, with reciprocal arrangements to be put in place for overseas students.
The mayor is discussing the move with leading philanthropists and funders in a bid to recover some of the mobility opportunities for young people cut off when the UK left the Erasmus scheme.
Environment
Many have protested against the expansion of London's ULEZ (Credits: andy barnes/w8media)
Khan's most significant climate change measure, the Ultra-low Emission Zone (ULEZ), has been under attack since Labour lost last year's Uxbridge by-election, with the levy seen as a key factor.
The £12.50 charge for the most polluting vehicles was widened in late 2021 and Ulez now represents the largest clean air zone in the world.
The mayor has pledged not to extend its scope and has ruled out both a pay-per-mile scheme and any tightening of the rules.
He has promised to keep the capital's 2030 net zero target and decarbonise more buses.
Jobs
The capital's economy is still recovering from the Covid pandemic and high levels of inflation, though its unemployment rate is at a historical low of 3.8%.
Khan last week unveiled a growth plan for London, which he said would aim to create at least 150,000 high-quality jobs by 2028.
These new roles would be in established sectors such as finance, retail and hospitality, though Khan highlighted untapped opportunity in health, life sciences and fintech.
He has also begun pressing the government for an improved Brexit deal.
How likely is it Sadiq Khan will win again?
At the last London mayoral election, Sadiq Khan won with 55% of the vote (Picture: PA)
Polls have so far put Khan ahead of his rival Susan Hall. Pollster YouGov had Khan 19 points ahead and he is the bookies' favourite, with betting companies offering odds of 1/25.
Labour remains very popular in London and the party holds the vast majority of parliamentary constituencies.
Khan won with 55% of the vote in 2021 but how this year's race will be decided has changed.
In 2021, the contest was decided using a proportional representation system which enabled Khan to pick up second preference votes from parties like the Greens.
This year, in which Khan is running for a third term, the race will be decided using a first-past-the-post system. This means that the person with the most votes wins.
This could make it more difficult for Khan to make it over the line, especially as many voters in outer London have been angry about the expansion of the ULEZ charging zone.
Who are the London mayoral election candidates and what are their odds of winning? | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
The battle for Mayor of London is looking like a race between Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall and a count in a bin (Picture: PA/Getty)
London's 2024 mayoral election will take place tomorrow and the battle for the capital's top office is in full force.
The deadline for nominations was in March. Right-wing agitator Laurence Fox intended to stand after bagging 1.9% of the vote and losing his £10,000 deposit last time around.
There will also be ten other mayoral elections outside of the capital, as well as elections for 37 police and crime commissioners across England and Wales. You can follow all the latest news in our local election live blog.
Who are the candidates?
We look at who is planning to stand, their party and chances to win.
Sadiq Khan – Labour
Sadiq Khan has been Mayor of London since 2016 (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
Odds: 1/25
Incumbent Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is seeking an unprecedented third term in office.
First elected in 2016, he was re-elected in a postponed contest in 2021.
No one else has managed to hold onto the top job in London for more than two terms.
Predecessor and former fellow Labour member Ken Livingstone tried it in 2008, narrowly losing to Boris Johnson.
Livingstone tried and failed to regain the title four years later.
But Khan, the capital's first Muslim mayor, having previously been its first Muslim MP, could pull it off.
He's polling more than 20% above his closest opponent, with half of voters indicating they'd back him, despite controversies over knife crime levels and the expansion of ultra low emission zones (ULEZ).
Khan has promised to unleash the 'greatest council housebuilding drive in a generation' if voted back in.
He's also highlighting his promises of free school meals, Transport for London far freezes, and cleaner air.
Susan Hall – Conservative
Former beauty salon owner Susan Hall is eyeing up the mayor's office after four years leading the Tories at the London Assembly (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Hall spent four years as leader of the Tory group on the London Assembly, of which she's been a member since 2017.
The former salon owner is promising to 'get a grip on crime, build more affordable homes, and scrap the ULEZ expansion on day one'.
Zoë Garbett – Green
Zoë Garbett was the first Green councillor for Dalston
Odds: 150/1
The pink-haired leader of Hackney Greens, Zoë Garbett, is coming out to bat for small venues and other people who 'do not feel heard' in 'the best city in the world'.
London's nightlife is said to be declining as late-night venues struggle to get licensing and the cost of rent is pricing creative and nightlife industry workers out of the capital.
A councillor for Dalston, Garbett is hoping to build on the relative success of Sian Berry who secured 8% for the Green Party in the 2021 mayoral election.
She's one of the few candidates not looking to scrap or roll back Khan's ULEZ policy.
Instead, Garbett is promising a 'better and fairer' way of charging motorists based on how far and when they travel, and what vehicle they drive.
Rob Blackie – Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrat candidate Rob Blackie has just undergone successful treatment for cancer (Picture: Andrew Kin/PA)
Odds: 100/1
A warrior fighting Vladimir Putin's propaganda machine in its war in Ukraine, Rob Blackie is turning his attention to problems facing London.
The one-time anti-Brexit campaigner has stood for election before – as a London Assembly candidate in 2012 and 2016 – but he's never been successful in winning office.
He's hoping his call for police to prioritise investigating serious sexual offences instead of 'wasting time' on low-level drug offences like laughing gas will win over voters.
Black has himself been violently mugged, leaving him with a titanium neck installed by the NHS.
Howard Cox – Reform
Former businessman Howard Cox is promising to scrap ULEZ as Reform's candidate for Mayor of London (Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
Odds: 100/1
FairFuelUK founder Howard Cox believes he's the man who can deliver better for London, and the former businessman plans to do so by scrapping ULEZ.
He claims to have stopped more than £200 billion in planned taxes by campaigning to keep fuel duty frozen since 2010.
The former Tory voter, who is trailing on just 5% in the polls, frames himself as a voice for 'low-income families, workers, sole traders, and businesses'.
Reform, formerly the Brexit Party, was founded by City stockbroker Nigel Farage and property businessman Richard Tice.
Cox also promised to increase affordable housing and ensure stable 5G and wifi across Greater London.
Count Binface – Independent
Count Binface poses after the results of the London mayoral election in 2021 (Picture: PA)
Odds: 1000/1
Sometimes satire is the best form of protest, particularly when you don't have to look at their smiling face begging you for a vote.
Alongside a slightly sinister proposal to 'halve the Tories' – their seats, or them? – Count Binface is also promising to slash the price of croissants and get the astronomy growing.
The satirical candidate is also offering to 'stop the bots', a welcome proposal for anyone tired of spending hours blocking spam accounts on Twitter or Instagram.
He won 22,775 votes, or 1% of the total, at the last mayoral election.
Binface has also twice stood in Boris Johnson's former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
He's never been successful in an election, but maybe this will be his moment.
Other candidates
Femy Amin – Animal Welfare Party
Natalie Campbell – Independent
Amy Gallagher – Social Democratic Party
Tarun Ghulati – Independent
Andreas Michli – Independent
Brian Rose – London Real Party
Nick Scanlon – Britain First
What do the polls predict?
Although Sadiq Khan is soaring ahead in the polls, there are fears the election will be closer than you may think based on the gulf between him and the competition.
That could be a problem now the system for electing the Mayor of London has changed.
No longer will voters' second preferences be counted towards the top two candidate's total tally. Instead, there is a single round, with the winner being whoever wins the most votes like in elections for parliament, thanks to a change forced through by the Tories.
While Khan was re-elected with 55% of the vote last time around, there was less than 5% between him and the Tories' Shaun Bailey in the first round.
With 11 other candidates capable of siphoning votes in other directions, there's still a route to victory for Susan Hall.
But the chances of that happening are slim if the bookies are right.
Count Binface describes himself as 'an intergalactic space warrior and leader of the Recyclons from planet Sigma IX'.
Count Binface was formerly known as Lord Buckethead (Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
But the man behind the mask is actually Jon Harvey, a comedian and writer.
On Count Binface's official website, Harvey writes that his alter-ego is an 'intergalactic space warrior who stood against Theresa May in 2017 and went viral (in a non-Covid way)'.
The Count campaigns for 'justice, lasers, Lovejoy, affordable croissants and the return of Ceefax' (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
He then went on to challenge PM Boris Johnson's seat as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which the PM has held since 2015.
After an unsuccessful bid, the Count threw his 'metal' hat (head?) in the ring for the 2021 London mayor election, where he received 24,775 votes.
Now he's back and hoping to win the 2024 mayor election on May 2.
When asked for his opinion on one of his main rivals, Susan Hall of the Conservatives, he told the PA news agency: 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'
It will be the Count's second time running to be mayor of London (Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)
In March, he released a music video on YouTube featuring his version of The Real Thing's 'You To Me Are Everything'.
In the upbeat electro song, the Count sings: 'I will bring the price of croissants down for you.'
The video was shared to help raise the £10,000 needed to put down a deposit to run for mayor.
He was able to successfully quality after receiving 659 donations on his GoFundMe.
'Make 2024 Bindependence Day!' he wrote on the page.
What is Count Binface's 2024 manifesto for London mayor?
He also promises to make Thames Water bosses take a dip in the Thames to 'see how they like it'.
Other manifesto pledges include banning speakers on public transport, replacing the Millennium Dome with a nature reserve and tying government ministers's pay to nurses for the next 100 years.
The Count is also passionate about the cost of 99 Flakes (Picture: Instagram/@countbinface)
He also made some other political promises beyond the manifesto.
'I'm the only politician who asks why a 99 flake costs a fiver,' he said on Instagram.
Count Binface's love of Ceefax is also included in the manifesto, with a pledge to reintroduce the teletext service to all homes within the M25.
Why did he change his name from Lord Buckethead?
Until 2018, Count Binface was known as Lord Buckethead – with many wondering why he changed his name.
Unluckily, it seems comedian Jon Harvey wound up in a copyright dispute over the character with US-based filmmaker Todd Durham.
Lord Buckethead first appeared in Durham's 1984 sci-fi film Hyperspace – a Star Wars parody of sorts – as an intergalactic villain.
A few years after the film's release, a version of Lord Buckethead – not played by Jon – went on to stand in the 1987 and 1992 UK general elections.
This Lord Buckethead was played by Mike Lee, the owner of the company that looked after UK distribution for the film, which was called Gremloids here.
Seemingly, this was an approved usage for the character.
But after Jon Harvey's unofficial portrayal went viral in 2017, a legal dispute cropped up.
The Count stood against Theresa May in 2017 (Picture: Kate Green/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
As the Count himself writes on his website: 'In 2018 I had an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright.
'An elderly American human film producer took my Twitter account off me after I got famous.
'So I had an upgrade and took on Boris Johnson in the 2019 election in my new and improved form, Count Binface.
'I'm still your friendly neighbourhood space warrior campaigning for justice, lasers, Lovejoy and the return of Ceefax.'
How many times has Count Binface run for London mayor?
Count Binface has only run for mayor once before, in 2021.
He has, however, run in other elections, including in the 2019 general election.
Count Binface believes 'democracy on our planet is in deep trouble' (Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP)
He was a candidate in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which was former prime minister Boris Johnson's seat at the time.
He ran again in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election in 2023, which was triggered when Johnson resigned as an MP.
How many votes has Count Binface received in previous elections?
In the 2019 general election, Count Binface got 69 votes. He was beaten by the new Lord Buckethead, who got 125 votes.
He came ninth in the 2021 elections with 24,775 first-choice votes, defeating Piers Corbyn and UKIP in the process.
'This is a new record for an alien standing for public office on planet Earth,' he said.
In the 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, he got 190 votes, defeating Piers Corbyn and UKIP again, as well as the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
He has not ruled out an appearance in the general election expected later this year, telling PA that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's seat in Richmond, North Yorkshire, 'does look a tiny bit on the tempting side'.
