lookout

T-Mobile is aiming to fortify the Android smartphones and tablets it carries by offering users free protection against malware and viruses.

The company announced today that it is partnering with mobile security company Lookout to help T-Mobile customers protect their devices with a product called Automatic App Security. The software will come preloaded on certain devices this year, and then T-Mobile will roll it out to most Android devices in 2013.

"As we rely more on our mobile devices, for everything from business to social to banking, it is increasingly important that we protect them from threats," CEO … Read more

Staying ahead of the curve has been a hallmark of Lookout Mobile Security (download), one of the few Android-only security companies to gain a loyal fanbase on Google's mobile platform, and today they've released a major update.

The key feature improvements in the refreshed Android app are a new feature for tracking lost phones with low battery and a dialer-scanner to prevent Dialer app attacks like the one that reared its head in September. The threat was no mere digital crank call. Had you tapped the link and dialed the malicious number, it could remotely wipe your phone. … Read more

Android fragmentation affects security patches, too. Instead of waiting to see which devices have been protected against a Dialer app vulnerability discovered earlier this week, Lookout Mobile Security (download) has stepped into the breach with a patch for it today. So far, it's the only known Android security app to block the exploit, but even Lookout's patch requires initial user input.

The vulnerability allowed some Samsung phones to be remotely wiped from the Dialer app, the "phone" part of your smartphone. While Samsung pushed out a patch quickly, it's not clear if other phones have … Read more

Downloading free Android apps could make you vulnerable to aggressive adware, according to San Francisco-based security firm Lookout.

In fact, as much as five percent of those free apps have spammy ads that may be parceling out your information to third parties according to CTO Kevin Mahaffey.

That number may seem small at first, but not after you consider how many hundreds of millions of times those free apps are downloaded. To combat the problem, Lookout has developed its own app that scans other apps to tells you which ones are engaging in bad behavior. It's up to you … Read more

Have you ever downloaded a free mobile app and then noticed an ad invading your phone's notification bar? That's an example of aggressive advertising, a trend that mobile security firm Lookout is trying to squelch with the release on Monday of app ad guidelines.

Lookout's Mobile App Advertising Guidelines are designed to encourage ad networks and app developers to improve their privacy practices. If reckless mobile ad practices continue, apps risk being labeled as adware by Lookout. Worse, the industry could face regulation, says Lookout Chief Technology Officer Kevin Mahaffey.

"I think we can solve this … Read more

Though it may sound like it, nomophobia isn't the fear of being without Cute Overload. It's the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

A survey of 2,000 Americans commissioned by Lookout, a mobile security app maker, delves into the mindset of smartphone owners and shows just how obsessed we are with our phones.

The bathroom habits of mobile owners have already been revealed in all their icky glory, but Lookout's Mobile Mindset study has uncovered some interesting trends when it comes to staying connected during meals, while lying in bed, and even during services at houses of worship. … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Sprint cares about the safety of your smartphone, which is why they teamed up with security companies like Safely and Lookout to offer safety and security app bundles.

The new initiative is called Sprint Guardian. The new section within the Sprint Zone app will launch with two bundles of tools -- Family Safety, which is powered by Safely, and Mobile Security, powered by Lookout.

The Family Safety bundle includes Sprint Family Locator, Sprint Mobile Controls (think parental controls), and Sprint Drive First which targets texting while driving. It'll cost $9.99 per month for coverage on up to … Read more

The free and paid versions of Lookout Mobile Security (download) have added two new features today that work together to protect you against malicious apps, especially those installed by side-loading or from third-party marketplaces.

While Lookout scans apps installed from Google Play by default, it now asks you if you want it to scan apps from other sources with Install Monitoring. This is for people who have changed their Android settings to allow non-marketplace apps on their phones. Side-loading is when you download an app to your phone and manually tap on the APK to install it. You can also … Read more

San Francisco-based Lookout Mobile Security and European telecommunications behemoth Deutsche Telekom announced today that they have entered into a partnership that representatives say will offer significant benefits to both companies.

"Deutsche Telekom is very good at network-side distribution, while we're very good at software and innovating," Lookout CEO John Hering told CNET explaining the collaboration.

Heikki Makijarvi, senior vice president of business development at Deutsche Telekom, also expected good things to come from the partnership. "There is a major demand for security and privacy in Germany and European market. It's probably one of the best … Read more