Protect your Apple ID

A new app in the Google Play Store claims to bring Apple's iMessage service to Android devices, but users should keep their distance from this dubious software.

The app, simply dubbed iMessage Chat, is free to download and claims to have “no hidden costs” and no advertisements. It's supposed to allow Android users to communicate with iOS and Mac devices using Apple's free iMessage service, but it is operating without Apple's permission.

According to Adam Bell, the app does seem to work, though The Verge reportsthat Android-to-Apple communication isn't functioning properly.

Still, there are a few good reasons to stay away from this iMessage imitator. First, it asks for your Apple ID, which is attached to your personal and payment information. And as Jay Freeman (a.k.a. 'saurik' of Cydia fame) notes, all of the app data gets processed through the developer's server in China before connecting to Apple. This apparently prevents Apple from blocking the app, but it also raises security concerns about what happens to your data and login details.

Steve Troughton-Smith also points out that the app has the ability to download and install additional software in the background. Add the fact that the developerhasn't created any other apps, and you have every reason to be suspicious of this Android version of iMessage.

Besides, you can always rely on alternative apps to replicate iMessage's features without the security risks. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, andFacebook Messenger let you communicate across many types of devices without counting against your SMS limit. And if you're looking to read and send regular text messages from another computer or tablet, you can use an app like MightyText. Unless the developer can somehow eliminate the security issues and earn users' trust, iMessage for Android isn't worth trying.

TOP 10 MALICIOUS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS

for August included four "ransomware" programs, which aim to extract money by locking victims' files or falsely warning they've been viewing illegal material.

The ransomware programs block "the work of the operating system and display a banner that gives instructions on how to unblock the computer. For example, the user is told to send a text message with a specific text to a premium-rate number," the analysts wrote.

Two other very old email worms, Bagle and Mydoom, also made the top 10. After infecting a computer, Bagle infiltrates a person's email contact list and sends itself out repeatedly. It was the third-most-common malware in August even though it was also discovered in 2004.

Two variations of Mydoom took the eighth and tenth places. Like Bagle, Mydoom also collects email addresses from infected computers and emails itself.

Phishing attacks rose tenfold, Kaspersky said, but still only amounted to a tiny fraction of overall spam, at .013 percent. Apple was one of the main phishing targets.

"We frequently came across emails that supposedly came from the official address of the company, but which in fact were phishing messages designed to deceive users and steal their logins and passwords," Kaspersky wrote.

[Now read: How to protect your PC against devious security traps]

Some of the phishing emails, which purported to come from the "Apple Security Center," warned users that their accounts had been frozen and that they have 48 hours to confirm their details.

Users are instructed to click on a link in the fraudulent email. "However, both the request to confirm the account information on third-party sites and the absence of a personal address should alert users to the risk of fraud," according to the post.

iPhone Power Adapters

Following recent reports of third-party iPhone power-adapters that were malfunctioning—”malfunctioning” in this case meaning “electrocuting their users”—Apple has introduced a take-back program for the things.

As reported on 9to5Mac, starting August 16, you’ll be able to bring any USB power adapter to an Apple Retail Store or authorized service provider, and the company will take that adapter and make sure it’s disposed of in an environmentally responsible fashion. If you want a new adapter, the company will—for a limited time—sell you a new, official Apple one for just $10. (They regularly cost $19.)

The offer is good through October 18, 2013, and is limited to one adapter per iPhone, iPad, or iPod you own. (You must bring the device with you for serial-number validation.)

This isn’t just altruism on Apple’s part. Headlines linking ‘iPhone’ and ‘electrocution’ are generally bad for business. More importantly, the program provides some justification for the company’s strict—and some would say draconian—hardware-certification programs.