Tag: Study

Two-Thirds Of The Antivirus Apps On Android Are Fake, Claims Study
As more parts of the world get connected to the Internet, the risk of malicious programs downloaded online also increases. In a study conducted in the month of January 2019, AV-Comparatives, a reputed Austrian independent organization that tests and evaluates antivirus software; has found that about two-thirds of the antivirus applications found on the Google Play Store are fake.

Criteria Of Testing

The test on the antivirus apps was conducted on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Nexus 5 smartphones to simulate real-world usage. The devices were claimed to be running on Android 8.0 Oreo and 6.0.1 Marshmallow respectively. The test was conducted using a process that included the following steps.
- Opening Chrome browser and downloading the malicious sample
- Opening the downloaded .apk file using a file explorer app
- Installing the malicious app
- Running the app
The test conducted on the different antivirus applications checked them for their efficacy in protecting against around 2,000 common Android malware threats discovered in the year 2018. If at any given point of time, the antivirus app notified about the presence of the malicious app, the test was then concluded and the sample was considered detected. The organization claims that an automated Android testing framework ran the tests on the apps.

Results Of The Study

The study was conducted on over 250 antivirus applications that are currently available on the Google Play Store. Out of all the tested applications, only 80 were able to accomplish what they advertise that too a limited extent. However, it is noteworthy that these applications were only able to detect 30 percent of all malware laden programs.

Around 170 apps were then found to be at risk, which essentially meant that they were either ineffective or unreliable. Some of the apps were identified to be risky because they used a third party engine; which means a base program that performs a core or essential function for other applications. The software engine in the apps was found to be poorly implemented.

Also read: How Do Fingerprint Scanners Work? Are They Truly Secure?

The company that owns Android OS, Google has been lately taking down the apps that it found malicious or worked in a different way than advertised. Going by the company’s streak, it will most probably take action and will ban most or all of the apps that were deemed fake in the study. It is also recommended that the users of antivirus apps check if the app they are using is identified as fake in the results.

See The Full Study And The List Of Apps Here
March 18, 2019
Harvard Study: Mechanical Stimulation Leads to Muscle Repair

A new research to come out of Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) suggests that mechanical stimulation will one day be able to help with muscle repair.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. recently, shows skeletal muscle regeneration can be promoted in this manner. It could improve upon the current practices, or perhaps replace them entirely in the future if the method is adopted successfully.

“The results of our new study demonstrate how direct physical and mechanical intervention can impact biological processes and can potentially be exploited to improve clinical outcomes,” says David Mooney, a member of the team that is carrying out the study.

Half of the human body is made up of skeletal muscle which is capable of repairing itself in case of minor injuries. However severe trauma to the body as a result of accidents requires some sort of muscle regeneration which the body is often unable to provide on its own. This is where research like the mechanical stimulation of this specific process becomes relevant.

The method was tested upon two separate groups of mice. While one was provided with magnetized gel to be in direct contact with the damaged tissue, the other group was only given a robotic, pressurized cuff placed over the damaged part in a non-invasive manner.

The gel was exposed to magnetic pulses to bring about regular stimulation to the muscle. The robotic cuffs on the other hand were provided with pulses of air to regularly massage the required part. Over a period of two weeks, the results turned out to be markedly different.

There was a 2.5-times improvement in muscle regeneration and reduced tissue damage in the group which was provided mechanical stimulation. The reason behind this is that oxygen, fluids and important nutrients get transported to the injured regions as a result of direct stimulation and therefore help with muscle repair.

“This work clearly demonstrates that mechanical forces are as important biological regulators as chemicals and genes, and it shows the immense potential of developing mechanotherapies to treat injury and disease,” says Donald Ingber, a leading name in the field of mechanobiology.

Source

February 10, 2016
Indian’s Can’t Stay Away From Smartphones Even on Vacation, says Study

There’s no fighting the argument that we Indians are a race of proactive beings, always on the move, forever busy with work. There’s also no denying the fact that we live in an age where smartphones and gadgets do more than just the needful and ensure we never lose connectivity with work. Sadly, these two working together doesn’t get us any accolades.

The Egencia/Expedia Mobile Behaviour Mobile Index, a global study of mobile-device-related behaviour and preferences among travellers conducted across multiple countries and continents, found that India (by 80 per cent) leads in checking in with work at least once a day.

“In India, constant connectivity is a priority when mobile devices are carried in hand from work to home and now on vacation too. When we’re more efficient and productive using mobile devices and apps that provide a seamless experience, the quality of our vacation improves and the work-life balance can be prioritized,”- says Egencia India country director, Amit Arora

The sample size for the study consisted of 9,642 adults from 19 countries aged 18 and above owning a mobile device by Northstar, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm.

The detailed study found that almost 30% Indians spend over 30 minutes checking e-mails, texts or voice mails daily, while 13% of us (highest in the world) make sure to spend over an hour on such work, and productivity related activities.

To hammer the point further home, Egencia revealed that Indians carry their work around with themselves even on vacations. According to the findings, 74% of Indians find Wi-Fi hotspots while on holiday to stay in touch with work.

The findings also reveal how dependent Indian travellers have become on smart-phones for their multimedia, and work related needs.

“The dependency on smartphone and gadgets have increased over a span of time and it is very well reflected in traveller behaviour. About 56 per cent Indian travellers are addicted to their mobile devices, while 36 per cent Indians carry a rechargeable pack or case or portable charger or spare battery to use as a backup when travelling,” Expedia India Marketing Head Manmeet Ahluwalia said.

January 16, 2016
‘Quit Facebook, Stay Happy,’ Says Happiness Research Institute

Facebook, like smoking or drinking, can be regarded as an addiction for the digital age. Well, maybe not as harmful to the body as the latter, but according to a study conducted by the Happiness Research Institute (yes, it’s a real place), Facebook can be quite harmful, mentally.

A study was conducted by the Happiness Research Institute on 1,095 Facebook users in Denmark to see how the social media might be affecting their mood. The researchers first discovered that over 94% of the participants visited Facebook on a daily basis.

The subjects were them split into two groups – one group continued their daily use of Facebook while the other were made to stay off the site completely. One week later, the Happiness Research Institute found that 88% of the quitters said that they felt “happy,” while 81% of Facebook users felt the same. According to the results, Facebook users reported greater rates of anger, worry, sadness, depression and loneliness; while the quitters reported higher rates of happiness and enthusiasm, better social lives, fewer problems with unproved concentration.

Let it be known that this study is far from being scientifically accurate as the subjects basically wrote down what they felt, which cannot be all taken at face value. But the study itself revels a growing concern over our dependance on scrolling through timelines and news feed every chance we get, worrying about our status updates and the number of likes, among other things.

Let’s be honest, we’ve all felt like giving up Facebook at some point in our lives. We’ve also deactivated our accounts only to return to it the next day. The potential effects of Facebook and other social media addiction cannot be properly quantifiable, which is what makes this form of addiction silently scarier than others. Let us know what you think about the effects of social media on you in the comments below.

November 14, 2015