Millions Of Android Devices Vulnerable To New Stagefright Exploit And China’s $1 Billion Shopping App Turns Everyone Into Trend Spotters

Discussion on the Suitability of Actor Network Theory

Describe about the millions of Android devices vulnerable to new stagefright exploit and China’s $1 billion shopping app turns everyone into trend spotters.

The rapid innovations and advancements in computer and information technology have definitely undergone significant evolution to enhance new thoughts and new strategies that use the force of logical information and handling systems. The quick progression of data innovation realizes new ideas and components onto the field that aggregately partake in framing an array of processing (Sayes 2014). These advances comprise of a few parts of science and technology study. It is critical to perform a viable assessment of the framework gathering basically includes recognizing the human and non-human actors and actants that connect with each other by assuming individual parts; and eventually shape a system of data frameworks. Thus, in this study, two live stories has been considered for breaking down the different actants and non-human actants to characterize the part that play in a system of Information Technology.

The concept of Actor network theory or ANT depends on sociology speculations where its fundamental usefulness fits in with its interpretation or socio-technical network. The concerned system network is unique of hypothetical learning where data is prepared from an arrangement of gathered information that shows diverse experimental exercises (Rydin 2012). The center of ANT depicts interrelationships among the different actors in exploratory network systems. It is firmly pertinent to the present investigation of recognizing the cooperation of human and non human actors in current processing activities. It is principally in light of the fact that ANT comprehends the specialized development forms and investigative learning creation (Roberts 2012). The actors (both human and non-human) follow up on the system, all the more particularly, in the middle of social science and innovation sciences.

Many android devices may be vulnerable to attack as security researchers and analysts have exploited a bug called Stagefright that helps them to hack phones from remote locations. This particular bug has previously termed as the worst Android bug that has ever been discovered (Wired UK 2016). However, NorthBit, an Israeli software security research organization has been able to accurately exploit this specific Android bug and named the exploitation as ‘Metaphor’ has been already successfully run and tested on Nexus 5, HTC One, LG G3 as well as Samsung Galaxy S5.

Zimperium had discovered the Stagefright vulnerability in 2015 July. This particular hack enabled executing remote malicious codes on Android devices which have a potential to affect almost 95 % of them. The critical vulnerability discovered in .mp4 and .mp3 files where looked into deeply and closely to find that it was running a malicious code and executing the code from a remote location. This has been dubbed in October 2015 as Stagefright 2.0 (Wired UK 2016). In relation to this context, the characteristics and features of Stagefright have been found to be as a software library built using C++ programming language. This library is in-built in nature to the Android OS (operating system). It can detect or suspect memory corruption and possess the capability to activate harmful codes in the Android device. From the actor network theory’s perspective, it can be observed that the non-human or technical actants that are identified in this particular story are the android bug and the malicious code associated with it. This actant is directly acting upon another non-human actant, which is the Android device. However, the human actors in this system network are those users of Android devices who suffer from the consequences of the hack or attack (Hooper 2012). Hence, the assemblage formed in this story can be critically analyzed from ANT perspective to identify the human and non-human actors in the concerned socio-technical network related to this context, including the way they interact with each other to create the story.

Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable to New Stagefright Exploit

XiaoHongShu (meaning Little Red Book) is a Chinese app that was launched in 2014 January and attracted around 15 million customers within just two years of time. The particular app has been able to manage about $200 million in annual merchandise sales. It associates investors such as GSR, GGV Capital, ZhenFund and TenCent. A 31 years old mechanical engineering student named Mao invented the app in China to enable the people, especially those who travel abroad and do shopping purposefully, to share their shopping concerns, feedbacks and experiences (Wired UK 2016). However, after noticing many aspects that confirmed the fact that the customers of that app want to purchase directly, the app included a warehouse and started sourcing with an electronic commerce free trade zone. However, the underlying organization behind the XiaoHongShu app is the Xingyin Information Technology firm that gets benefit of around twenty thousand (20,000) bloggers. Mao has shared his experience in regards to what he has learnt from the founder of Instagram, who was also one of his acquaintances (Farias and Bender 2012). He said the success of Little Red Book does not necessarily depend on the strategy of recruiting greater number of people; rather it relies on the ability to focus on the business as well as iterating on the core value of the product.

In relation to this particular context, it is important to understand the interactions of the actants after identifying their existence in the network involved in the present story. The actants (technical and non-human ones) are directly affecting the consumers of China who are more inclined towards shopping for new products using a direct platform involving direct sourcing. In order to obtain a positive outcome for the business, out of the interaction with the human actors i.e. the customers, it is essential to implement direct sourcing and work according to such a way that ultimately brings satisfaction to its consumers (Guggenheim and Potthast 2012). From this study, it can be assumed that, each actant participating in a system, case or an ICT execution story are influenced by various other actors to achieve the purpose of social event or assemblage.

Enhancement of management in the stories

The two computing stories involve a specific level of technical and non-technical elements that act upon the business processes otherwise referred to as the network assemblage (Davis and Pyper 2015). The Little Red Book takes into consideration the business management strategy that specifically prioritizes the customers based on the socio-technical aspects. The retail operations are intended to be brought to the customers so that it can enable them to use retail with just a few clicks (Bueger 2013). The story of the shopping app of China XiaoHongShu defines the importance of interrelationships among the social actants or humans (e.g. customers and consumers who are intended towards directly buying products). The interaction specifically points out the need and benefit lying in implementing direct sourcing for the Xingyin Company in retailing activity.

China’s $1 Billion Shopping App Turns Everyone into Trend Spotters

On the other hand, it has been observed that the Stagefright Android bug exploitation called Metaphor opens up several vulnerability issues and security related dangers for Android devices (Boerboom and Ferretti 2014). These advancements comprise of a few parts of science and correspondence study. It is vital to perform a successful assessment of the framework array basically includes recognizing the human and non-human actors and actantss that collaborate with each other by assuming individual parts; and at last shape a system of data frameworks.

Issues raised in the stories

In relation to the first story, the role of Stagefright as an Android bug is significantly influencing the use of Android devices as it determines the security aspects of the android operating systems used in those devices that run the malicious codes or in built C++ library incorporated inside the operating system. When looked at the context from the perspective of actor network theory, it demonstrates the significance of interaction occurring between the users i.e. the human actants involved in the network with the technical objective associated with the business (Best and Walters 2013). The issues raised in story essentially tries to convey the fact that it is fundamental for each business division to contribute more on Information innovation as opposed to depending just barely upon the HR. The execution of an all around arranged Information framework will build the proficiency, profitability, execution, versatility, limit and precision identified with business process.

Conclusion

The two stories have been investigated from the point of view of participating actants system network assemblage. An exhaustive investigation performed on the processing stories utilizing the points of view of actors and actants system network helps precisely distinguishing the actants (human and non-human) and the way the take an interest in the collaborations inside of the concerned system. It successfully understands the significance of an incorporated methodology that is required to be trailed by the related actors and actantss so as to initiate the collection and empower the operations. The two uncommon stories, which have discussed for this particular assignment, have unmistakable hardware and programming actants, which are interrelated to each other. The presentation of data innovation is essential to get the sought results as far as aggressive business sector and in addition effective conduction of the business forms. IT assumes an imperative part in the choice making technique of an association to choose how well an association can maintain the business and business sector their items and also benefits.

References

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Boerboom, L. and Ferretti, V., 2014. Actor-Network-Theory perspective on a forestry decision support system design. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 29(sup1), pp.84-95

Bueger, C., 2013. Actorâ€ÂNetwork Theory, Methodology, and International Organization. International Political Sociology, 7(3), pp.338-342.

Davis, P. and Pyper, N., 2015. Applying actor network theory and pragmatist thinking to the process of implementing scenarios. International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, 10(2-4), pp.88-102.

Farias, I. and Bender, T. eds., 2012. Urban assemblages: How actor-network theory changes urban studies. Routledge.

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Hooper, L., 2012. Actor Network Theory.

Roberts, J.M., 2012. Poststructuralism against poststructuralism: Actor-network theory, organizations and economic markets. European Journal of Social Theory, 15(1), pp.35-53.

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Sayes, E., 2014. Actor–Network Theory and methodology: Just what does it mean to say that nonhumans have agency?. Social Studies of Science,44(1), pp.134-149.

Wired UK. (2016). Stagefright: Millions of Android devices at risk from new exploit (Wired UK). [online] Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-03/16/stagefright-android-real-world-hack [Accessed 19 Mar. 2016].

Wired UK. (2016). XiaoHongShu, the $1bn shopping app turning everyone into trendspotters (Wired UK). [online] Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2016/04/features/little-red-book-xiaohongshu-crowdsourced-shopping-app [Accessed 19 Mar. 2016].