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SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — It’s not a feature they’re advertising: tens of thousands of cheap smartphones are reportedly sending all user text messages to China every three days.
The New York Times reports the secret backdoor software was recently discovered by security researchers. What’s not clear is whether this represents a way to mine data for advertisers—or an attempt by the Chinese government to collect intelligence.
The Chinese company responsible for the software says its code runs on hundreds of millions of phones, car, and other devices. The Times reported the software transmits the text messages, contact lists, call logs, and location information to a Chinese server.
The code comes preinstalled on Android phones and the surveillance is not disclosed to users, according to the report.
Here in the U.S., the code showed up on inexpensive smartphones sold by a company named BLU Products, which said it has updated the software to close that Chinese backdoor.
A Palo Alto lawyer for the software firm, Shanghai Adups Technology Company, told the Times the software was installed to help a Chinese phone manufacturer monitor user behavior and was not intended for American phones.
“This is a private company that made a mistake,” attorney Lily Lim, who represents Adups, told the Times.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/11/15/smartphones-sending-text-data-to-chinese-government/
The New York Times reports the secret backdoor software was recently discovered by security researchers. What’s not clear is whether this represents a way to mine data for advertisers—or an attempt by the Chinese government to collect intelligence.
The Chinese company responsible for the software says its code runs on hundreds of millions of phones, car, and other devices. The Times reported the software transmits the text messages, contact lists, call logs, and location information to a Chinese server.
The code comes preinstalled on Android phones and the surveillance is not disclosed to users, according to the report.
Here in the U.S., the code showed up on inexpensive smartphones sold by a company named BLU Products, which said it has updated the software to close that Chinese backdoor.
A Palo Alto lawyer for the software firm, Shanghai Adups Technology Company, told the Times the software was installed to help a Chinese phone manufacturer monitor user behavior and was not intended for American phones.
“This is a private company that made a mistake,” attorney Lily Lim, who represents Adups, told the Times.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/11/15/smartphones-sending-text-data-to-chinese-government/
