Kryptowire American company specializing in security, discovered in Android smartphones, a program that can secretly gather information about the owner. Devices send user data to Chinese server every 72 hours.
We are talking about embedded software that transmits user data on servers in China — it’s a log of calls, data on the movement of a user contact list, the full content of text messages with the indication of the addressee.
The magnitude of the problem can be determined. As established Kryptowire embedded in smartphones was developed by company Shanghai Adups Technology Company — it solutions are used by 700 million phones, cars and other “smart” devices. Preliminary estimates show that spyware is present in 120 000 phones.
Professionals often find vulnerabilities in electronics, but this case is special, because the firmware got there by mistake. Spyware is not intended to be installed on the smartphones that will be sold in the United States. In Shanghai Adups also said that used the information to improve the quality of customer service.
“This is a private company that simply made a mistake,” he said represents the interests of the company Adups Shanghai lawyer Lily lim. According to her, it was established in order to help the Chinese customer to recognize spam.
Lim also pointed out that informing customers about the terms of the privacy policy is the task of the producers themselves. “Adups developed the function-to-order manufacturer,” she said.
Kryptowire reported his findings to the Ministry of internal security of the United States, which has already announced its intention to take measures to resolve this issue. “Recently, the Department of homeland security received information from the company Kryptowire regarding security issues phones. The Agency together with private and public partners working to find solutions to solve the problem”, — said the press-Secretary of Department of the March of the Cardboard.
Due to the fact that Shanghai Adups did not publish the list of problem phones, most users will not be able to determine whether their sends smartphone information in China or not.