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Security researchers from Adguard have issued a warning that the popular GO Keyboard app is spying on users. Produced by Chinese developers GOMO Dev Team, GO Keyboard was found to be transmitting personal information about users back to remote servers, as well as "using a prohibited technique to download dangerous executable code."
Adguard made the discovery while conducting research into the traffic consumption and unwanted behavior of various Android keyboards. The AdGuard for Android app makes it possible to see exactly what traffic an app is generating, and it showed that GO Keyboard was making worrying connections, making use of trackers, and sharing personal information.
[...] Within the app description, the developers say:
PRIVACY and security
We will never collect your personal info including credit card information. In fact, we cares for privacy of what you type and who you type! [sic]But Adguard points out that this is contradicted by the company's privacy policy. In addition to this, GO Keyboard shares personal information right after installation, communicates with dozens of tracking servers, and has access to sensitive data on phone. Adguard concedes that this is fairly typical for modern apps, but goes on to say that the app violates Google Play policies.
The apps in question are:
- GO Keyboard - Emoji keyboard, Swipe input, GIFs has a user rating of 4.5 stars
- GO Keyboard - Emoticon keyboard, Free Theme, GIF has a rating of 4.4 stars.
Source: https://betanews.com/2017/09/21/go-keyboard-spying-warning/
(Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @09:45AM (9 children)
TFA actually provide an important info, you may want to insert it into TFS:
That is: it spies to you now, it may do other nastinies to you at any time the authors (or their masters) want.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday September 24 2017, @10:34AM (7 children)
But other apps do that, too. They call it an "update"
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:33AM (6 children)
Should we blame Google then for allowing "prohibited technique"s in their playground?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:44AM (5 children)
Onły if they claim to vet every app on their platform.
I can't find any poof tbey do claim that. They "review" apps (likely after the app borked someone's phone or tablet), but I fan't find evidence they check every app.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:57AM (4 children)
So how they "prohibit technique"s?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Monday September 25 2017, @12:09PM (3 children)
There's no contradiction here. It might be a policy to ban an app if it turns out to be using this hack, even if they don't make a proactive effort to check for apps that do it.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 25 2017, @12:46PM (2 children)
Exactly... what hack? How's this hack different from a normal app update?
Where's the definition that makes a distinction between "normal update" and "hackish prohibited technique"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Monday September 25 2017, @01:01PM (1 child)
TFA says
So whether they're breaking Google's rules (on properly informing the user, say) or exploiting a 'proper' security flaw in the Android codebase, I don't think we can definitively say, though I suspect from the phrasing that it's the latter.
If it's the former, then the definition is a matter of policy. If the latter, it's something that could be detected with dynamic program analysis.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 25 2017, @01:15PM
You see, this thread-end is set in the context of MostCynical's
With me asking for further details ('cause assumption and guesses... I can generate myself aplenty)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by martyb on Monday September 25 2017, @12:09AM
Ooooops! Right you are... and... fixed!
Wit is intellect, dancing.