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posted by martyb on Sunday September 24 2017, @08:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the Go-Fish! dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow8963

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:

Source: https://betanews.com/2017/09/21/go-keyboard-spying-warning/


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:57AM (4 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:57AM (#572284) Journal

    So how they "prohibit technique"s?

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  • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Monday September 25 2017, @12:09PM (3 children)

    by Wootery (2341) on Monday September 25 2017, @12:09PM (#572620)

    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)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 25 2017, @12:46PM (#572631) Journal

      if it turns out to be using this hack

      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"?

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      • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Monday September 25 2017, @01:01PM (1 child)

        by Wootery (2341) on Monday September 25 2017, @01:01PM (#572641)

        TFA says

        found to be transmitting personal information about users back to remote servers, as well as "using a prohibited technique to download dangerous executable code."

        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

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 25 2017, @01:15PM (#572643) Journal

          You see, this thread-end is set in the context of MostCynical's

          But other apps do that, too. They call it an "update"

          With me asking for further details ('cause assumption and guesses... I can generate myself aplenty)

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