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4 votes
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Moviefone, worth 1% of its former value, is being run by one employee after parent company’s bankruptcy
6 votes -
The case for limiting your browser extensions
9 votes -
Inside the collapse of $100 million home-design startup Homepolish
6 votes -
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary available now for PC with The Master Chief Collection
15 votes -
Curse of the Dead Gods | Early Access launch trailer
4 votes -
The growth of command line options, 1979 - present
8 votes -
Planet plastic - How big oil and big soda kept a global environmental calamity a secret for decades
14 votes -
Hidden third party telemetry found in Nokia 6.2, 7.2 smartphones
Update 12/03/2020: this is not a telemetry, but a kill switch from Colombian carrier - confirmed by HMD. Kill switch will be removed from most devices soon. I updated an article and posted it...
Update 12/03/2020: this is not a telemetry, but a kill switch from Colombian carrier - confirmed by HMD. Kill switch will be removed from most devices soon. I updated an article and posted it here.
Original article below:
I have recently purchased Nokia 6.2 and wanted to check if it sends any data somewhere, considering what happened with previous models
First, I noticed approx. daily connection to
dapi.hmdglobal.net
This is a Google Cloud that could belong to a company behind Nokia - HMD Global.
But the Privacy policy in my phone only speaks of "activation" process, not of daily diagnostics data.
So I used developer tools to remove the following packages (warning: this may break your device, I am not responsible for any consequences)com.hmdglobal.enterprise.api com.qualcomm.qti.qms.service.telemetry com.qualcomm.qti.qmmi com.qualcomm.qti.qdmaBefore removing them, I used APK Extractor to save APK files just in case it breaks my phone and I may be able to attempt reinstall. This part comes into play later.
The first was my blind guess about what exactly connects todapi.hmdglobal.net
The next 3 I found mentioned in various forums for other devices as "safe to remove", however, I have not seen any telemetry sent to Qualcomm or anywhere else, except what I mention next.After removing these packages, I noticed that there are some remaining unknown connections my device attempts several times per day.
They are all done in same order, one right after the other:www.pppefa.com www.ppmxfa.com www.forcis.claro.com.coAfter some investigation, I found that the first two domains point to some Microsoft Cloud servers rented in US.
The last one most probably belongs to Colombian telecom company, and this is where it becomes interesting.
After many hours of fruitless removing of different apps in my attempt so stop it, I suddenly remembered something.
When I used APK Extractor previously, there was an empty first line with some generic icon where an app icon should have been.
I went there again and indeed, this is a hidden system app, that you can not see in the list of all apps in Settings, normally. But it turns out, you can see it in Data usage (after it successfully sends some data using your mobile connection).
The name of the app is deliberately left empty to hide it, but if you click it in Data usage, you can see that this app isco.sitic.pp, which can receive SMS, can make calls, and has access to internet.
As with all Android apps, you can reverse read the name to guess what it is.
Turns out, http://sitic.com.co is a Colombian company, who "are leaders in innovation and create mobile and WEB applications for new products and services." (credit goes to Google Translate)screenshot of the app with permissions
In other words, this app is a 3rd party telemetry, hidden from user, not mentioned in the Privacy policy, that has access to SMS.
This looks very bad and I really hope this is a malware injected by factory and not something knowingly distributed by Nokia, HMD Global, the EU company.After removing the
co.sitic.ppapp, requests to Microsoft Cloud and Columbia stopped.
I was later pointed to a German forum, where (I believe) it was first found in a Nokia 7.2 device.
So, we have it confirmed in 2 devices in 2 different countries.On German forum they contacted Nokia (I assume support) but got tired exchanging emails for weeks without any result.
On 02/03/2020 I have requested an official reply from Nokia and HMD Global via press.services@nokia.com and press@hmdglobal.com and waiting for reply.
Since I am not a journalist, I may never get one.TLDR: 3rd party telemetry is found in Nokia 6.2 and 7.2 devices, is hidden from user, has access to SMS, and sends data to Microsoft Cloud in US and a server in Columbia.
It is probably supplied by SITIC S.A.S., a Colombian company, and looks more like a malware than a telemetry.28 votes -
Fortnightly Programming Q&A Thread
General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads. Don't forget to format your code using the triple...
General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads.
Don't forget to format your code using the triple backticks or tildes:
Here is my schema: ```sql CREATE TABLE article_to_warehouse ( article_id INTEGER , warehouse_id INTEGER ) ; ``` How do I add a `UNIQUE` constraint?6 votes -
Winston Peters invokes Christchurch massacre as NZ's deportations row with Australia escalates
5 votes -
Alphabet launches Tidal, a moonshot to save the world's oceans
15 votes -
TV Tuesdays Free Talk
Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here. Please just try to provide fair warning of...
Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
10 votes -
Photographer Maria Lax comes from a northern Finnish town where UFO sightings were common – so she set about looking for answers
5 votes -
This marsupial, the swamp wallaby, is the only animal that's always pregnant
10 votes -
Choppy waters of Brexit threaten Danish fishing – after Brexit the UK is taking control of its exclusive economic zone, stretching up to 200 nautical miles offshore
7 votes -
Russia, Turkey may have carried out war crimes in Syria, UN says
7 votes -
Don't buy new, fix the old: The repair business is booming
20 votes -
What is Finland's Phenomenon-based Learning (PhenoBL) approach? This approach breaks down subject-based compartmentalisation of knowledge
7 votes -
The awakening of Norman Rockwell
7 votes -
Why you’re doing audio levels wrong, and why it really does matter
10 votes -
Norway adopts initiative for sustainable mining – TSM requires mining companies to annually assess their facilities' in areas including energy use and greenhouse gas emissions
3 votes -
The twenty-year argument between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren over bankruptcy, explained
10 votes -
The 2020 endorsement primary
15 votes -
National news agency, Australian Associated Press, will be shut down at the end of June after its owners decided it was no longer sustainable
12 votes -
Sophos has received an offer to be acquired for $3.9 billion by private-equity firm Thoma Bravo
8 votes -
Designing the enemy AI of The Division 2
6 votes -
U2F help proposal
So, I cannot really financially contribute, but I'm a backend developer and I'd like to be able to authenticate using U2F 2FA. I'd like to know if you would be open to let me try to make a patch...
So, I cannot really financially contribute, but I'm a backend developer and I'd like to be able to authenticate using U2F 2FA.
I'd like to know if you would be open to let me try to make a patch that would add this feature to 2FA mechanisms.
12 votes -
Waymo has raised $2.25 billion from external investors
6 votes -
Vatican opens archives of World War II-era Pope Pius XII
6 votes -
Have I Been Pwned is no longer being sold, and Troy Hunt will continue running it independently
29 votes -
Half-Life: Alyx - 9 Minutes of Gameplay
22 votes -
The inertia of bad ideas
10 votes -
In search of the full stack testing team: What makes the best QA teams so good
4 votes -
Lau Noah - La Belleza (Apartment Sessions) (2020)
4 votes -
Deployed a complete rework of the permissions system - please let me know if you notice anything strange
I just deployed a major update to the site's permissions system, which involved rewriting a lot of the related code. This is pretty much all internal details, and there should be no noticeable...
I just deployed a major update to the site's permissions system, which involved rewriting a lot of the related code. This is pretty much all internal details, and there should be no noticeable changes, but it's definitely possible that I missed something. So if you notice anything unusual that seems like it might be permissions-related (such as a button missing or a functionality not working), please let me know.
None of it's really being used yet, but the rewritten system allows for multiple new capabilities that we'll need as the site grows, like granting permissions to users only inside specific groups (instead of site-wide) and denying permissions in specific groups (like "able to tag topics in all groups except ~music").
On that note, most permissions are still granted manually, and I haven't given them to many people lately. If you're interested in helping with some of the site's organizational work and think you have a good understanding of how things are currently organized, please send me a message and ask, and I can give you some permissions to help out.
These are the permissions that are currently available (and there are at least a few users that have access to each of these):
- Changing tags on topics
- Moving topics to different groups
- Editing the titles of topics
- Editing the links of link topics
- Editing wiki pages (or creating new ones)
Thanks!
And as usual, I've topped everyone back up to 10 invites, accessible on the invite page.
39 votes -
The tragic story behind The Eye of Argon, the worst fantasy book ever written
7 votes -
Death Stranding for PC will release on Steam and the Epic Games store on June 2, 2020
10 votes -
Why the world needs CSS developers
6 votes -
Origin and evolution of playing card designs
6 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
14 votes -
Putin introduces constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and mentioning God
18 votes -
What did you do this weekend?
As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their weekend. Did you make any plans? Take a trip? Do nothing at...
As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their weekend. Did you make any plans? Take a trip? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!
11 votes -
Japanese toilets are marvels of technological innovation. American toilets not so much
7 votes -
QAnon now has its own super PAC, established by the owner of 8chan
21 votes -
Three cheers for socialism - Christian love and political practice
7 votes -
New Covid findings from the report of the World Health Organization expert commission after nine days in China (Reddit Summary)
10 votes -
Mac and cheese from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Binging with Babish
5 votes -
President Jokowi announces Indonesia’s first two confirmed COVID-19 cases
8 votes -
Australia records first cases of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus
6 votes