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4 votes
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Government of Czech Republic adopted tracking of infected individuals via cellular networks
5 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.qdma
Before 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.co
After 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.pp
app, 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 -
Department of Justice announces a 16-count superseding indictment against Huawei, four subsidiaries, and CFO Wanzhou Meng that includes charges of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets
9 votes -
US officials say Huawei has had the capability to secretly access telecom networks around the world for over a decade
15 votes -
Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest phone show, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns
9 votes -
Deep sea diving: The state of submarine cable technology
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Cut undersea cable plunges Yemen into days-long internet outage
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Hackers are breaking directly into telecom companies to take over customer phone numbers
10 votes -
One nation, tracked : An investigation into the smartphone tracking industry
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Telenor has picked Sweden's Ericsson as the key technology provider for its 5G telecoms network in Norway
4 votes -
McKee, Kentucky has a population of 1200 people and gigabit internet provided by the Peoples' Rural Telephone Cooperative
7 votes -
Nokia's collapse turned a sleepy town in Finland into an internet wonderland
5 votes -
The court allowed the FCC to kill net neutrality because washing machines can’t make phone calls
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Norway does not plan to block China's Huawei Technologies from building the country's 5G telecoms network
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Colorado town offers 1 gbps for $60 after years of battling Comcast
11 votes -
Russian propaganda stoking 5G health fears in Australia
16 votes -
The science is clear; we've more to fear from baby monitors than 5G
12 votes -
Communications and internet have been blacked out in Kashmir since August 4 - five people explain what it's like to live through
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What CIOs need to know about 5G: It isn’t time to get started with 5G implementations. But it IS time to plan
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Apple buys Intel’s smartphone modem business
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Gotta catch 'em all: Understanding how IMSI-catchers exploit cell networks
4 votes -
Gotta catch 'em all: Understanding how IMSI-catchers exploit cell networks
6 votes -
Dutch telephone outage takes out nation’s emergency number for over three hours
9 votes -
Huawei’s export ban is wider in scope than most people imagine
6 votes -
Google argues the Huawei ban would hurt its Android monopoly
6 votes -
Facebook suspends app pre-installs on Huawei phones
9 votes -
Everyone is framing 5G as a "race", but nobody seems to be able to explain why it matters who wins
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Huawei ejected from Wi-Fi Alliance, SD Association, and other standards groups
14 votes -
EU leaders: We won't follow Trump's Huawei ban
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5G networks could throw weather forecasting into chaos
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No Huawei out: President Trump's game of chicken with China has serious consequences
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Hobbling Huawei: Inside the US war on China’s tech giant
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Simply elegant, Morse code marks 175 years and counting
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US blacklists China's Huawei as trade dispute clouds global outlook
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Kentucky’s $1.5 billion information highway to nowhere
6 votes -
5G signal could jam satellites that help with weather forecasting
7 votes -
Vodafone denies Huawei Italy security risk
8 votes -
The telegraph was America's first singularity
7 votes -
The five biggest lies about 5G
6 votes -
Cox introduces 'Elite Gamer' internet fast lane
10 votes -
Huawei row: UK to let Chinese firm help build 5G network
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Don’t buy a 5G smartphone—at least, not for a while
20 votes -
Google Voice is now available as a core G Suite service
I received this email yesterday but haven't seen any blog posts or press releases about it yet: Hello Administrator, Since our Beta Program announcement last year, we’ve been testing an...
I received this email yesterday but haven't seen any blog posts or press releases about it yet:
Hello Administrator,
Since our Beta Program announcement last year, we’ve been testing an enterprise-ready version of Google Voice. Over the next seven days, Google Voice will become available as a core G Suite service for all eligible* G Suite customers (additional fees apply to this new, managed version of Google Voice). This email will help you understand the transition details but you can also refer to the Voice webpage for more information.
What's changing:
- Managed Google Voice is available in 3 tiers and will become a core G Suite service for your domain after subscribing to a service tier.
- Managed Voice accounts will be covered under your existing G Suite agreement and additional Google Voice service specific terms.
- Support for managed Voice accounts will be the same as other G Suite core services.
What's not changing:
- The Google Voice service will remain “on” by default.
- If users in your domain signed up for Voice prior to this launch, they will be able to maintain their legacy unmanaged Voice subscriptions without additional cost, and will remain subject to the Google Voice consumer terms of service. You can add a Voice subscription and upgrade these users to managed Voice users in your Admin console.
- Hangouts Meet (also a core G Suite service) is integrated with Google Voice, allowing meeting participants to dial in or be added by phone.
What do I need to do?
- If you did not participate in the Google Voice Beta Program and would like to use Google Voice for your organization, follow these steps to add a Voice subscription.
We're here to help
If you have additional questions or need technical assistance, please contact Google support. When you call or submit your support case, reference issue number ----------.
Sincerely,
The G Suite Team
* Google Voice is not yet available for G Suite for Government customers. Google Voice is available for purchase in select countries.
It looks like Google Voice is going to be sticking around for awhile. You can even use Polycom desk phones with it if you get the $20 tier.
9 votes -
What's holding up the 5G utopia in Britain? Quite a lot, actually
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Microsoft says the FCC 'overstates' broadband availability in the US
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How the internet travels across oceans
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Canada has formally commenced the process to extradite Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei to the USA
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The history of Android
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Privacy Attacks to the 4G and 5G Cellular Paging Protocols Using Side Channel Information
10 votes