Android Phones in the U.S. Sending Personal Data to China 🇨🇳

SHANGHAI — American security firm Kryptowire discovered preinstalled software on several Android phone models in the U.S. that secretly monitored its users. <br /> <br />The company stumbled upon the issue after noticing unusual network activity on a BLU R1 HD mobile phone owned by a researcher. According to the Kryptowire report, software on the device was found to be collecting message and call logs, contact lists, location information, and other personal data. <br /> <br />After encryption, the information was transmitted to four servers in Shanghai, later found to be registered to a Chinese company called Shanghai Adups Technology Co., Ltd. Data transmission occurred every 72 hours for message and call logs, and every 24 hours for other personally identifiable information. <br /> <br />Adups’ software was also capable of executing remote commands, including installing and updating applications on a phone. Anti-virus tools assumed the software was not malware since it came with the device, and were thus unable to detect its suspicious behavior. <br /> <br />Adups claims the software was designed to help a Chinese manufacturer monitor user behavior, but that it was never meant to be on American phones. <br /> <br />The full scope of the problem is still unclear, though 120,000 phones from American manufacturer BLU were among those affected.