Huawei phones

50Twuncle

Don't buy cheap Huawei phones - unless you want to run the risk of data going back home to China....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/11/16/cheap-android-phones-send-owners-text-messages-and-location-data/

ballyblack

similar scare stories about Lenovo Laptops a few years ago

Jon_01

Even if this is true, what are the Chinese going to do with a million texts/email from chav's that have zero to do with anything?

GCHQ can read any text/email sent on any UK network if they want to without installing anything in any phone, so why worry?

d123

Jon_01 wrote: »

Even if this is true, what are the Chinese going to do with a million texts/email from chav's that have zero to do with anything?

GCHQ can read any text/email sent on any UK network if they want to without installing anything in any phone, so why worry?

They'll more likely be mining passwords and banking details, this issue isn't that new though, some of the budget Chinese makers have been suspected of this for years, one of the first handsets that were found with this present was a Samsung S3 or S4 clone made by Star or Cubot around 2012/2013 iirc.

Hammer_Slammer

Huawei? what have they got to do with Blu?

Atasas

Hammer_Slammer wrote: »

Huawei? what have they got to do with Blu?

its apart from most of the (officially) apps doing so :cool:
Huawei used to, BLU does, but to such insignifficant amount, that for privacy concerned its only dumbphones that could be "safe" although it is not that hard to get to the networks and SIM configurations to hack IMEI numbers and connections

d123

Hammer_Slammer wrote: »

Huawei? what have they got to do with Blu?

Huawei has also been suspected of installing spyware in its products (though mostly relating to network equipment and servers), to the extent the US government issued a warning about the purchase and use of its products.

As an example:

“Based on available classified and unclassified information,” said the U.S. panel’s 52-page report, “Huawei and ZTE cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence and thus pose a security threat to the United States and to our systems … Malicious implants in the components of critical infrastructure, such as power grids or financial networks, would also be a tremendous weapon in China’s arsenal.”

http://world.time.com/2012/10/09/are-chinese-telecoms-firms-really-spying-on-americans/

If you want to make your risk as minimal as possible it's best to stick with one of the recognised "big brands" phone manufacturers or don't use your Blu/Cubot/Elephone/Xiaomi/Meizu/etc phone for online banking or entering passwords.

Having said that, the risk is probably minimal, but higher than if you were using a Samsung/Apple/Sony/etc phone.

50Twuncle

Jon_01 wrote: »

Even if this is true, what are the Chinese going to do with a million texts/email from chav's that have zero to do with anything?

GCHQ can read any text/email sent on any UK network if they want to without installing anything in any phone, so why worry?

When was the last time that GCHQ removed money illegally from anyones bank account ?

Anthorn

Some Chinese phones are rooted and Android unofficially edited which means Android is less secure than it should be. Users really only get to know about it when they attempt to install and run banking apps and/or Android Pay. Android Pay in particular refuses to work on rooted phones or Android which is not signed with full keys. Typically those phones which are not properly registered use Android Test Keys which means that just about anyone can update the OS. Google will say that's not secure!

c.f. Elephone P9000

Hammer_Slammer

d123 wrote: »

Huawei has also been suspected of installing spyware in its products (though mostly relating to network equipment and servers), to the extent the US government issued a warning about the purchase and use of its products.

As an example:

http://world.time.com/2012/10/09/are-chinese-telecoms-firms-really-spying-on-americans/

If you want to make your risk as minimal as possible it's best to stick with one of the recognised "big brands" phone manufacturers or don't use your Blu/Cubot/Elephone/Xiaomi/Meizu/etc phone for online banking or entering passwords.

Having said that, the risk is probably minimal, but higher than if you were using a Samsung/Apple/Sony/etc phone.

Yeah i heard about that (US paranoia maybe?) but our government have no qualms using them.

To be honest Huawei is the only Chinese mobile phone brand i would of thought of being safe (never read otherwise) due to its long term association with many mobile phone networks/ providers in the UK.

System

When was the last time that the Chinese Government removed money illegally from anyones bank account?

50Twuncle wrote: »

When was the last time that GCHQ removed money illegally from anyones bank account ?