Samsung Embeds IronSource Spyware App on Phones Across WANA

We need regulation which defines that any hardware device capable of running software developed by a third party different from the hardware manufacturer qualifies as a general purpose computing device, and that any such device is disallowed to put cryptographic or other restrictions on what software the user wants to execute. This pertains to all programmable components on the device, including low-level hardware controllers.

These restrictions extend outside the particular device. It must also be illegal as a commercial entity to enforce security schemes which involve remote attestation of the software stack on the client device such that service providers can refuse to service clients based on failing attestation. Service providers have other means of protecting themselves, taking away users control of their own devices is a heavy handed and unnecessarily draconian approach which ultimately only benefits the ad company that happens to make the software stack since they also benefit from restricting what software users can run. Hypothetically, they might be interested in making it impossible to modify video players to skip ads.

I'm pretty sure the recent switch 2 "license to use the hardware" has entirely killed any notion that you actually own the hardware and are free to do anything with it.

Especially in Africa, where privacy and consumer rights are probably less relevant than the US/EU.

Didn't we backslide hard enough at this point that it is now architecturally ensured that there is a security downside to rooting? Prevents verified boot for example, since the attestation is tied to said corporations, and not you.

This is a good point. While there is nothing factually incorrect in the statement “rooting your phone can void your warranty and pose a security risk”, if you imagine factual statements are the same thing as value judgments it becomes very problematic.

Similarly it is pretty messed up when people say stuff like “fire can burn you if you aren’t careful” because so many people rely on fire for food and warmth.

Root access is an outdated security concept from the previous century. Trying to mandate such a concept is parroting UNIX propaganda. Users can be given control of devices without them having a "root" account.

Do you want every phone on earth to be in a botnet? Do you really think the average person is informed enough to make good decisions security wise with technology? The average person says "hur hur im not good with tech computers hate me" even though personal computers have been around for 40 years and cellphones for 30.

I am all for right to repair and ownership and whatnot, but I really think you underestimate how little people care about basic security and the baseline aptitude with computers.

I'm not trying to be the jaded IT person, but if you've never worked in IT, you have no idea how helpless and clueless people really are with electronics. They could be a brilliant engineer but want to install The Shopping Plus App that will give them Great Super Deals And Savings!

Edit: I should clarify, this is a bad thing, but giving everyone easy root on their phones isn't the solution and would have far worse outcomes.

Stop parroting orthodox agenda without thinking of what it means. If everyone had root access it would be heaven for ransomware/spyware/malware operators.

Having root access is not in the interest OR benefit of most regular users. Rooting your phone is a footgun for 99% of people who install random apps and will get hacked and have their life savings transferred or ransomed.

For them the article does the right thing. For everyone else, like you or me, we will not care what this article says anyway.

That's why what Samsung does is double bad. Noot rooting phone is good hygiene if your phone respects you. But if it comes with malware then thats a stab in the back.

Corporate propaganda? How out of touch can you be?

Seriously, you never had to provide tech support to a parent, relative, or friend whose computer got totally fucked because they had root?

You missed the countless stories about how no matter complex it is to turn off the protections, people will be tricked or forced into it? You’ve really never seen it first hand?

You people don’t know or have forgotten what a god damn wasteland computers were 20 years ago.

And equating root to ownership is laughable on its face. By that standard, root is never ownership for most people — the moment their machine is compromised because they had root and couldn’t protect, they’ve lost ownership.

Almost all of Iran's cell network system was originally installed by S. Korean firms. They've changed some to Chinese brands, but apparently the compromised S. Korean brands are still around.

> I suspect a strong link between mass surveillance [...] and the very recent targeting of the senior Iranian nuclear scientist and military officers at their homes in Iran.

We all like to imagine this super cool clandestine hacking operation using peoples mobile phones to secretly track people who visit nuclear facilities back to their homes.

The much more logical explanation is someone approached a low level employee at the MEAF who turned over a USB stick with the governments org charts and payroll records in exchange for their kids getting a full ride to a prestigious foreign university.

If a state actor is after you, cookie and GAIA-id tracking should be the least of your concerns.

Weather apps are one of the worst offenders here. Almost all share your location info with data brokers if you give them location access.

Check the weather today, get bombed tomorrow.

Politicians are just the sales and marketing department for multinational corporations and defense contractors. They will never care.

> "unremovable"

> you can't completely remove it

Maybe my English isn’t very good but that sounds like the definition of unremovable.

I had a Samsung phone and did the same with mine. Wrote a small tutorial here(https://harigovind.org/notes/removing-samsung-android-bloatw...). But even then, these apps will pop right back after system updates and those were becoming more frequent. I got rid of it shortly after, nowadays I use Moto where bloatwares are comparatively minimal.

Yes, but for most people (I'd guess 99% or more), they would never know to use the above, and I'm those who did find a guide might have issues using adb on their likely Windows or MacOS machine.

Don't even need that, you can disable it within the OS app settings.

Do you know if the same apps remain installed in "Secure Folder" as well?

So you're saying it can't be removed?

Or just don't get Samsung? I guess I don't know for sure that my phone brand doesn't do anything similar, but it at least hasn't hit the news yet.

In favor of what? The Android ecosystem is pretty lousy. Which manufacturers allow you to easily migrate to a new phone (Samsung has Smart Switch) and have, let's say, 4+ years of security updates?

Genuine question.

In my case I also wanted an SD card slot so it was slim slim pickings indeed. (And still there are some misfits who insist that there is no such thing as progress!)

I have a Samsung clothes washer and a drier, they've been solid (but they aren't net-enabled... luckily).

Samsung phones have been filled with preinstalled spyware since the beginning. Outside of fairly unusable Linux phones, Apple seems to be the only one taking privacy seriously.

> Galaxy Note fiasco

Has any smartphone maker succeeded in getting more than a few percent of market share, released more that 2 phones while being immune to that level of fiasco ?

Same same. SMEX is based in Lebanon — (S)WANA is an obnoxious term that’s going around for MENA.

What is the difference between WANA and MENA. Sounds like the same territory

Was installed on my device bought in Australia as well.

So Unity can now be considered malware by association.