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Chinese QQ Browser Caught Sending User Data To Its Servers
An anonymous reader writes: A report from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto reveals that the popular QQ Browser is collecting sensitive user information and sending it in an insecure manner to its servers. The Android version is collecting data such as the user's search terms, browsing history, nearby Wi-Fi networks, and the user's device IMSI and IMEI codes. For the Windows version of QQ Browser, the app was caught collecting data such as the user's browsing history, hard drive serial number, MAC address, Windows hostname, and Windows user security identifier. All of this is sent unencrypted, or with a weak encryption, to Tencent's servers, QQ Browser's manufacturer. Additionally, the update process is flawed and delivered in an insecure manner that allows others to manipulate upgrade patches with malicious software. This is the third browser caught exhibiting this behavior after UC Browser and Baidu Browser.
I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
"In Communist China, internet browses YOU!"
So that we can sync the bookmarks and etc across different places?
The Android version is collecting data such as the user's search terms, browsing history, nearby Wi-Fi networks, and the user's device IMSI and IMEI codes. ... Windows version of QQ Browser, the app was caught collecting data such as the user's browsing history, hard drive serial number, MAC address, Windows hostname, and Windows user security identifier
That sounds a terrible lot like the behaviour of both Google and Microsoft, which people seem to accept without a problem. How exactly is this any different, except whereas Google also tries to gather other things like the contents of your emails and your social contacts?
popular QQ Browser
"Popular". I don't think that means what they think it means. Thus far I have never seen this "QQ Browser" appear in a list of the most popular N browsers, even for some large values of N.
On a scale from 0 to very surprised, I'm at 0.
You say this is a "popular" browser, but who really runs a non-standard browser anyway? (I just haven't seen it.)
Chrome does the same thing, when will it get a ./ article?
I've never even heard of the QQ browser, but my sentiments are along the same lines as yours.
When you live in the cloud, it's easier to get rained on.
slashdot: A failed experiment.
That sounds a terrible lot like the behaviour of both Google and Microsoft, which people seem to accept without a problem. How exactly is this any different, except whereas Google also tries to gather other things like the contents of your emails and your social contacts?
To be fair, both Microsoft and Google will probably use better encryption while stealing your data, so that it is not discovered that easily.
What would really be shocking is if it didn't send data back to some Chinese mothership somewhere.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
American Google Chrome Caught Sending User Data To Its Servers !
When you buy a gadget and install apps you choose certain law enforcement authorities and spies.
That sounds a terrible lot like the behaviour of both Google and Microsoft, which people seem to accept without a problem.
Perhaps this is the problem:
...and sending it in an insecure manner to its servers.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Took the words right out of my mouth
The real problem is nonfree software—software which denies its users the freedoms of free software—which is also appropriately called user subjugating, proprietary software—not nationalism. There are plenty of software distributors in other countries that mistreat their users by distributing proprietary software. All proprietary software is inherently untrustworthy because proprietary software doesn't grant its users software freedom. Some distributors distribute proprietary software precisely because they know they stand a good chance of getting away with malware (including digital restrictions, spyware, ransomware, and backdoors).
Digital Citizen
One of the most popular file managers for android is being developed by anonymous Chinese developer company. Try to find any info about it, you can't. Maybe it's time to say it loud.
Actually that might be a good thing. For one, the bad traffic was easily found, and for another it might be rather easy for some enterprising individual to mock-up some traffic and feed their servers with junk data...
Anyone know the reason why people in China would be using QQ, etc over more typical stuff elsewhere? It seems like these browsers are made by various Chinese online services - why are they popular? Or is just one of those things where a tiny minority of Chinese users are using these things and that's still a huge number?
I'm logged in to Chrome, and somehow all my computers know all my form data and browsing history. How do they do it?
Isn't it time there was a simple web browser that could be used to view videos and images without the risk of things calling home. Why do existing browsers *need* to connect to the root window of the display and refuse to run under any other UID apart from the display owner?
Lot of QQing if you use it.
I've never even heard of the QQ browser
QQ is huge, used by hundreds of millions of people. It is far more than just a browser. It is an entire social network, with forums, games, and even a virtual currency, QQCoin. When my daughter wanted a dog, I bought her a virtual dog on QQ instead, and told her that I would get her a real dog if she could take care of the virtual dog for a year, and give it virtual food and virtual water everyday (costing more QQCoin). Unfortunately, when we went on vacation, she forgot to suspend it, and it starved to death while we were gone. I also used QQCoin to buy a virtual mink coat for my wife's avatar. So she has a mink coat that all her chat-friends can see, yet no actual minks are harmed. Win-win.
Soon coming to America in November 2016.
I am shocked to hear that this is happening. Next you'll be telling me that there is gambling in this establishment.
Here's another shocker for you:
Google Chrome does the same thing, albeit via an HTTPS channel.
I see a lot of comments about how this should just be assumed because it's China. The irony is that the very same assumptions are being made about U.S. tech based on the behavior of the government and corporations. Let's be clear here: It's wrong when the Chinese government or corporations do it, and it's wrong when the U.S. government or corporations do it. And, if we're not careful, the U.S. is going to look a lot more Chinese as time goes on, and the rest of the world will simply stop buying what we are selling.
given that Google Web Search, Chrome, and Windows, sends even more sensitive information on you back to Google and Microsoft? Typical anti-Chinese propaganda.
Doubtless, this is a 'feature' mandated by the Chinese government and not a bug.
'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman
Theres a browser that will one up QQ, Opera. Opera does all of that, and also reads what pages you have on speeddial, uploads to server and can inserts ads into speeddial based on it.
I also used QQCoin to buy a virtual mink coat for my wife's avatar. So she has a mink coat that all her chat-friends can see, yet no actual minks are harmed. Win-win. . . . So does the wife now give you virtual poontang?
Obviously, they have to give up all data to the chinese gov. This is so that the wonderful Chinese gov can keep their ppl safe. It would NEVER be about restricting their access or finding out who is locating information about freedom.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
China is a communist nation with one-party-rule and EVERYTHING is on some level tied to the government and its military and spies. Technically, as a communist nation, the government owns everything and everybody works for the government and the communist party. Any illusory "freedom" and independent business activity is just that - an illusion. If the Chinese government orders a supposedly independent business to inject spy tech into its products it must do so with no questions asked, but it probably needs to issue no such order because the operators of the so-called business are probably loyal party members.
In the US, the businesses are in fact quite separate from the government and if the government wants one to do something it likely needs to go to court - which would defeat the purpose by making the incident public. In the US, a company like Apple feels perfectly safe standing up to the government and calling for its day in court. During the entire Apple/FBI cellphone incident, Tim Cook and his employees never had to fear that they or their families might suddenly disappear in the night and end up being executed or sent to labor camps. In the US, people (both the "individual" (biological) sort, and the (synthetic) "corporate" sort) have God-given legal rights protected by the Constitution. Communist nations like China recognize no such right that trumps government authority.
>So does the wife now give you virtual poontang?
online, yes.
in mom's basement, not so much, no.