cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/36145028
A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa — is warning that Israeli-linked software secretly embedded in Samsung phones across the MENA region poses a serious surveillance threat.
According to SMEX, Samsung’s A and M series devices either come preloaded with the app “Aura” or install it automatically through system updates, without the user’s consent. The application reportedly collects a wide range of personal and device-specific data, including IP addresses, device fingerprints, hardware details, and network information.
In 2022, Samsung MENA partnered with Israeli tech company IronSource, integrating its Aura software into Galaxy A and M series phones across the region. The partnership was publicly marketed as a way to “enhance user experience” with AI-powered apps and content suggestions.
17 Comments
Grumpyleb@lemmus.org · 49 pts · 327d
Fuck you Samsung, and Fuck the IOF. sincerely MENA
callouscomic@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 327d
At this point in the world, just fuck literally everyone and everything.
Grumpyleb@lemmus.org · 6 pts · 327d
I have a friend who always used to call me a nihilist because of my attitude and to some extent that was true, lately I've been feeling more like an anarchist.
FalseTautology@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 326d
The next stage is accelerationist, hope to see you there soon
Grumpyleb@lemmus.org · 1 pts · 326d
Yep, Hence the mad rush to AI everything. The Third World isn't a bad place to be when mass corporate layoffs begin.
UltraBlack@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 327d
I think this is a good start
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca · 34 pts · 327d
There are reports of people noticing it two years ago.
Spes@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 327d
I don’t think cell phone batteries can be wired to explode, but I am not an electrical engineer.
frongt@lemmy.zip · 19 pts · 327d
Wired? Certainly.
Doing it without extra wiring is probably possible too. You'd have to override the battery charge controller, which is probably not available to an app, if to Android at all. But I'd be unsurprised if there was some exploit that made it possible.
teft@piefed.social · 6 pts · 327d
I'm not an electrical engineer but I did work with explosives a little in the army. You'd only need a small amount of high explosive to do some serious damage to someone if their phone was in their pocket and that explosive went off. Modern phones have plenty of empty spaces to stuff full of enough explosives to do lots of damage. It'd be a lot easier to detect then just making the Li-ion batteries ignite but who can say what the IDF can smuggle into the supply chain.
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 326d
They would likely be detected by modern airport security if they put in actual explosives.
All battery powered devices go through the scanner separately.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 326d
The israeli pager/walkie-talkie attack's tampered equipments (filled with explosives) completely bypassed airport security...
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 326d
Actually that is true. So you are right they probably could easily rig phones.
teft@piefed.social · 2 pts · 326d
Yes, i mentioned in my comment how they’d be easier to detect.
Harvey656@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 327d
No but I bet they could be used do melt the device, imagine if all of a sudden nobody had phones, chaos.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 326d
Samsungs Ai obsession seems way more aggressive than the pixels
Pro@programming.dev · 7 pts · 326d
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 327d
Can we introduce them to Meshtastic?