An Israeli tech firm has quietly embedded spyware into Samsung smartphones - and it poses a serious surveillance threat

  • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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    4 days ago

    You think Android lets apps override their app disabling feature? You should report that to Google, they’d be shocked to hear it.

    • Lumisal@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Yes. It’s not the first time it’s been done either. Then there’s the loopholes as well, like Meta was doing recently.

          • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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            2 days ago

            Go tell Google, they’ll pay you millions in big bounties for how Israel is doing this. Unless of course you have zero evidence that app developers can do this in Android……

            Yeh thought so.

            • Lumisal@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              You don’t have evidence that Israeli app developers can’t do this either.

              It’s almost as of we’re lacking the money, skills, and manpower of a nation or something.

              • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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                2 days ago

                I dont have to prove the negative, its on you to prove that they can.

                Even if it was up to me though, the OS prevents apps that have been disabled from running. AOSP’s documentation says this.

                Again - show Google it happening and you’ll be an instant millionaire. Why haven’t you done it already? Just DM me the evidence and I’ll do it since you don’t want to.

                • Lumisal@lemmy.world
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                  1 day ago

                  We have evidence that they can do, simply not evidence that they’re doing it currently.

                  Israeli technology is already used to bypass encryption and security on both Android AND iOS. This despite the documentation showing they have security features that make them safe. Here’s just some news articles talking about it over the years: https://gizmodo.com/cops-have-less-time-to-break-into-iphones-thanks-to-ios-18-1-security-measure-2000522523

                  https://www.msn.com/en-in/technology/software/telangana-govt-seeks-bids-for-israeli-software-to-hack-into-phones/ar-AA1Np36m

                  https://twoeva.com/2025/04/10/android-apps-spyware-exposed/

                  https://www.npr.org/2024/07/17/nx-s1-5041752/what-happens-when-law-enforcement-wants-to-break-into-someones-smartphone

                  https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiers/

                  And despite it being well known by now that they’re able to do this, neither Alphabet nor Apple has been able to (willing to?) stop them.

                  It would be utterly naive to think that Israel can’t make an app that can ignore being disabled, considering they can make software that can straight up get around literal security features allowing law enforcement to enter locked phones. The last article in particular is about bypassing system rules, quote;

                  The covert tracking—implemented in the Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica trackers—allows Meta and Yandex to bypass core security and privacy protections provided by both the Android operating system and browsers that run on it. Android sandboxing, for instance, isolates processes to prevent them from interacting with the OS and any other app installed on the device, cutting off access to sensitive data or privileged system resources. Defenses such as state partitioning and storage partitioning, which are built into all major browsers, store site cookies and other data associated with a website in containers that are unique to every top-level website domain to ensure they’re off-limits for every other site.

                  Basically, you’d have to e stupid to think that a system saying “permission not allowed” is enough to stop a maliciously intended app, but even more stupid to think Israeli backed technology can’t, considering the existence of tools like Pegasus and the past operations and actions of Mossad, along with so many governments adopting Palantir.

                  At best, you’re blissfully ignorant of things, at worst you’re part of the problem, to think this pre-installed app can simply be stopped by disabling it. If they seek to spy on you, a disablement isn’t going to stop them. It’s laughable you think it is. That you think it isn’t, really shows how little you actually know or understand the technology.