Just when you thought that using cell phones to spy on people couldn’t get much worse this comes along. A mobile phone that is not only spyware capable but comes with the spyware already built in! Not only that but there is no way to remove it. Now who in the world would willingly purchase a phone that is designed to spy on it’s owner? Maybe more people than you might think.
A German security company states that Uupay.D, a spyware program with the ability to record messages, passwords, phone calls, and even images from the camera, comes installed on the Star 9500. This Android based smartphone is made in China and until recently was available for purchase on Ebay! Crazy? Maybe. But what’s even crazier is that they are actually sold out. Presumably to people who don’t realize what they are getting but then again there could be someone out there who wants this phone for exactly the reason that most of us would avoid it.
Maybe these phones will be company issued and allow employers to monitor the activities of the people who use them. Remember when transportation companies started installing GPS into company vehicles? This allowed location and velocity to be tracked instantaneously and gave those in charge the ability to cut costs by making sure that drivers were where they were supposed to be and also increased safety by making sure that everyone obeyed the speed limit while they were on the job.
On the other hand this idea for tracking information doesn’t seem to add up. First of all doesn’t it seem like a bigger security risk for anyone who transmits company information with a phone that can spy on them? Secondly, we have known for some time now that spies in China are very interested in getting any kind of inside information that they can about US based businesses. The fact that this phone is made in China and has already been shown to be spyware enabled seems like reason enough to avoid it. My guess is that the people who have bought it were just looking for a cheap Android phone. Then again maybe there are a few curious hackers out there who want to see what it does and how to defeat it.
