US firm says phone app spies on Hong Kong protesters | Inquirer Technology

US firm says phone app spies on Hong Kong protesters

/ 01:14 PM October 02, 2014

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Riot police fire tear gas on student protesters occupying streets surrounding the government headquarters in Hong Kong, early Monday, Sept. 29, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO

HONG KONG — A US security firm says the Chinese government might be using a smartphone app to spy on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

The firm, Lacoon Mobile Security, says activists have received a link to the application that says it was created by a protest group. The firm said once downloaded, the software gives an outsider access to the phone’s address book, call logs and other information.

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Lacoon said the technical details of the application “lead us to believe that the Chinese government are behind the attack.”

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China is, along with the United States and Russia, regarded as a leader in cyber warfare research. Security firms say they have traced an array of hacking efforts aimed at foreign governments and companies to computers in China.

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TOPICS: Democracy, Hong Kong, protests, security, technology, US
TAGS: Democracy, Hong Kong, protests, security, technology, US

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