rootkit

Legal
December 14, 2011
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Feds launch Carrier IQ investigation

By on December 14, 2011 at 2:10 PM.

Feds launch Carrier IQ investigation

Federal investigators have launched a probe in order to examine Carrier IQ’s smartphone software, which tracks a range of activity and sends certain data to wireless carriers without users’ knowledge. Carrier IQ executives met with officials from both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commuission on Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. “We are complying with all investigations at this time as we have nothing to hide,” said Carrier IQ representative Mira Woods. “We have been completely transparent through this process.” Read on for more. More →

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mobile
December 6, 2011
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How to find out if Carrier IQ is installed on your phone in one tap

By on December 6, 2011 at 10:00 AM.

How to find out if Carrier IQ is installed on your phone in one tap

Carrier IQ, the vendor and carrier-installed rootkit software pulled into the spotlight last month by security researcher Trevor Eckhart, has caused quite a stir. Carriers including AT&T and Sprint use the software as a means of collecting data logs that might help them identify and address connectivity problems and other issues, but the software’s covert nature and wide range of snooping capabilities make it a concern. The good news is that detecting the software on your Android phone couldn’t be easier thanks to a new app from Bitdefender called Carrier IQ Finder. Read on for more. More →

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Featured
December 1, 2011
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Carrier-installed ‘Carrier IQ’ spyware found in Android, iOS; should we panic? [video]

By on December 1, 2011 at 9:05 AM.

Carrier-installed ‘Carrier IQ’ spyware found in Android, iOS; should we panic? [video]

Last week, research published by security expert Trevor Eckhart pulled back the veil on Carrier IQ, a suite of what can seemingly be described as spyware pre-installed on a wide range of devices by both carriers and vendors. Eckhart cited a BGR story from September as an early reference to the software, which at that time was thought to be a somewhat benign set of quality-control measures. “Carrier IQ is used to understand what problems customers are having with our network or devices so we can take action to improve service quality,” a Sprint spokesperson told BGR in September. “It collects enough information to understand the customer experience with devices on our network and how to devise solutions to use and connection problems. We do not and cannot look at the contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., using this tool.” But Eckhart’s interest was piqued. Read on for more.

UPDATE: Sprint and several vendors have issued statements regarding Carrier IQ, which have been added below.  More →

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