www philosophy/free-software-even-more-importan...

[Therese Godefroy]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Therese Godefroy <th_g> 20/01/20 13:02:50

Modified files:
        philosophy     : free-software-even-more-important.html 
        proprietary    : malware-mobiles.html 
                         proprietary-back-doors.html proprietary.html 
        proprietary/workshop: mal.rec 

Log message:
        Adware that is impossible to delete; back door for force-installing apps
        (www-discuss 2020-01-12).

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.38&r2=1.39
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.114&r2=1.115
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.103&r2=1.104
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/proprietary.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.196&r2=1.197
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/workshop/mal.rec?cvsroot=www&r1=1.181&r2=1.182

Patches:
Index: philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html,v
retrieving revision 1.38
retrieving revision 1.39
diff -u -b -r1.38 -r1.39
--- philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html   30 Dec 2019 11:28:30 
-0000      1.38
+++ philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html   20 Jan 2020 18:02:49 
-0000      1.39
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@
 both <em>malware</em>.  That is, both have functionalities designed to
 mistreat the user.  Proprietary software nowadays is often malware
 because <a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">the developers' power
-corrupts them</a>.  That directory lists around 400 different
-malicious functionalities (as of April, 2019), but it is surely just the
+corrupts them</a>.  That directory lists around 450 different
+malicious functionalities (as of January, 2020), but it is surely just the
 tip of the iceberg.</p>
 
 <p>With free software, the users control the program, both individually
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/12/30 11:28:30 $
+$Date: 2020/01/20 18:02:49 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary/malware-mobiles.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html,v
retrieving revision 1.114
retrieving revision 1.115
diff -u -b -r1.114 -r1.115
--- proprietary/malware-mobiles.html    19 Nov 2019 08:54:21 -0000      1.114
+++ proprietary/malware-mobiles.html    20 Jan 2020 18:02:50 -0000      1.115
@@ -134,6 +134,23 @@
     them into full-time listening devices.</p>
   </li>
 
+  <li id="M202001090">
+    <p>Android phones subsidized by the US government come with <a
+    
href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/us-government-funded-android-phones-come-preinstalled-with-unremovable-malware/";>
+    preinstalled adware and a back door for forcing installation of
+    apps</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>The adware is in a modified version of an
+    essential system configuration app. The back door is a
+    surreptitious addition to a program whose stated purpose is to be a <a
+    
href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/unremovable-malware-found-preinstalled-on-low-end-smartphone-sold-in-the-us/>
+    universal back door for firmware</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>In other words, a program whose raison d'être is malicious has
+    a secret secondary malicious purpose. All this is in addition to the
+    malware of Android itself.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201908270">
     <p>A very popular app found in the
     Google Play store contained a module that was designed to <a
@@ -1169,7 +1186,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/11/19 08:54:21 $
+$Date: 2020/01/20 18:02:50 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html,v
retrieving revision 1.103
retrieving revision 1.104
diff -u -b -r1.103 -r1.104
--- proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html     23 Nov 2019 14:58:54 -0000      
1.103
+++ proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html     20 Jan 2020 18:02:50 -0000      
1.104
@@ -376,6 +376,23 @@
 <h3 id='universal'>Full control</h3>
 
 <ul class="blurbs">
+  <li id="M202001090">
+    <p>Android phones subsidized by the US government come with <a
+    
href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/us-government-funded-android-phones-come-preinstalled-with-unremovable-malware/";>
+    preinstalled adware and a back door for forcing installation of
+    apps</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>The adware is in a modified version of an
+    essential system configuration app. The back door is a
+    surreptitious addition to a program whose stated purpose is to be a <a
+    
href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/unremovable-malware-found-preinstalled-on-low-end-smartphone-sold-in-the-us/>
+    universal back door for firmware</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>In other words, a program whose raison d'être is malicious has
+    a secret secondary malicious purpose. All this is in addition to the
+    malware of Android itself.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201910130.1">
     <p>The Chinese Communist Party's <a
     href="/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.html#M201910130">
@@ -677,7 +694,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/11/23 14:58:54 $
+$Date: 2020/01/20 18:02:50 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary/proprietary.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/proprietary.html,v
retrieving revision 1.196
retrieving revision 1.197
diff -u -b -r1.196 -r1.197
--- proprietary/proprietary.html        18 Dec 2019 22:32:03 -0000      1.196
+++ proprietary/proprietary.html        20 Jan 2020 18:02:50 -0000      1.197
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
 <hr class="thin" />
 </div>
 
-<p>As of October, 2019, the pages in this directory list around 400
+<p>As of January, 2020, the pages in this directory list around 450
 instances of malicious functionalities (with more than 500 references to
 back them up), but there are surely thousands more we don't know about.</p>
 
@@ -173,6 +173,23 @@
 <h3 id="latest">Latest additions</h3>
 
 <ul class="blurbs">
+  <li id="M202001090">
+    <p>Android phones subsidized by the US government come with <a
+    
href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/us-government-funded-android-phones-come-preinstalled-with-unremovable-malware/";>
+    preinstalled adware and a back door for forcing installation of
+    apps</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>The adware is in a modified version of an
+    essential system configuration app. The back door is a
+    surreptitious addition to a program whose stated purpose is to be a <a
+    
href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/unremovable-malware-found-preinstalled-on-low-end-smartphone-sold-in-the-us/>
+    universal back door for firmware</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>In other words, a program whose raison d'être is malicious has
+    a secret secondary malicious purpose. All this is in addition to the
+    malware of Android itself.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201912170">
     <p>Some security breakers (wrongly referred in this article as <a
     
href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Hacker";>&ldquo;hackers&rdquo;</a>)
@@ -264,26 +281,6 @@
     approval after compilation.  This amounts to a system of surveilling
     the use of free programs.</p>
   </li>
-
-  <li id="M201910130">
-    <p>The Chinese Communist Party's &ldquo;Study
-    the Great Nation&rdquo; app requires users to grant it <a
-    
href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/chinese-app-allows-officials-access-to-100-million-users-phone-report-2115962";>
-    access to the phone's microphone, photos, text messages, contacts, and
-    internet history</a>, and the Android version was found to contain a
-    back-door allowing developers to run any code they wish in the users'
-    phone, as &ldquo;superusers.&rdquo; Downloading and using this
-    app is mandatory at some workplaces.</p>
-
-    <p>Note: The <a
-    
href="http://web-old.archive.org/web/20191015005153/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-app-on-xis-ideology-allows-data-access-to-100-million-users-phones-report-says/2019/10/11/2d53bbae-eb4d-11e9-bafb-da248f8d5734_story.html";>
-    Washington Post version of the article</a> (partly obfuscated, but
-    readable after copy-pasting in a text editor) includes a clarification
-    saying that the tests were only performed on the Android version
-    of the app, and that, according to Apple, &ldquo;this kind of
-    &lsquo;superuser&rsquo; surveillance could not be conducted on
-    Apple's operating system.&rdquo;</p>
-  </li>
 </ul>
 
 </div>
@@ -345,7 +342,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/12/18 22:32:03 $
+$Date: 2020/01/20 18:02:50 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary/workshop/mal.rec
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/workshop/mal.rec,v
retrieving revision 1.181
retrieving revision 1.182
diff -u -b -r1.181 -r1.182
--- proprietary/workshop/mal.rec        18 Dec 2019 22:43:16 -0000      1.181
+++ proprietary/workshop/mal.rec        20 Jan 2020 18:02:50 -0000      1.182
@@ -25,6 +25,28 @@
 ####    Please don't remove the blank line after this marker!    ####
 # ADD NEW BLURB HERE
 
+Added: 2020-01-20
+Id: 202001090
+RT: www-discuss 2020-01-12 (adware that is impossible to delete...)
+PubDate: 2020-01-09
+Target: proprietary-back-doors.html universal
+Target: malware-mobiles.html back-doors
+Keywords:
+Blurb: <p>Android phones subsidized by the US government come with <a
++   
href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/us-government-funded-android-phones-come-preinstalled-with-unremovable-malware/";>
++   preinstalled adware and a back door for forcing installation of
++   apps</a>.</p>
++
++   <p>The adware is in a modified version of an
++   essential system configuration app. The back door is a
++   surreptitious addition to a program whose stated purpose is to be a <a
++   
href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/unremovable-malware-found-preinstalled-on-low-end-smartphone-sold-in-the-us/>
++   universal back door for firmware</a>.</p>
++
++   <p>In other words, a program whose raison d'être is malicious has
++   a secret secondary malicious purpose. All this is in addition to the
++   malware of Android itself.</p>
+
 Added: 2019-12-17
 Id: 201912170
 RT: www-discuss 2019-12-15 (Perhaps worth mentioning about Ring cameras)