Major security and privacy issues in UC browser: Study

Follow Us

A study conducted by a Toronto-based research lab on UC Browsers, a popular mobile web browser, finds major security and privacy issues in the English language and Chinese language editions its Android version. The study found that both versions of the application leak a significant amount of personal and personally identifiable data; as a result, any network operator or in-path actor on the network can acquire a user’s personally identifiable information (including cellular subscriber information, mobile device identifiers, geolocation data, and search queries) through trivial decrypting of traffic or by observing unencrypted traffic.

UC-Browser-1-595000




The study was conducted by Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, Canada focusing on advanced research and development at the intersection of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), human rights, and global security.

The major findings in the study includes user data, including IMSI, IMEI, Android ID, and Wi-Fi MAC address are sent without encryption to Umeng, an Alibaba analytics tool, in the Chinese language version. User geolocation data, including longitude/latitude and street name, are transmitted without encryption by AMAP, an Alibaba mapping tool, in the Chinese language version. User search queries are sent without encryption to the search engine Shenma (in the Chinese language version) or Yahoo! India and Google (in the English language version).

“The transmission of personally identifiable information, geolocation data and search queries without encryption represents a privacy risk for users because it allows anyone with access to the data traffic to identify users and their devices, and collect their private search data,” the study says.

In the Chinese language version, when users attempt to delete their private data by clearing the application’s cache their DNS lookups are not deleted. “The cached record of DNS lookup data would allow for a third party with access to the device to identify the websites that a user visited,” the study warns.

Which is your prefered mobile browser do let us know via comments?

Reported By

Sisira is presently working as a Medical Officer with a leading lifestyle hospital. If not on duty, you may find her in nearby tea shop eating her favourite green shell mussel dishes

Recent Comments

Sahil Shah :

I would be in minority to have used single SIM only most of the times. I have bought 2nd SIM…

Tariff Hikes Unable to Put a Dent on Dual SIM…

as1 :

if there is no 5g coverage then how in status bar its 5g written.

Satellite Internet Key for Rural India, Says DoT Official: Report

Khan Yunus :

Even my village (population 2000 approx) airtel launched 5G here this Sunday my district bhind Madhya Pradesh

Airtel Added 2367 Towers in Gujarat Between Dec 2022 -…

Shivraj Roy :

Focuses on affordability by increasing tariffs every year lol

Jio Focuses on Affordability with Ongoing Short-Term Data-Only Plan

Shree :

There is no confusion in secondary, it can only be Jio or BSNL, as Jio has free incoming call /…

Airtel Added 2367 Towers in Gujarat Between Dec 2022 -…

Load More
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
15 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments