An issue was discovered on BLU R1 HD devices with...

Vulnerability Description

An issue was discovered on BLU R1 HD devices with Shanghai Adups software. The two package names involved in the exfiltration are com.adups.fota and com.adups.fota.sysoper. In the com.adups.fota.sysoper app's AndroidManifest.xml file, it sets the android:sharedUserId attribute to a value of android.uid.system which makes it execute as the system user, which is a very privileged user on the device. Therefore, the app executing as the system user has been granted a number of powerful permissions even though they are not present in the com.adups.fota.sysoper app's AndroidManifest.xml file. This app provides the com.adups.fota app access to the user's call log, text messages, and various device identifiers through the com.adups.fota.sysoper.provider.InfoProvider component. The com.adups.fota app uses timestamps when it runs and is eligible to exfiltrate the user's PII every 72 hours. If 72 hours have passed since the value of the timestamp, then the exfiltration will be triggered by the user plugging in the device to charge or when they leave or enter a wireless network. The exfiltration occurs in the background without any user interaction.

References

• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96858
• https://www.kryptowire.com/adups_security_analysis.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/us/politics/china-phones-software-security.html