Report: The VidMate application detects user data
China's download of VidMate has been plagued by serious security problems, affecting users in Egypt, Brazil, Myanmar and other countries, according to Upstream Mobile Security.
The application, which supports the download of videos from Watasab, YouTube and other platforms, was developed by UCWeb of the Chinese Alibaba group, and more than half a billion people installed it. Suspicious activity often occurs while locking the phone screen and not using it.
According to the findings of security researchers at the London-based technology company, VidMate displays hidden ads, detects user data, drains mobile phone data, and battery life, and makes users engage in paid services without their knowledge.
A spokesman for VidMate denied that the application was involved in intentional suspicious activity. He said the company was investigating the allegations and that any suspicious behavior attributed to third party partners and software development tools refused to provide key information, such as names of executives and funders, at VidMate.
Both UCWeb and VidMate noted that the application and its trademarks were sold in 2018 to a new entity called Guangzhou Nemo Fish Technology, and the application's representatives claim that although the business relationship continues, VidMate is independent of UCWeb.
Guy Krief, CEO of Upstream: Users who download and open VidMate deliver their phones and personal information to a third party, so that the phone and its connection become part of the robots and are used to commit ad fraud at the expense of the owner and privacy of the phone.
The VidMate application collects the personal information of users without being notified and sent, including a unique number associated with the person's phone, and the IP address to Singapore's nonolive servers.
According to Upstream, over the past six months it has blocked more than 128 million suspicious transactions through the VidMate application, which could cost users more than $ 150 million in unauthorized or desirable cell phone subscriptions.
VidMate's advertising fraud occurs when the app displays ads that users can not see. Upstream said it began blocking these transactions early in 2017 and saw a significant increase in volume late last year.
VidMate said it ended its relationship with Nonolive, the partner involved in the Upstream report, and is continuing to investigate, but the results are another example of a Chinese application alleging fraudulent advertising fraud and abuse of user permissions and data on a global scale.
Upstream claims that the unauthorized activity at VidMate consumes huge amounts of mobile data - more than 3 gigabytes per month - which, according to Upstream estimates, could cost around $ 100
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