DominoUnremovable Spyware on Samsung Devices Comes Pre-installed on Galaxy Series Devices
A_AI wouldn’t be surprised if Israel, again, is pushing for this :
The software in question, AppCloud, developed by the mobile analytics firm IronSource, has been embedded in devices sold primarily in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
dukemirageAgain?
Amongst other things, Israel, if you recall, made some cell phones to explode, so too kill people they don’t like. Or maybe there was something called “Pegasus” that went something like that also ? I would have to do some search to be sure.
I guess many foreign powers are interested in mass surveillance of unstable regions and low budget phones are a good way to do it. People there need phones and don’t have many options, or don’t care because there are worse problems.
Samsung has been accused of shipping budget Galaxy A and M series smartphones with pre-installed spyware that users can’t easily remove.
paraphrandHuh, Unity owns IronSource.
Of course. It’s a zionist company.
Great quote. It’s laughable how this bullshit article dances around this.
ArghblargI took the jump and installed GrapheneOS on my Pixel 9 this weekend. Easiest alternate OS load I’ve ever done, didn’t even need to see a command line. (I’ve put LineageOS on many a phone and GrapheneOS’s web-based installer is amazing).
Loving it so far. I have three profiles, the main ‘Owner’ with NO google services/app store at all; and two more ‘Personal’ and ‘Work’ profiles that have Google stuff.
Amazingly GrapheneOS even lets you deny Google App Store itself permissions to install from untrusted sources (in this case, Google App Store itself) – I was suprised to see installing just App Store triggered attempts to then load: My Pixel, Google Photos, Fitbit(!!? WTF), and a few others, without any confirmation first. Was able to shut that shit down immediately.
I hope GrapheneOS spreads to other phone models. And I’m sure Google has a team planning on how to strangle it before it does…
How does it deal with banking apps? What about camera apps? How is the camera workings with other camera apps?
Chase is the only bank app that hasn’t worked for me on GOS. Also using the stock pixel camera app.
I am US-based. I have a handful of credit card apps, and a few banking / investment apps - all of them in my experience have worked fine. ONE of them required me to toggle a GrapheneOS option that enables you to exempt certain apps from some of Graphenes more hardened safety measures.
“Exploit Protection Compatibility Mode” is the toggle which can be flipped per-app, and is very easy to access so you can quickly troubleshoot whether that’s related to any app troubles or not.
Similar to the other comment, I also use Pixel Camera by downloading the Google pixel cam APK and installing. I’ve removed all permissions from the camera (and photos) app besides to the camera lense itself, and file permissions of course. You can even use Pixel Cam’s hefty features like unblur, erase me, etc. - though certain ones require you to temporarily give network access to the camera app so that it can reach out and download necessary packages. Once done, you can remove network permissions and the downloaded function will remain functional.
I haven’t yet tried – planning to do that in the next day or so when I get the time.
Others already replied with promising results, I sure hope they work for me as well (Scotiabank in Canada is particularly annoying in this respect in my experience, with LineageOS I had to use Magisk and define stealth rules specifically for their banking app).
I haven’t had problems with Canadian banking apps, and I use 3 of them. Sadly, my favourite budgeting app doesn’t work with Graphene OS. I use it every day (and have paid for lifetime premium access), so it was unfortunately a pretty big issue. But I love what they do. A cause worth donating to.
Banking Applications Compatibility with GrapheneOS
Maintained Compatibility List for International Banking Apps This list includes banking apps that have been tested, submitted, reviewed, and verified as compatible. LIST | SUBMIT | UPDATE | POSSIBLE WORKAROUND SOLUTIONS Introduction Welcome to the crowd-sourced dataset for GrapheneOS users on currently supported devices. New visitors are encouraged to read the official usage guide on banking apps for comprehensive details about how these apps function on GrapheneOS. IMPORTANT Please read GrapheneOS’s important announcement, officially released on Dec 1, 2023:
Forgive me but what is intune? I did a quick search and just found some Microsoft endpoint protection thingie – there is mention of a Managed Google Play but I have no idea what that would mean.
Glog78@Arghblarg @kalpol
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/intune-service/fundamentals/what-is-intune
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/intune-service/fundamentals/what-is-intune
What is Microsoft Intune - Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune manages users and devices, simplifies app management and automated policy deployment, and integrates with mobile threat defense. It connects to Managed Google Play, Apple tokens and certificates, and Teamviewer for remote assistance. Can use MDM or MAM to protect data, configure devices, and simplify access to company resources.
I think the user is referring to the fact that MS Intune is famously very cautious about verifying the device it is running on.
Many people need to use Intune on their device, to get access to work apps (eg, Teams and Outlook). If you have a rooted device, or run a non-stock OS, then Intune will fail the validation and prevent you from signing into your work accounts.
This is the reason I don’t currently use a rooted or alternative android on my primary smartphone.
Is it just not in the cards to request a separate device for work, I know I would tell my employer that I cannot guarantee that my personal device will meet their expectations.
Yes. I can request a phone from work to use, but that’s lots of work, business justification, need to submit monthly expense reports for calls, and report data usage. Plus I’d need then to carry around two phones. There are lots of people at my work who do that. I don’t want the hastle.
Will intune work without a sim card? I have an old phone that is in airplane mode, no sim card but does have Google services.
I just realized as long as it gets the notifications wirelessly it could be my intune authenticator device and live for only that purpose.
Does it require a phone number or only a ms login?
I currently have intune in a jail on my other android device but I want to get graphene os.
Former Intune support engineer here - can confirm that using it in airplane mode will work fine. As part of my support case reproduction testing equipment, I purchased a refurbished Galaxy S10e ages ago and never had a sim for it or any cellular service, only WiFi.
Is there a setting that can be enabled at the management end to allow Graphene to pass the device health check?
When my employer rolled out intune I had to get a second device to run their ms apps. This was after them trying to figure out a way to get them to work on Graphene.
Sorry man, not that I know of, but it has been a few years since I worked in that space.
Samsung has been accused of shipping budget Galaxy A and M series smartphones with pre-installed spyware that users can’t easily remove.
The software in question, AppCloud, developed by the mobile analytics firm IronSource, has been embedded in devices sold primarily in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
So these are cheap phones mostly being sold in the Middle East.
AkasazhFirst sentence:
Samsung has been accused of shipping budget Galaxy A and M series smartphones with pre-installed spyware that users can’t easily remove.
So unremovable in the sense that it can be removed.
earthwormalso from the article:
Even more concerning, attempts to uninstall it often fail due to its deep integration into Samsung’s One UI operating system.
Reports indicate the app reactivates automatically following software updates or factory resets, making it virtually unremovable for average users.
but i do agree that “virtually unremovable” and “unremovable” are two very different things. and im not even sure i would classify this as “virtually unremovable”
There is a reason quartebacks don’t return kicks and linebackers dont play wide receiver. They followed their natural genetic build and skillset to become the best at what they are built to do.
Samsung has been a fuckin train wreck with every single piece of fuckin software they touch. They used to make amazing hardware products and I was their #1 fan 20 years ago. Then they started embedding software in every cunthole they can shove their tiny dicks into and first I stopped buying their TV because the volume button on the remotes hat an embedded feature that when pressed down/in instead of up or down (like the sticks on video game contorll3rs) it backed you out of fuckin everything and launched the fuckin atrocious built in samsung broadcasted tv. Not cable, not anything you plug in or choose. No it takes you to a tv broadcasts only shows that noone will pay to watch. Then it was laptops then its now about to be my fuckin ZFold-5 that AGAIN is the best piece of mobile hardware ive ever owned. Indestructible, blazing fast typing speed with full qwerty keyboards like the good Ole cellphone days, beautiful display, beautiful cameras. It really is my favorite thing ive ever had ruined. They just facefuck shitty software onto of shitty software into everything they can. I MEAN PERFECT EXAMPLE AND TIME TO STOP WAS WHEN EVERYONE SAID FUCK YOU TO THEM MAKING FUCKBOOK A BUILT IN APP. Fuck samsung right in their fucking fuck hole
𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘This was a super fun, and colorful read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hahahaha
Not to mention that I agree with everything said.
I agree with what you said outside of their flagship smartphones. My Fold3 was fantastic all the up till the point I traded it in for a Fold6 so if you don’t mind, could you explain what they did to your Fold5 because I don’t see any example mentioned of how they managed to ruin it over time?
I once saw someone get an ad for the new phone as a notification on their current one. They had never had a notification from Samsung like that before. At that point I knew they would build in advertising for all their other products in to the products.
I have never bought a Samsung device since. Some people I know live them, but it put me off so much.
Yeah, I’m angry at them too.
I had an A5 a while back and samsung didn’t make me hate them so the next phone I got was an s10. On that phone, they decided that they needed to dedicate a physical button to their fucking virtual assistant bixby. It was pretty obvious to me that these virtual assistants were mostly actually data vacuums, wanting to integrate into every aspect of your life so they can access better data on all those aspects.
Every single time it opened that fucking thing, it was unintentional. It wasn’t as annoying as your TV, since I bet the phone was way faster and had enough memory to not have to discard whatever else you were doing just to open its app, but it exemplifies how I see samsung today. Hardware had great specs but the software made it annoying by trying to lock everything in to their ecosystem without a hard lock like apple. Even MS had ways of disabling the windows button (which used to have a high chance of crashing a game if you accidentally hit it).
I’m a pretty big fan of using fuck, but holy fuck, that was a lot. I wonder why you feel that passionately about it?
I deleted my Samsung account when an update about 6 months ago came along that basically wanted ALL your personal data so you could use AI for photo search, etc. Then I found out about all the other minor things they insist you have an account to use. So, yeah, Fuck Samsung! Now I need to find a phone I can live with to replace it when it stops working.
Now tell us how you really feel… actually, maybe don’t. :)
This, normally, is where I Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssstaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttt inhaling deeply, while glaring maniacally down my nose at my audience of toddler aged nieces and nephews all taking cover from th3 eruption they knows coming🤓🤯🤠🫤😨🥹😱
But naaaaaaaa this is the waaay more laid mat me who only twitches their eyelids while grinding my teeth when someone tells me to simmer down🤣
I do look forward to the day that I can have a phone that unfolds into a tablet size. I have two devices because my old ass has trouble reading and typing on a phone. But that is going to take an extra dimension of folding.
artyomI will never buy another Samsung phone or tablet. I was done the moment I started getting notification ads from the Samsung store that I cannot disable.
This is me. As I write to you from my Graphene Pixel 9. My first non Samsung phone since the S3. The S22 unwanted ads were just too much. (and apparently it’s all worse now) You could disable them, but you had to re disable after every update. The second I found a good deal on a pixel I jumped.
This happened to me with my Xiaomi, I get notification ads from Xiaomi GetApp, their own app store. They even force open overriding google play when I press update on a third party app. I tried to block and force stop but they still pop up. I got so fed up I blocked them from using data and wifi; that did the trick.
dvlsgYou can mostly disable them. Delete your Samsung account, don’t agree to their terms of service besides the most basic one or two that is required. No defense of Samsung, just what I did to deny them as much as I could of my information until I replace this phone and never buy Samsung again.
MwaThat’s pretty funny. It’s been legally mandated that bootloaders be unlockable in my country, which I’ve done before.