Droid X2 plus ActiveSync equals DATA SLURP

A Seattle-based security engineer has made the remarkable and disturbing claim that Motorola's Droid X2 using ActiveSync sends sensitive user data back to the company at pretty much every opportunity. Ben Lincoln writes here that he discovered the data after routing his phone's data through a proxy to test Microsoft Exchange …

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously a coding error.

Wasn't it?

[thermionic]

Re: Obviously a coding error.

as in Moto forgot to use HTTPS....

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Obviously a coding error.

This is of course an Android phone?

[Danny 14]

Re: Obviously a coding error.

A motorola android phone yes. My S2 (which is an android phone) doesnt seem to send to anyone else when using activesync (looking at our squid proxy log for my phone). Not sure what your point is?

[Anonymous Coward]

You won't receive a reply from Moto as most likely svcmot.com was originally to be named nsamot.com but the spooks were spooked.

[mIRCat]

Note to self.

Don't use ActiveSync*.

*Or any data transmitting device.

[Danny 14]

Re: Note to self.

not much help if you use exchange though.

[Anomalous Cowshed]

Motorola

I remember when Motorola was one of the great names in electronics and radio communication. Now under its new "do no evil" owners, it seems it is destined to make a new name in developing ways of stealthily abstract data from helpless mobile phone users. What a shame - but money talks!

[DrXym]

Re: Motorola

Motorola has *always* been lousy for phones. I remember working there as a contractor for 3 years an angry email went out from some exec moaning about the number of Nokia phones he was seeing around the office. I felt like asking him if he'd ever used a Motorola phone. If he had he'd find out why even Motorolans thought they sucked balls.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Motorola

In the analog days, you couldn't beat a Motorola phone. They were virtually indestructible. As soon the digital age arrived, Motorola had the worst phones, poor build quality, fragile and buggy to no end.

[Paul Shirley]

Re: Motorola

Google didn't own Motorola when they shipped this 2011 phone...

[Confuciousmobil]

Of course

You have an option with Android, agree to let them have all your data or don't install the app. Or in this case, use the device. Permisions you are expected to grant for even the most basic of Apps are appalling.

The more I use Android the les I like it :(

[Danny 14]

Re: Of course

it isnt granular though. Of course activesync will be raiding your contacts, thats the whole point of syncing contacts with an exchange server. The point it, I want to sync with MY server not motorolas...

[Andy Fletcher]

Re: Of course

@Confuciousmobil find myself agreeing. I like my Nexus 4, but I'm bitterly disappointed it's not possible to install apps on the phone (the conditions of use are ALWAYS unacceptable).

[John Smith 19]

Let's be clear about this.

It's none of Motorola's f**king business what apps I use, who I talk too or where my email comes from.

You want to ask me then contact me with a marketing survey.

And just to be clear it's no other corporations business either.

This data fetishism knows no bounds.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Let's be clear about this.

But...But...But...it's erm.... not for marketing purposes.... honest !

It's for eeerrrrmmmm.... improving our service... etc. etc. etc.....

(And it's probably hidden away deep in some EULA I guess...)

[John Smith 19]

I wonder if there's a market for an automatic EULA parser to turn them into English?

Just a thought.