Once a large number of users work with it, a pull effect is created. The app is initially disguised as a harmless gimmick, but its data appetite grows over time and in tandem with its success. TikTok is an example of how cleverly the attackers go about collecting information. "The Chinese apps do this in a way that stays completely unnoticed by the end-users, without them even knowing that anything is being updated â possibly even while they are working with the app."
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"With MS Office, as an end-user, I can agree to an update being installed," he says. According to Strobel, the runtime updates of Chinese spy apps are not like those provided by Microsoft Office, for example.
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This is by no means comparable to regular live updates as offered by Western software developers to their customers, he says. "All of a sudden, the app does completely different things without having been updated somewhere from the app store." 'Everyone does it' â not true! "Even if you look at the app now, and it is only doing harmless things, the Chinese manufacturer is often able to extend the functionality at runtime," says Strobel.
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At first, there is only a small back door that an attacker can use later. Many apps seem innocuous and harmless to start with. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany must no longer 'sit on the fence' over Huawei "And then when you go to even more trouble and try to circumvent these protective functions to trace how the app was programmed, you realize that a lot of data is being collected and sent to China â data that is not really necessary." "Again and again, you notice that for some strange reason a lot of money has been invested to make it difficult to analyze the apps," says Strobel. There are thousands of apps involved â often free, but also commercial ones. Among IT experts, there is little doubt that all the data flowing through it is gathered completely by the Chinese regime. WeChat is a universal app that combines messaging with payment functions and other social media applications.
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In his view, the popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat are only the tip of the iceberg. And so Strobel has ample experience with Chinese apps. Some of these companies are active in China themselves. Strobel, the founder and CEO of the IT security company CIROSEC, advises German medium-sized companies on IT security issues. "The developer of the app built back doors, spy functions and other things into the app from the outset and took great care to ensure that no one would notice." "With TikTok and the other malware apps, the app is not innocent at first and then happens to get compromised," says IT security expert Stefan Strobel.
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The accusations against the Chinese app TikTok and countless other apps from China are very serious: The programs are alleged to siphon off a wealth of information about their users â data that has nothing to do with the actual function of the app and for whose collection there is no reasonable justification.