Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Your Android/iOS phone may have rootkit (Carrier IQ)

It was recently discovered that many Android, iOS, Nokia and RIM phones may have Carrier IQ mobile diagnostics rootkit software embedded deep into the software. The implication of this is that it is possible to track a lot more than just your problems with the phone without your even getting a whiff of it! Read more about this rootkit on website of Trevor Eckhart who is credited with finding this.

You can download the android app written by him to check whether your phone has Carrier IQ running behind your back.

To remove it, you can get the key for the Pro version for $1 from the android market but there are no guaranties that it will work for sure. Surest solution is to root your phone and go in for custom roms like CyanogenMod.

If you are on iOS5, it is simpler to disable this by going into Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage, and click "Don’t Send.". For older versions of iOS running on jailbroken devices, go to chpwn blog.

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