China Denies Superuser Privileges on App Promoting Xi Jingpi’s Ideology

China denies allegations about a superuser privilege granted to users who install the apps promoting Xi Jingpi’s ideologies on their phone.

China recently released a statement denying the allegations that two of their government developed apps that promotes the ideologies Xi Jingpi grants its users with superuser privileges. The superuser privilege gives the full administrative access to every user who installs the app.

Superuser privilege gives the users full access to download software and modifies date through the device. They may even see what the people are typing by installing a keylogger.

“Study the Great Nation” or “Xuexi Qiangguo” are the two apps put on the spot. They contain articles and videos teaching users on the Chinese leader’s ideologies. Users may also enjoy collecting points by answering questions as quizzes available at the end of each article or video.

Cure 5 3, a German cybersecurity firm commissioned by Open Technology Fund, a U.S. government-backed agency found codes on two Chinese educational tools. The codes on the two apps billed by the Chinese Communist Party were similar to the backdoor capable of issuing superuser privileges as it runs arbitrary commands.

Beijing has been very open in pushing one of the apps as they specifically encouraged every Communist Party member to download the “Study the Great Nation.” The app also contains quizzes necessary for state media journalists to help them prove their loyalty to the president of China.

As per Huawei’s record, the said apps have been receiving a positive response to the market being downloaded 300 million times. Based on the Google App store, the mentioned apps have been downloaded for 199,000 times now.

Cure 5 3 noted that amidst the investigation process prohibiting them to observe which backdoor method is being used, the firm does not find any reason for mass data collection.

Meanwhile, the State Council Information Office confidently responded to the allegations. They released a statement saying that the mentioned issues do not actually exist.

Both Open Technology Fund and Cure 5 3 also believes that Alibaba is responsible for the backdoor possibilities on the Chinese apps as they were built using the DingTalk software. A DingTalk spokesperson immediately denied the allegation.