Why does the Lithuanian government warn against China’s use of mobile phones | Technique

This was the warning given to my citizens Lithuania Those who own a smartphone made in China.

It also advised the government not to buy a new device that comes from this Asian country.

“Our recommendation is not to buy new Chinese phones and to get rid of those that have already been purchased as soon as possible,” Deputy Defense Minister Margaris Apockevisius said on Tuesday (9/21).

This warning came as a result of a report by the National Cyber ​​Security Center of Lithuania, which conducted tests on several mobile phone models.

The researchers determined that the device made by the company xiaomi She had some oversight functions for terms and words included in the operating system.

Another model produced by Huawei, maybe you can be vulnerable to cyber attacks.

According to the report of Lithuanian experts, the Mi 10T 5G smartphone, which is the flagship of Xiaomi, has A program that can detect and control conditions Such as “Free Tibet” or “Long live Taiwan independence” or “Democratic Movement”.

In the document, it was also confirmed that more than 440 terms can be monitored by applications installed on the device, including the default Internet browser.

In Europe, the feature to censor phrases or words on a smartphone has been turned off, but the report says it can be re-enabled remotely at any time.

Until closing this report, Xiaomi had not responded to the BBC’s request for answers and comments on the matter.

The authors of the investigation also found that the Chinese company’s device was Transfer of encrypted phone usage data to a server located in Singapore.

“This is important not only for Lithuania, but for all countries that use Xiaomi equipment,” those responsible for the report added.

The smartphone maker has recently become popular after providing a number of affordable models.

The strategy led the company to increase revenue by 64% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the previous year.

The possibility of cyber attacks

The survey also found a flaw in the Huawei P40 5G, which put users in it The risk of a cyber security breach.

“AppGallery, Huawei’s official app store, directs users to third-party email addresses, where some apps have been categorized by antivirus software as malicious or infected with viruses,” says a joint statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense and the National Center. Electronic security.

A Huawei spokesperson told the BBC that the company complies with the laws and regulations of the countries in which it operates and prioritizes cyber security and privacy.

“The data is not processed outside the Huawei device,” he said.

AppGallery only collects and processes necessary data to allow its customers to find, install and manage third-party apps, just like other app stores [fazem]”he added.

Huawei also runs security checks to make sure a user is only downloading “safe apps,” the company notes.

The Lithuanian team of researchers also examined a 5G model made by OnePlus. The conclusion was that he had no problems.

The publication of the document comes at a time of rising tensions between Lithuania and China.

Last month, China demanded Lithuania withdraw its ambassador from Beijing and said it would, in turn, recall its diplomatic envoy from Vilnius, the country’s capital in Europe.

The dispute started when Taiwan It announced that it would open representative offices in Lithuania.

Other Taiwanese embassies in Europe and United State They use the name of the country’s capital, Taipei, to avoid direct reference to the direct name of the island itself, which China claims as part of its territory.