Ethical Hacking News
Taiwan has issued a warning to its citizens about the security risks posed by popular Chinese apps, citing excessive data collection and unauthorized data transfers to China. The National Security Bureau (NSB) of Taiwan has conducted an official probe into these apps, revealing significant security issues that pose cybersecurity risks beyond normal data practices. Users are advised to exercise caution when installing and using China-developed applications.
Taiwan has warned its citizens about the security risks of popular Chinese apps due to excessive data collection and unauthorized data transfers.The National Security Bureau (NSB) conducted a probe into these apps, finding significant security issues with Weibo, Douyin, Baidu Cloud, TikTok, and WeChat.The apps were found to access sensitive user data without consent, including facial features and location information.Chinese companies are obligated to turn over user data to competent authorities, creating significant privacy and security risks for Taiwanese users.Countries like the US and EU have already warned or banned China-made apps due to concerns about their privacy policies.Taiwan has taken a proactive approach by banning Chinese tech products in government institutions due to cybersecurity concerns.
Taiwan has issued a stern warning to its citizens regarding the security risks posed by popular Chinese apps, citing excessive data collection and unauthorized data transfers to China. The National Security Bureau (NSB) of Taiwan has conducted an official probe into these apps, following global concerns about their privacy policies and potential misuse. In a recent announcement, the NSB warned users to exercise caution when installing and using China-developed applications.
The probe was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) and the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) under the National Police Agency. The testing standards used were based on the v4.0 Basic InfoSec Testing Standard, which revealed significant security issues with the five Chinese apps in question: Weibo, Douyin, Baidu Cloud, TikTok, and WeChat.
The findings of the probe indicate that these apps pose cybersecurity risks beyond normal data practices. The apps were found to access facial data, screenshots, clipboard, contacts, and location information without user consent. All the apps collect device and app data, and may store users' facial features. Moreover, they transmit data to servers in China, raising concerns over potential misuse by third parties.
In China, companies are obligated to turn over user data to competent authorities concerning national security, public security, and intelligence, as per the Cybersecurity Law and National Intelligence Law. This creates significant privacy and security risks for Taiwanese users, who may not be aware of these issues or the extent of their data being shared.
Countries like the US, UK, Canada, and India have already warned or banned China-made apps due to concerns about their privacy policies. The European Union is also investigating data theft under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Taiwan has taken a proactive approach in addressing this issue by banning Chinese tech products – both hardware and software – in government institutions due to cybersecurity concerns.
The NSB's warning serves as a reminder for users to remain vigilant regarding mobile device security and avoid downloading China-made apps that pose cybersecurity risks, thus protecting personal data privacy and corporate business secrets.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Taiwan-Sound-the-Alarm-Chinas-Popular-Apps-Pose-Significant-Security-Risks-to-Users-ehn.shtml
https://securityaffairs.com/179687/security/taiwan-flags-security-risks-in-popular-chinese-apps-after-official-probe.html
Published: Mon Jul 7 08:22:25 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
