UAE BB update is spyware

Nearly 145,000 BlackBerry users in the United Arab Emirates got a text message from the country's provider, Etisalat, urging them to download an update that promised to boost performance recently. Instead, the update allegedly led to operating system crashes and drastically reduced battery life and could allow unauthorized access to private information stored on users' devices, including e-mails, according to a Tuesday BBC report. RIM, the maker of BlackBerry handsets, made a statement saying it had nothing to do with such an update and it was not authorized, developed or tested by the company.

At the same time, RIM said the provider seems to have sent out a surveillance application that is meant to send received messages back to a central server.

After downloading the update, users across the country noticed significantly reduced battery life, poor reception and in some cases, handsets stopped working altogether. The issue was brought to light only when users began complaining about poorer performance and decreased battery life after downloading the application. Turning to the customer service department resulted in advice on replacing batteries.

The application was developed by California-based SS8, which touts itself as the developer of "lawful electronic intercept and surveillance solutions." Etisalat's statement mentions the issue is a technical fault but said the upgrades were required for service enhancements.

RIM has released its own update that removes the spy application. A competing provider, Du, has not sent a similar update to its BlackBerry subscribers, who are unaffected by the issue.

By Electronista Staff