Android Apps Leaking Sensitive Data Found on Google Play With 6 Million U.S. Downloads
Summary: Unit 42 researchers using an ML-based spyware detection system found Android apps on Google Play leaking device data, including Baidu Search Box and Baidu Maps, which had a combined 6 million U.S. downloads. Google confirmed the findings, identified unspecified violations, and removed both apps from Google Play globally on Oct. 28, 2020; a compliant Baidu Search Box returned on Nov. 19, 2020, while Baidu Maps remains unavailable globally.
Key Takeaway: The leaked identifiers, such as IMSI and MAC address, made users trackable across devices and potentially over their lifetime, and the same collection behavior appeared in the Baidu Push SDK and MobTech's ShareSDK, which the source says serves over 37,500 applications.
Read the original at Unit 42 Palo Alto Networks ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
- Related
- TSMC employee data breach linked to cloud provider Cyber Risks · Nov 15, 2026Data Breach at La Poste Subsidiary Maileva Affects 22 Million People in France Cyber Risks · Nov 15, 2026City of Osaka warns of data breach impacting 1 million as Japan reels from dozens of cyber incidents Cyber Risks · Nov 13, 2026