BLU smartphone has spyware pre-installed, say security researchers

Smartphone manufacturer BLU is in trouble again as security researchers have discovered spyware on its devices for the second time. This has in turn triggered a ban on all models from Amazon.

BLU’s products were initially found to be shipping along with spyware last year in November when researchers at Kryptowire came across an app from Shanghai Adups Technology which was used to collect user data and send it to servers in China.

At this time, BLU has confirmed the issue and has promised to resolve it, getting in touch with Adups to remove the feature which was collecting user information.

However, this week at the Black Hat conference, Kryptowire had revealed that despite the claims, data collection features are still present on BLU’s smartphones with atleast three models confirmed to be shipping with the spyware.

BLU, however, says these claims are “inaccurate and false reports,” explaining that the company has already “reached out to several reporters to correct their articles and issue apologies, which BLU has started receiving.”

The company has stated that the spyware was removed from its devices after the first reports surfaced in late 2016, but all its models are now clean. They have also pointed out that even some data is collected and sent to China, it is just the standard information used for diagnosis and telemetry.

“The data that is currently being collected is standard for OTA functionally and basic informational reporting. This is in line with every other smartphone device manufacturer in the world. There is nothing out of the ordinary that is being collected, and certainly does not affect any user's privacy or security,” the company says in a press released which you can read in full after the jump.