I conducted a fixed analysis of DeepSeek, utahsyardsale.com a Chinese LLM chatbot, utilizing variation 1.8.0 from the Google Play Store. The goal was to determine potential security and privacy concerns.

I have actually blogged about DeepSeek previously here.

Additional security and privacy issues about DeepSeek have been raised.

See likewise this analysis by NowSecure of the iPhone version of DeepSeek

The findings detailed in this report are based simply on static analysis. This indicates that while the code exists within the app, there is no definitive proof that all of it is carried out in practice. Nonetheless, the existence of such code warrants examination, particularly provided the growing concerns around information personal privacy, monitoring, wiki.die-karte-bitte.de the possible misuse of AI-driven applications, and scientific-programs.science cyber-espionage characteristics between global powers.

Key Findings

Suspicious Data Handling & Exfiltration

- Hardcoded URLs direct data to external servers, oke.zone raising issues about user activity monitoring, such as to ByteDance “volce.com” endpoints. NowSecure identifies these in the iPhone app the other day as well. - Bespoke file encryption and information obfuscation methods exist, with signs that they might be used to exfiltrate user details.

• The app contains hard-coded public secrets, forum.altaycoins.com instead of depending on the user gadget’s chain of trust.
• UI interaction tracking records detailed user behavior wavedream.wiki without clear approval. - WebView manipulation exists, which could enable for the app to gain access to private external browser information when links are opened. More details about WebView manipulations is here
  
  Device Fingerprinting & Tracking
  
  A considerable part of the evaluated code appears to focus on gathering device-specific details, which can be utilized for and fingerprinting.
  
  - The app collects various special gadget identifiers, including UDID, Android ID, IMEI, IMSI, and carrier details.
• System properties, installed packages, and root detection systems suggest possible anti-tampering procedures. E.g. probes for the existence of Magisk, a tool that personal privacy advocates and security researchers use to root their Android devices. - Geolocation and network profiling exist, indicating prospective tracking abilities and making it possible for or disabling of fingerprinting regimes by area. - Hardcoded gadget model lists suggest the application may act differently depending upon the detected hardware.
• Multiple vendor-specific services are utilized to extract additional gadget details. E.g. if it can not identify the device through standard Android SIM lookup (since consent was not given), it tries manufacturer particular extensions to access the exact same details.
  
  Potential Malware-Like Behavior
  
  While no definitive conclusions can be drawn without dynamic analysis, several observed behaviors align with known spyware and malware patterns:
  
  - The app utilizes reflection and UI overlays, which might assist in unauthorized screen capture or phishing attacks.
• SIM card details, serial numbers, and other device-specific information are aggregated for unknown purposes.
• The app carries out country-based gain access to constraints and “risk-device” detection, recommending possible security systems.
• The app executes calls to pack Dex modules, where additional code is filled from files with a.so extension at runtime.
• The.so submits themselves reverse and make additional calls to dlopen(), which can be utilized to load additional.so files. This center is not generally checked by Google Play Protect and other static analysis services.
• The.so files can be carried out in native code, such as C++. Using native code includes a layer of intricacy to the analysis process and obscures the complete degree of the app’s abilities. Moreover, native code can be leveraged to more easily intensify privileges, potentially making use of vulnerabilities within the os or gadget hardware.
  
  Remarks
  
  While data collection prevails in modern applications for debugging and enhancing user experience, aggressive fingerprinting raises substantial privacy issues. The DeepSeek app requires users to log in with a valid email, which need to currently offer sufficient authentication. There is no legitimate reason for the app to strongly gather and transmit unique device identifiers, IMEI numbers, SIM card details, and other non-resettable system residential or commercial properties.
  
  The extent of tracking observed here exceeds common analytics practices, possibly enabling persistent user tracking and re-identification across devices. These behaviors, combined with obfuscation techniques and network interaction with third-party tracking services, require a higher level of scrutiny from security researchers and users alike.
  
  The work of runtime code filling along with the bundling of native code recommends that the app might permit the release and execution of unreviewed, remotely provided code. This is a serious prospective attack vector. No evidence in this report exists that remotely released code execution is being done, only that the facility for this appears present.
  
  Additionally, the app’s approach to spotting rooted devices appears extreme for an AI chatbot. Root detection is typically justified in DRM-protected streaming services, where security and content defense are vital, or in competitive video games to avoid unfaithful. However, there is no clear reasoning for such strict procedures in an application of this nature, raising further questions about its intent.
  
  Users and organizations considering setting up DeepSeek must be mindful of these possible threats. If this application is being utilized within an enterprise or federal government environment, additional vetting and security controls should be enforced before permitting its release on managed devices.
  
  Disclaimer: The analysis presented in this report is based on static code evaluation and does not imply that all discovered functions are actively utilized. Further examination is needed for conclusive conclusions.