$17 smartwatch sends something to random Chinese IP address - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: made2hack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2016, 01:16:09 pm
content: Hi all,Because Dave got one in the mailbag, I thought sharing this was just too good.Chinese Smart watch spying

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2016, 01:31:32 pm
content: Broken link. extra '[' (%5B) needs removing.FixedIts the android app for the watch that sends something from your phone/tablet, not the watch. No one is surprised that cheap Chinese s--t is dodgy. It comes with a piece of paper with an IP address, (not even a domain name) to get the app, and that's the software equivalent of buying goods at closing time in the pub carpark!

author: f4eru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2016, 07:36:58 pm
content: >> Topic: $17 smartwatch sends something to random Chinese IP addressNo worry. The 1000$ apple watch does exactly the same. Except it'S a random US IP, which is much worse for data privacy.

author: metRo_
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2016, 06:05:48 pm
content: Quote from: f4eru on March 03, 2016, 07:36:58 pmThe way people worry about china and dont mind for being spied every single day...

author: sram
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 08, 2016, 11:53:59 pm
content: Quote from: f4eru on March 03, 2016, 07:36:58 pmInteresting. You have some proof?

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:51:11 am
content: *The Apple gets through general terms and conditions full access to the device and do what they want with it.*Apple admitted it themselve. (To ensure the wonderful user experience.)

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 09:28:26 am
content: Quote from: sram on March 08, 2016, 11:53:59 pmDo a bit of googling... Apple is known to participate in thePRISMprogram.

author: borjam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 09:35:08 am
content: Quote from: Ian.M on March 03, 2016, 01:31:32 pmFor the record, I connected my Rigol DS1074Z to a fully monitored network for several hours, and the only packets it sent were the DHCP/BOOTP requests.Absolutely nothing else.

author: sram
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 01:43:52 am
content: Quote from: Barny on March 09, 2016, 06:51:11 amI was just asking for proof. Like a router log?

author: cidcorp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 01:17:16 pm
content: I order stuff from China all the time. With that said you have to use a little common sense. Low costs on items with are substantially more expensive herein North America generally have a reason for the price difference. You are sacrificing something for the low cost:No Safety StandardsLow quality materialsLow QA/TestingHigh failure ratesInfected SoftwareNo warrantyYou can buy some pretty good copies of things, but generally they always fall short on the quality of the software/firmware (or materials).Even the simplest things like components purchased from China, terminal blocks for example, you can get great pricing onthem but the plastics used on the screw housings are brittle and cheap. I learn everyday the things you CAN and CANNOT buy fromChinaAs for a $17 watch, a 'Smart' one, I'd say pass (other than wanting to mess around with it - possibly hack the firmware).On a side note tho: I've got some outrageously good deals on quartz analog watches that are copies of Breitling, etcfor $20-$40 range, that were made very well...You win some you lose some, but I definitely don't trust Chinese gear not to have a back door/software hacks.Interesting post tho - I considered buying one for fun last year, but never considered the risks of hooking it to my Smartphone.

author: HAL-42b
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 02:12:20 pm
content: Quote from: cidcorp on March 13, 2016, 01:17:16 pmSounds like something with "Proudly made in the US of A" printed on it, perhaps except the safety standards thing.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 03:33:26 pm
content: Quote from: cidcorp on March 13, 2016, 01:17:16 pm"Middle men""Dealer markup"Or maybe you thought stuff sold in the USA is actually manufactured in the USA.Quote from: cidcorp on March 13, 2016, 01:17:16 pmI'm pretty sure those aren't the reasons.Not everything made in China is total garbage. Obviously if you pay $17 for a smart watch you're not going to get much (duh!)Not everything made in China is total garbage. If you pay a few bucks more you can get the same stuff they sell in the USA but much cheaper. eg. Try paying $99 for a smart watch, see what you get then.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 04:25:47 pm
content: Quote from: f4eru on March 03, 2016, 07:36:58 pmThere are valid reason for a device or app calling home. For example, registering an end point for user notification, checking for updates, fetching customized configuration, and so on. As usual the devil is in the details such as proper disclosure, granularity of opt out, dataset transferred, data retention policy and usage of the uploaded data.We live in a very complex world and different people have different preference for the balance between user experience, cost and privacy. This product seems to target people that focus on low cost. Apple is subject to law suites and has deep pockets so probably more focus on privacy.BTW, I doubt that the IP in this case is 'random'.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 09:27:49 am
content: I'd assume it's something on the 17.x.x.x network, which is Apple's /24 network. (Apple has so many IPs that in the old days, when Apple only had 100 retail stores or so, they used the store number as the /8 octet, and every demo machine on the floor had its own static I address! I can only assume they had to abandon this once they had stores numbered higher than 254!)