Nokia 7 Plus Phones Were Sending Unencrypted Data to China: Report

The company has confirmed that a few units of the Nokia 7 Plus had sent crucial device information to China.

Nokia 7 Plus users, you might want to read this.

(Photo: The Quint)

We already know that most countries are wary of the threat from China, especially if the devices are made in the world’s biggest country. But this week, we’re hearing reports about a possible data mishap with HMD Global and its Nokia phone, which has sent over unencrypted data of users to data servers in China.

The company has reportedly claimed that the allegations were indeed true, but has been quick to point out that only a few units of a particular Nokia phone model were affected by the issue.

The model in question is the Nokia 7 Plus, and the issue was first reported by Norway-based NRKBeta users, who monitored traffic from select devices sent to vnet.cn domain in China.

HMD Global claims that the problem was caused due to an error in its packing of the software, but it’s sure that none of the user’s data was accessed or passed on to third-party entities.

We have analyzed the case and can confirm that there has been an error in the packing process of software in a single batch of a telephone model, which by mistake attempted to send activation data to a foreign server. The data was never processed and no personal information was shared with third parties or authorities.

<a href="https://www.xda-developers.com/hmd-global-nokia-7-plus-sent-sensitive-data-china/">HMD Global statement</a>

The company also clarified that the devices affected have been updated with the latest software version, which has been installed by users of the phone. Interestingly, the issue seems to be confined to Nokia 7 Plus, one of the few devices which was launched in global markets and China as well.

The report adds those trying to access the unencrypted data could have gotten hold of the phone’s IMEI numbers, Mac address for Wi-Fi, and even the SIM identification number. Hackers can have a ball with these details and easily be able to hack into a user’s network.

While HMD Global claims it has fixed the problem, we’re hopeful that the company will cross-check at its end and make sure that no other model has been hit with a similar issue. The Finland-based company needs to be wary of the data privacy rules in Europe, that can put it in a spot of bother.