Software Used in Mobile Phones Sends Texts, Location Data and Contacts Back To China

The report details that ADUPS firmware embedded in some Android phones (notably the BLU R1 HD) was observed periodically exfiltrating private user data — full SMS messages, contacts, call logs, device identifiers and location — to servers in China; the update agent ran with system privileges enabling remote app installation and device reprogramming. ADUPS and BLU state the functionality was for filtering junk texts and has been disabled/updated for affected BLU phones, but the extent of deployment and collection across other devices remains unclear.