China-Singapore Jingwei Client, August 1 (Chang Tao) Behind the proliferation of iMessage spam messages, there is a mature industry chain.
"The number of iMessage spam messages is more than the messages from my mother urging me to find a partner. Now if you haven't received a few messages from Macau casinos, you would be embarrassed to say that you are an Apple user." iPhone user Luo Jun (pseudonym) This is how you complain about iMessage spam on your phone.
Indeed, for most iPhone users, iMessage spam messages with similar content will be familiar. They are continuously transmitted through the iMessage channel that comes with the iPhone, filling up the phone, making them difficult to detect and delete, causing great trouble to users. After an investigation by
, China-Singapore Jingwei found that there is a mature industry chain behind the proliferation of iMessage spam. Not only are some merchants selling iMessage group sending equipment with clearly marked prices and sending iMessage spam on their behalf, but users’ Apple IDs are also suspected to have been leaked and sold. Industry insiders believe that , Apple, and may face legal liability for their inaction in this situation.
▲ Source of iMessage spam messages in Apple mobile phones: mobile phone screenshots
An iMessage group sending device sells for tens of thousands of yuan
It also comes with an Apple ID collector
iMessage is an instant messaging software launched by Apple. It is different from the SMS/MMS service of operators. Users only Data support is required through WiFi or cellular data network to complete communication. But now, this road, which was originally designed to facilitate user communication, has become a gathering place for spam. Some iPhone users even said that they receive iMessage spam almost every other day, but they do not rule out the possibility of being bombarded with iMessage spam four times in a day.
So, who is sending this content? How is it possible to send such intensive and large-volume iMessage spam messages in bulk? After investigation by
, China-Singapore Jingwei found that behind the proliferation of iMessage spam messages, some people are engaged in the business of selling iMessage mass sending equipment and sending iMessage spam messages on behalf of them.
Recently, Sino-Singapore Jingwei contacted Li Daguo (pseudonym), a seller of iMessage mass sending equipment. When he heard the demand for "SMS advertising promotion", the other party immediately said that currently, iMessage mass sending is the most convenient and safest. "iMessage does not go through an operator. As long as it is connected to the Internet, it can be received regardless of whether the other party has a signal. We also have special sending equipment, which is different from the base station and can send about 20,000 messages per hour."
Another iMessage group sending device The seller Liu Neng (pseudonym) directly told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that iMessage is the most reliable for SMS promotion. It can be used after adding software to the machine.
"The price of the equipment ranges from more than 7,000 yuan to more than 10,000 yuan. The main difference is the upper limit of the number of group messages per day. For 7,800 yuan, you can send 100,000 messages a day, and for 9,800 yuan, you can send 300,000 messages a day. The highest It costs 13,800 yuan, and can send up to 500,000 messages per day. If you buy a machine, we will also provide you with a database of your Apple ID, and we will provide you with one-year service, and we can send it to anyone with an Apple phone." Liu Neng said.
Li Daguo said that when buying equipment, we will provide an Apple ID collector, which can collect Apple IDs from any region. "In the past, we used the Apple ID database, and the ID addresses in the database were resold, but the collector is the latest method and is more convenient." Li Daguo revealed.
As for the working principle of the Apple ID collector, Li Daguo said that he could not explain how to operate it specifically and could only teach it in person. He said: "The mass sending device plus the collector costs about 10,000 yuan, and training is included."
At the same time, Zhao Yutian (pseudonym), a seller of iMessage mass sending equipment, confirmed to Sino-Singapore Jingwei that targeted mass sending of iMessage through the device can indeed be achieved. . "Our equipment costs 12,800 yuan and includes your Apple ID resources. It can send about 8,000 messages an hour." Zhao Yutian said, "We can also do targeted push, such as only sending it to users in Shanghai, or only sending it to Female user. “If
sends sensitive and illegal iMessage messages in such large numbers, will it be blocked by Apple’s system? The above three sellers all said that they can rest assured.
Zhao Yutian said that we have done everything in the gaming industry and will not be filtered out.Li Daguo said that Apple will not block it because the content you post contains text, numbers, pictures, and even short videos, which is difficult for Apple to screen. "There has been no blocking so far, and we can't guarantee it in the future," Li Duguo said.
According to Sino-Singapore Jingwei, there are many platforms claiming to provide iMessage group sending services on the Internet. They set different price ranges according to the number of group messages, and the charging standards are different. The price of each message is around 0.15 yuan. There are also platforms that offer lower prices, ranging from 0.08 yuan for one piece to 0.07 yuan for more than 100,000 pieces. They all stated that they could send any content, including sensitive content such as gambling and invoicing.
User ID was leaked and sold
Report spam was invalid
What did iPhone users do after receiving these spam messages?
Luo Jun told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that she usually clicks delete and reports spam text messages according to the prompts on her mobile phone. But she said that reporting is not of much use and you can still receive spam messages with similar content. Some users said that they have become numb to these spam messages. If they see it, they will act as if they have not seen it. They will not click on it, let alone delete it or report it.
▲The iMessage spam messages received by netizens
Zhongxin Jingwei noticed that under each iMessage message, there was a line of gray fonts saying "The sender is not in your contact list", and there was also a line of blue fonts below. "Report spam", click the blue font and "Delete and report spam" will appear.
According to media reports, this is consistent with an official document from Apple, which states that when a user clicks "Delete and Report Spam" after receiving a spam message, "Messages" will store the sender's information and the message. The message is forwarded to Apple and the message is deleted from the user's device.
However, the document states that reporting spam does not prevent the sender from sending other messages. If the user does not wish to receive these messages, the contact needs to be blocked. If users want to report SMS and MMS messages, they need to contact their operator.
So, how does Apple review these advertising information? Is iMessage spam really Apple’s Achilles’ heel?
Apple customer service staff said that they often receive such messages. At present, Apple does not have a good solution and cannot completely block them. The only way is to choose to filter iMessages from strangers, but it may also "accidentally damage" other messages.
Apple customer service said that you can turn on "Filter unknown senders" in "Settings", and after turning it on, you can filter some spam messages. The customer service representative said that he often receives this issue, and a large number of users have reported this issue. Apple attaches great importance to it and is also investigating and researching it.
According to media reports, Apple previously stated that iMessage spam messages are sent through operators, and Apple has no right to identify or intercept personal information.
According to Apple's iMessage settings, the sender must know the recipient's mobile phone number or Apple ID to transmit correctly. So, how did the above-mentioned iMessage group sending device seller obtain the AppleID database? How is the user's Apple ID leaked?
Apple customer service said that it is not sure whether the user's Apple ID has been leaked elsewhere. As long as others know the account name, they can send messages.
As for how the Apple ID database was constructed, the seller Liu Neng said it was inconvenient to disclose. But he said, we have a large team working together to build a database.
An unnamed mobile security expert told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that Apple ID trafficking became more serious many years ago. "When users order apps from the Apple Store, generally the developers of these apps can obtain and collect your Apple ID and other information. In addition, some phishing websites will also collect your relevant information," he said.
Sino-Singapore Jingwei noticed that in 2015 and 2016, there were many incidents of large-scale Apple ID theft and extortion among Apple users. At that time, users pointed the finger at two mailboxes under a certain platform, saying that the security of the mailbox was attacked, resulting in the leakage of the password information of the mailbox, and the account registered with or associated with the mailbox may be leaked.Subsequently, Today's Wuyun-vulnerability reporting platform confirmed that there was a fatal vulnerability in the mailbox under the platform.
Analysis: Apple's inaction may face legal liability
iMessage spam messages are continuously transmitted to Apple mobile phones and harass users for a long time. As a service provider, should Apple be responsible? Is Apple really helpless in the face of iMessage spam?
Hu Gang, deputy secretary-general of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Internet Society of China, said in an interview with China-Singapore Jingwei that in our country, the law clearly prohibits the spread of illegal and harmful information such as gambling and pornography, as well as similar advertising activities. If this type of illegal and harmful information is clearly identifiable on the surface, the relevant network service providers , such as Apple, etc., are "should have known" that the illegal behavior has occurred, and should immediately take measures to block transmission, report, etc.
In accordance with the "Consumer Rights Protection Law" and the "Network Security Law" and other regulations, advertisements in legitimate industries must not appear in the form of spam information. No commercial information or advertisements may be sent to consumers without their consent or request, or without their express refusal. When consumers "report spam" to the network service provider, Apple, it is deemed that Apple is "knowing" or "known" to the existence of spam and infringing on the user's right to peace of life.
In this case, Apple can only be exempted from liability by doing two things: first, deleting, blocking, blocking the dissemination and re-dissemination of relevant information; second, reporting to the relevant competent authorities and actively cooperating with the regulatory agencies’ law enforcement actions. and consumer advocacy action. If Apple fails to fulfill the above statutory security obligations, it may face civil, administrative or even criminal liability.
"Sending iMessages to Apple users through devices and specific programs is essentially a broadcast behavior, that is, one-to-many or many-to-many communication. This behavior itself should be strictly regulated and has nothing to do with personal communication privacy and freedom. , and the corresponding supervision has been in place in the United States and the European Union for many years. As a multinational company, Apple’s inaction in the Chinese market is an act that is not convincing and has no factual basis.” Hu Gang said, “Apple’s inaction has obviously contributed to this. The dissemination of illegal information is weak and too general when responding to user questions, which is inconsistent with its identity as a global company and its status in the minds of consumers."
Hu Gang believes that Apple should establish higher ethics. Benchmarks and ethical standards, and fulfill corresponding responsibilities and obligations in the Chinese market. “After receiving a large number of spam messages reported by users, Apple should increase its review, and after accumulating enough samples, take timely blocking measures and report to the competent authorities. But at present, Apple has nothing to do. Do it," Hu Gang said. Fu Liang, a telecommunications analyst at
, told Sino-Singapore Jingwei, "In principle, iMessage spam is very similar to spam, but the form of presentation is different. In fact, whether it is the screening of spam by email service providers or the telecom Operators' filtering of spam messages are widely accepted technical means that can be implemented without touching user privacy. "
Fu Liang said that similarly, Apple should be able to intercept iMessage spam through technical means. information and fulfill regulatory obligations. (China-Singapore Jingwei APP)
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