Nine of the 10 top-selling mobile phones in the nation have passed product inspections on embedded software cybersecurity, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The inspections, which targeted the 10 best-selling mobile phones in the first quarter of last year, constituted three stages: an initial test, a retest and a third test, the commission said, adding that retests were only required of phones that failed a previous test.
The model that passed the initial test in October last year was Apple’s iPhone XR, it said.
Models that passed in the second stage, which took place after a two-month improvement period, were HTC’s U12, Samsung’s Galaxy A7 2018, Nokia’s 8.1, Sony’s Xperia L2, Asus’ Zenfone Max M1, Sugar’s P1 and Huawei’s Y9 2019, it said.
Oppo’s AX5 passed in the third stage, which was conducted last month, it said.
The inspections covered 10 items, including whether sensitive data was encrypted or stored in the system’s protection domain; whether the level of data encryption in embedded software with a payment function was high enough; whether encrypted algorithms were used when transmitting data to servers responsible for payment function; and whether unnecessary authorization was given in the default setting.
The commission said it hopes to raise awareness about cybersecurity among consumers, which in return would prompt developers to devote more efforts to enhancing cybersecurity of embedded software.
The model that failed the inspection would not be disclosed to prevent hackers from taking advantage of the existing loopholes and invading user’s personal data and privacy, the commission said, adding that it has demanded that the developer fix the loopholes.
While models that passed the inspections meet the requirements today, it does not mean hackers would not find new ways to circumvent the protection mechanisms, it said, adding that mobile phone companies must be ready to address future risks.
The commission also urged people to exercise caution when installing apps and maintain good habits when it comes to data protection, as the embedded system only makes up part of cybersecurity.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
UNAWARE: Many people sit for long hours every day and eat unhealthy foods, putting them at greater risk of developing one of the ‘three highs,’ an expert said More than 30 percent of adults aged 40 or older who underwent a government-funded health exam were unaware they had at least one of the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids or high blood sugar, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday. Among adults aged 40 or older who said they did not have any of the “three highs” before taking the health exam, more than 30 percent were found to have at least one of them, Adult Preventive Health Examination Service data from 2022 showed. People with long-term medical conditions such as hypertension or diabetes usually do not
POLICE INVESTIGATING: A man said he quit his job as a nurse at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital as he had been ‘disgusted’ by the behavior of his colleagues A man yesterday morning wrote online that he had witnessed nurses taking photographs and touching anesthetized patients inappropriately in Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital’s operating theaters. The man surnamed Huang (黃) wrote on the Professional Technology Temple bulletin board that during his six-month stint as a nurse at the hospital, he had seen nurses taking pictures of patients, including of their private parts, after they were anesthetized. Some nurses had also touched patients inappropriately and children were among those photographed, he said. Huang said this “disgusted” him “so much” that “he felt the need to reveal these unethical acts in the operating theater
Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching