Blackberry customers of UAE telecoms company Etisalat responded positively when they received a text from the company suggesting an update that would improve performance. What they received was anything but an improvement, according to the BBC.
Among those who installed the update, which wasn’t authorized by handset maker RIM, there have been numerous complaints of decreased battery life and crashes, and complaints that the company’s customer service could do nothing to help. It can also give unauthorized access to personal texts and e-mails. Etisalat has 145,000 Blackberry customers.
In a statement RIM said:
"Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application… independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user’s smartphone," and that "independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server."
The update is an application developed by California company SS8, which describes itself as a provider "lawful electronic intercept and surveillance solutions."
Etisalat had described the problem as a "slight technical fault" and that that the "upgrades were required for service enhancements."
RIM has issued an update that lets users remove the application.
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