Free messaging apps can compromise India's security, say experts

Cybersecurity experts warn that free text messaging applications  for smart phones, such as WhatsApp and WeChat, pose a threat to the country’s national security apart from compromising an individual user’s data.
When users download these apps on their phones, they agree to a host of conditions that essentially enable the companies to access a majority of the users’ phone data, including their conversations, contacts, etc.  Since the companies’ servers are on foreign shores, sensitive data or information can well be compromised.
While WhatsApp has its server in the US, WeChat has its servers in China. Human rights activists working in China have expressed concern about possible surveillance of their conversations through WeChat.
India has already raised concern over Chinese telecom firms ZTE and Huawei, whose close ties to the Chinese government, have obstructed their footprint in India. What may compound the worry now is the fact that an increasing number of Indian political leaders, policymakers, businessmen and others are using these apps, potentially dealing a blow to sensitive data.
“WeChat’s  security loopholes have been largely ignored by its users, and this can be exploited to easily access their data,” Internet security expert Jiten Jain told dna.
“WhatsApp has a server in the US, so it won’t be surprising if we find out tomorrow that US intelligence agencies are scanning our messages.”

Jain and others like him will demonstrate how these apps can act as potential spying tools at a hackers conference in Delhi on Sunday. At the conference, security expert Mohit Kumar will show how users’ personal data can be accessed while IT security expert Sajan Viswambharan will reveal how WeChat’s loopholes can be a threat to India’s national security as it effectively gives the Chinese government access to chat logs and all the data on users’ smart phones.
“The microphone on a device, on which WeChat has been installed, can record conversations if the device is on even without the user being aware of it. Now imagine if this happens while a minister is meeting the head of security agencies or the prime minister on critical issues,” said Kumar.

Hoax: Ericsson Free Laptop Promotion

Email chain letter claims phone manufacturer Ericsson will give away free laptop computers to those who forward the message to at least eight people.
Description: Email hoax
Circulating since: April 2000
Status: False

Example #1:

Fwd: FREE Laptops!...
The Ericsson Company is distributing free computer Lap-tops in an attempt to match Nokia that has already done so.
Ericsson hopes to increase its popularity this way. For this reason, they are giving away the new WAP laptops. All you need to do to qualify is to send this mail to 8 people you know. Within 2 weeks, you will receive Ericsson T18. But if you can send it to 20 people or more, you will receive Ericsson R320.
Make sure to send a copy to: anna.swelung@ericsson.com

Example #2:

Dear All,

Ericsson is distributing free laptops for their brand promotion. They hope to increase their popularity and sale by this campaign. All you need to do is send an email about this promotion to 8 people and you will receive an Ericsson T16 Laptop.

However, if you send an email to 20 or more people, you will receive an Ericsson R320 Laptop.

Make sure you send a copy to: anna.swelung@ericsson.com

With Regards,
N. Kousik (IT - Manager - RCG)

Example #3:

Subject: FW: free laptops

Dear All,
Ericsson are distributing free laptops for their brand promotion. They are hoping to increase their popularity and sales with this campaign.

All you need to do is send an email about this promotion to 8 people and you will receive an Ericsson T18 laptop.

However, if you send an email to 20 people or more you will receive an Ericsson R320 laptop.

Kindly ensure that you cc to Anna at Ericsson so that she will know you have sent the email.

Make sure you copy Anna@Ericsson.co.uk to your emails.

Analysis: Here's a chain letter that doesn't even make sense on the face of it.  To quote the main premise as stated in a version circulating since 2007:

The Ericsson Company is distributing free computer laptops in an attempt to match Nokia that has already done so.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but Nokia has never distributed free laptop computers to email forwarders. Nor are they ever likely to do so. Nor is Sony Ericsson.

All you need to do to qualify is to send this mail to 8 people you know. Within 2 weeks, you will receive Ericsson T18.

Sounds easy enough and tempting, too, but get this: the Ericsson T18 is a cell phone, not a computer. Moreover, it's a discontinued model. They don't sell it anymore!

But if you can send it to 20 people or more, you will receive Ericsson R320.

Again, the Ericsson R320 is a cell phone, not a computer. And discontinued, to boot! 

What gives? The email above is slightly revised version of a nine-year-old hoax promising free phones to frequent forwarders. Though the phrase "computer laptops" has been substituted in the newer variant to reel in more suckers, evidently the anonymous prankster who revised the original couldn't be bothered to change the model numbers of the supposed promotional items.
The email address to which copies of the forwarded message are supposed to be sent, anna.swelung@ericsson.com, is a corruption of the address specified in the 2000 version of the hoax (anna.swelund@ericsson.com), which, of course, was never valid in the first place.

2009 update:
On May 12, 2009 Sony Ericsson released the following statement in response to a revised version of the hoax:

Hoax Competition Email

Sony Ericsson has been made aware of an online email campaign claiming that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to users who forward the promotional information. The same campaign includes a photograph of the Sony Ericsson logo and mentions an Ericsson contact name and email number.

Sony Ericsson confirms that this email campaign is a hoax. In addition, Sony Ericsson confirms that the Ericsson contact name does not exist.

All competitions and promotions involving Sony Ericsson are run through official channels such as Sony Ericsson’s website or Sony Ericsson’s partners’ websites. Please be wary of any competition or promotion that appears to come from outside of Sony Ericsson or Sony Ericsson’s partners official channels. Examples of these include via spam emails or SMS.

Please do not reply to or forward the email if you receive it.