[EdY]

Hi folks,

I am a bit disappointed about this huge security gap and that people don't seem to know or care, that when browsing on your phone, websites have access to your phone number. THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM!!!

Example, went to Motime - Ringtones, Wallpapers & Graphics for Canadian Cellphones and it knows my phone number when it goes to download ringtone. That's fine, but what about other sites that can phish and sell numbers, know your browsing habits and link to a cell number... That is REALLY personal.

How do you DISABLE this Identification info from being revealed by your browser???
Try yourself, go to m dot motime dot ca and see (m.motime.ca).

[anon(4086706)]

Tried running to the site and tried to dl a ringtone... It doesn't know my #.

[dbmalloy]

I have been been to the mentioned site but never had my cell number show up.... so unsure why your's did....

[EdY]

I am on Rogers and using Torch 9810 using 7.1. Here is what Navigator Object useragent sends:

User-agent header sent: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.342 Mobile Safari/534.11+

I will try and clear all my cookies and see what happens. I don't think its in there but you never know. I don't usually put in my info.

PLEASE anybody on Rogers please check this, maybe its a carrier issue or this particular OS release!!! Maybe this OS 7.1 leak is actually made for another carrier and the webkit browser is configured to have this info available!

[belfastdispatcher]

I just tried it and it only knows I have a 9900, it asked me to input my phone number.

[albee 1]

edyb, do you currently have any Jared Co apps? They would most likely be the culprit.

[OniBerry]

I would have thought you would need to offer your number first, you know, to sign up for the service?

[_StephenBB81]

Please list all apps you have installed

I am on Rogers, I have yet to see my number released by the browser

[EdY]

I just went again, after I CLEARED all my privacy info in my browser. Ok, I clicked on the section for ringtones on "Empire State of Mind Glee version" and then where it has the link "Get your ringtone". Then on the next page it showed my phone number. It says on the page:

Sign Up Now
Glee Cast
Empire State of Mind (Glee Cast Version)


Your Number:
+164723***** (edited for privacy)
[Download Now]
Terms of Use

What the heck? Is this due to leaked OS 7.1 or is it Rogers???

[OniBerry]

The service has been certified with Rogers (and some other carriers), probably why it knows your number.

So no browser issue to see here folks.

[EdY]

Here are my installed apps:

3D Rollercoaster Rush Jurassic 2 v.2.0.2
Aces 3D brick breaker classic v1.03
Analyze mathematics (basic) v.1.0
BBM Music v.1.1.0.13
Blackberry 7.1.0. system software
Blackberry App world 3.1.1.19
Blackberry Bridge 2.0.0.25
Blackberry device analyzer 1.1.0.21
Blackberry Maps 6.2.0.15
Blackberry messenger 6.1.0.55
Blackberry news 1.2.0.5
Blackberry protect 1.1.1.57
Blackberry traffic 3.0.2.18
Blue v4.2
Brickbreaker 7.1.0
Browser 7.1.0
Calculator 7.1.0
Calendar 7.1.0
Clock 7.1.0
Contacts 7.1.0
Documents to go 3.0.0.212
Email setup 72.12.0215.1638
facebook 2.0.0.61
Fancytran 2.1.2
File Explorer 7.1.0
Filescoutlite 2.7.1.7
Flixster 1.8
FREE Basic Red OS7 theme 3.0
Gmail 2.0.7
Google Maps 4.5.3
Google Talk 2.5.125
GPSlogger II 2.3.1.2
Help 5.0.0.12
Home screen 7.1.0
Kindle 1.0.2.101740313
LittleBrother 0.9.9.1
Media 7.1.0
MemoPad 7.1.0
Memory 1.3.1.3
Messages 7.1.0
Network Traffic Control 0.2.8
Options 7.1.0
Password Keeper 7.1.0
Password Lock 7.1.0
Phone 7.1.0
Photo editor ultimate compliments of blackberry 6.8.10
Photo studio 0.9.7.12
Pixelated 2.7
Plans application 2.0.2.6
Poynt 1.8.6
Rotate and roll free 1.4
Setup 7.1.0
Slacker radio 4.0.823
Sleep hollow free 1.0.2
Social feeds 2.0.0.52
Tasks 7.1.0
TTY Support 7.1.0
TuneIn Radio 2.2
Turtle Eggs 1.0
Twitter 2.1.0.28
Unit converter pro lite 1.7
VLingo 4.11.4
Voice dialing 7.1.0
weatherbug 2.0.0.64
Weathertrax 2.930
wikitude 6.4.5
windows live messenger 2.5.125
word mole 7.1.0
yahoo messenger 2.5.125
youtube 1.0.0.44

Someone said it may be because "m.motime.ca" service is "Certified" with Rogers. Still, what does that mean? Do they have an ID they know from which IP address my phone is linking to the web, and they cross-reference with a master list of numbers or what? Is this some hidden function they know and that Rogers puts in the phone, which lets "certified" sites get the number from the browser?

Could it be some software running on my machine from Google is doing this? I noticed that MOTIME uses Google scripts and could this be related to the GOOGLE CELL PHONE PRIVACY lawsuit with IPHONE going on in the United States?

[EdY]

Apparently Motime has a lot of complaints of people getting charged for stuff they don't know, in the miscellaneous section of their bill buried under a bunch of stuff. I hope Rogers is not in bed with them, or the other carriers. Sounds to me like they have figured out a way to grab your phone or working with a 3rd party app somehow.

[sam_b77]

OP I went to the site and it didn't detect my number. I did notice a login option? Did you ever sign up for the service and entered your phone number in the signup form?

[EdY]

I never signed up, never heard of the site. I was redirected by google search for ringtones for blackberry. When I landed ther I was shocked to see my phone number appear.

I am not crazy. I am an intermediate-advanced user and something fishy going on here. Either Rogers is providing some trace-back service using either IP or some other info from the browser userid to provide your number. Either that or Google is doing something behind the scenes to track phones for ads and providing it to them.

[sam_b77]

You are definitely right in that there being something fishy. But this goes beyond fishy. And the surprising part is none of the others here had the same problem. Maybe you should ask someone else with a rogers connection to visit the site and see what happens.

[EdY]

I just checked my wifes phone Torch 9800 runiing OS 6 on Bell, she is NOT getting her phone number detected. I am going to start systematically checking all my apps, and maybe even roll back to an official Rogers release of OS 7.0 and see what happens!!!

[_StephenBB81]

I am using 7.1 on Rogers and my number isn't being shown.


None of those apps listed jump out at me as known apps for being willy nilly with personal information.

[sam_b77]

OP before you do a rollback, just do a security wipe and check again. At least eliminate the leaked vs official OS mystery.

[EdY]

Ok, I did a security wipe, it removed all my apps and email/contacts, basically back to a fresh install of the LEAKED v.7.1.0. But it has none of my settings, or apps. First thing I did was browse back to "m.motime.ca", clicked some ringtone, clicked the "get your ringtone" button and the next page HAD MY PHONE NUMBER ON IT!!!

So now I am in the process of downgrading to the "official" 7.0 release for Rogers, using AppLoader. This will put a fresh install without any settings, and I will check again. If this gets rid of the problem, we'll know it's the leaked version. Then I will have to install back my apps and see if any of those are installing or modifying core modules.

Anyone here from RIM or Rogers able to shed light on this?

[_StephenBB81]

Ok I've done it again, and NOW the website is seeing my number, but it doesn't recognize my phone correctly.

it thinks I have a 9360

[EdY]

SEE!!! I wasn't dreaming!

I just did a DOWNGRADE to official OS 7.0 from Rogers and IT IS STILL SHOWING MY NUMBER! It recognizes me as having a Torch 9810, and it also *still* shows my number. What the f*&ck????

Someone PLEASE contact RIM, Rogers, Motime, Google. I see a class action lawsuit broiling here. This means plenty of corporate people browsing websites with blackberries and giving away their number!!! THIS COULD BE HUGE!!!

I can see a very easy case where a website grabs everybody's phone number, uses it to text-message them, or even do a Google search and see which numbers belong to corporate business card contacts, and use it for various nefarious reasons.

I have done a security wipe, downgraded by phone OS to official one, this phone is COMPLETELY CLEAN... so the only way it can be getting the info is either the browser is giving it away, or there is a module installed like the "O2" which is handing the number over, or Rogers is somehow in bed with "motime" and providing a trace-back!

[EdY]

Ok, the only EXPLANATION I can come up with is that Rogers and DADA (who runs m.motime.ca) are connected in a way to allow people who use motime.ca to get billed automatically. Maybe Rogers offers the phone number to certain websites?

Looking up DADA and motime scams revealed thousands of people complaining about getting subscribed to services they never asked for. Perhaps now if they detect your phone number "automatically" they eliminate another hurdle in their way to hook you. I don't like this, because this website is already being blamed for "fishy" practices and fees that show up on people's bills. Now they can CLAIM that anyone who visits the site has "entered their number" and therefore consents to some kind of download or service subscription.

I SEE NO WAY for the Blackberry Browser on a clean wipe (both v7.0 and v7.1) to give that information over to the website. So HOW the f*ck does it still know my number? Unless there is another method that DADA uses to correlate your IP address to a phone number, perhaps through a tracing service provided by Rogers to such "pay partner" sites for mobilizing payment-through-carrier, so it hides on your bill. Somehow it is getting your SIM info and translating that to a phone number.

If so, for GOD SAKES PLEASE we must investigate this practice and expose it, because NOWHERE in any of my agreements did it clearly mention that Rogers can give away my phone number to websites I visit on my phone. And I think we need to spread the word because this "convenience" may also be exposing us to other frauds and privacy invasion.

[EdY]

AHA!!!!!!

It is the Blackberry built-in Browser!!!!

I just loaded on Opera Mini 6.5.2 from Appworld and did the same thing... went to m.motime.ca, and this time it said "Download for your Opera Mini" (instead of download for your Torch 9810) and IT DID NOT HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER!!!!

I repeat.... when using Opera Mini, it DID NOT have my phone number. When I use RIM's built-in native browser, this website is able to display my phone number!

So the question is, does the website ACTUALLY get my number and display it because the native browser has a function which releases it? Or is it just creating an empty field which my browser on my phone "fills in" automatically with my phone number (like would be for a Javascript DATE field where all the execution is done locally, which is why it would show the wrong date if your computer was set wrong, the website wouldn't know).

Somebody from RIM, please clear this up. Why is Opera not showing my phone number when I visit m.motime.ca, but the native browser is showing my phone number?

[EdY]

UPDATE SUMMARY
==============

Just to clear this up for everybody, you have to do the following steps to get to the page where it reveals your phone number:

1. visit m.motime.ca
2. click on first ringtone link, for example "empire state of mind"
3. click on "get your ringtone" link

The next page that pops up will either....

A) Show your phone number.
B) Show +1 [ empty box ] where you have to type it in.

My issue is that on my Blackberry Torch 9810 on Rogers, when using the RIM browser it puts my phone number like option A. When using Opera Mini it DOES NOT put my phone number, like in option B. This is happening with both OS 7.0 and OS 7.1 installed, both of them having SECURITY WIPES and clean installs.

By the way, I have NO INTENTION of downloading any Ringtones. I am simply using "motime" for example purposes, as they are using this exploit. Someone needs to figure out what CODE they are using.

Something VERY FISHY going on here probably in the browser. I am going to change security permissions for the native browser and see what happens. I am going to also post to RIM and Rogers websites to figure out how this technical "feat" is possible, since I have not heard of any websites being able to get your number from a mobile phone browser before, unless they have the O2 module that was found installed in phones in the USA which was supposed to be removed.

[_StephenBB81]

You're off your rocker,

I think if you think this is a real issue you should post in the RIM support forums

And you should contact Rogers, RIM, and motime