Popular EU mobile apps linked to Belarus and Russia pose security risks, report finds
A report by OCCRP reveals that mobile apps nominally based in Lithuania send user data to servers in Belarus and Russia, threatening political exiles.
A Belarusian entrepreneur with ties to spyware development has launched over a dozen mobile applications operating nominally out of Lithuania, according to an investigation by OCCRP. Technical findings reveal that several popular programs, including the Telegram-based application Nicegram and an eSIM service, transmit user data to servers in Russia and Belarus.
Nicegram, which bypasses blocked Telegram channels, has amassed more than 50 million downloads, while the eSIM service has exceeded one million. Cybersecurity experts warn that these data transfers create significant security vulnerabilities, potentially enabling state surveillance against political dissidents and exiles living abroad.
Sources: OCCRP