This week brought a series of disasters ( and quite some embarrassment ) to Android message apps that were try out hard to fall in the notorious light-green - blue bubble barrier between Android and Apple drug user . It started with thefailure of Nothing Chatsand late extended to the closing of Sunbird .
Nothing Chats found fairly recently ( and did n’t even last a full twenty-four hour period ) with the ambitious end of being able-bodied to chat through the same host as Apple users . Soon after it launched , it was taken down from the Google swordplay Store for concealment and security issues . Sunbird , launched in late 2022 , was the third - political party service that Nothing Chats used as its tech foundation . Hence , security vulnerabilities for Nothing Chats meant that Sunbird had to rethink its secrecy body structure , too .
Sunbird ’s security mess - up was essentially a failure to ply end - to - end encryption for user ’ messages . It was found that it was utilise the not - so - dependable HTTP alternatively of the stock HTTPS.9to5Googlefound over 630,000 files approachable through this vulnerability .
Image: Sunbird
One of the most confusing affair about this whole episode is how Sunbird treat with it . For some reason , it did n’t take to X ( formerly Twitter ) or Facebook to properly inform users about what was cash in one’s chips on . Out of all place , it started with direct subject matter on its Discord line .
The first subject matter on the channel said , “ We have temporarily shut down the Sunbird app while we do a detailed protection analysis . ” It tot up that it will take back as soon as it devises a plan to move forrard . in brief after , it say another alert saying , “ In an abundance of caution and to protect your confidential information , we are shutting down Sunbird temporarily . ”
After a serial of cryptic messages on Discord and blocking downloads of the app , which , reportedly , user who had n’t seen the Discord alert cerebration was a Play shop issue , Sunbird notified users via an in - app message . It said , “ Dear Sunbird User . We have settle to pause Sunbird usage for now while we look into security concerns . We will update you when we are ready to proceed . ”
patently , Sunbird ’s closing due to questionable security protocols was a ticking fourth dimension bomb waiting to find . ArsTechnicadetails that the company was a big red flagstone since its inception . It reject to respond basic technological questions in its briefing and went as far as shut the meeting ’s chat to keep off being ask anything . There ’s another case of when a Sunbird Discord community penis presume to convey concern over the company ’s security measure communications protocol in the chat and got blocked right away .
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