It is no secret that the strictest state control over all spheres of life of citizens operates in North Korea. Smartphones are no exception, and they are only sold as government-approved Pyongyang 2413, 2423, 2425 and other Android devices. The devices are configured to work exclusively on North Korea’s internal network (Intranet) and do not allow the installation of unapproved applications. A couple of fugitives who managed to leave the country and fall into the hands of the Lumen human rights organization were able to tell about the ins and outs of state surveillance and methods of circumventing it.

Both turned out to be tech-savvy people: one of the fugitives worked as a programmer at a Chinese enterprise, the other was an IT student. Thanks to this, they learned how to hack smartphones by obtaining root rights, and also carried out this procedure for their friends. By rooting devices, users get the opportunity to install unauthorized applications, launch prohibited media files, and activate the second SIM slot.

But the main goal was to bypass the unremovable Trace Viewer application, which is built into the firmware of each gadget and randomly takes screenshots of the screen. It detects the display of prohibited content, and if it is detected, it locks the screen and displays a notification of illegal activity. At the same time, it is important to note that rooting devices in the DPRK is a risky business: the country introduced a punishment in the form of three months of forced labor camps for people caught with a hacked smartphone.

Thus, while Android smartphones are valued all over the world for the versatility and flexibility of the OS, in North Korea, the brainchild of Google is almost the only window to the world and a means of bypassing total state control and surveillance.

© Vladimir Kovalev. mobile phone

Sourced from lumen.global