Revealing national secrets because of document scanning software

Using your phone to scan documents poses many security risks. Photo: Created by AI .

Page 163 , citing the Chinese Ministry of State Security, said that a civil servant used Internet document scanning software to store meeting minutes. The files were automatically backed up to the application cloud. However, the password of this person's online account was cracked.

The attackers obtained 127 pages of confidential documents that the employee had been scanning for three years. The files were then spread on international social media. “The incident resulted in a massive data leak and posed a serious threat to national security,” the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

Public authorities warn employees about lack of security awareness and insufficient awareness of information security risks. These lead to the risk of leaking state secrets. China's Ministry of Public Security has outlined the potential dangers of document scanning apps and warned employees when using them.

Specifically, this type of software needs to use an online database to compare and analyze the files provided by the user. This means that during the processing stage, the data has been shared with a third party. Some apps require additional unusual permissions such as accessing the microphone, photo album or messaging history. They can steal sensitive information from users.

Storing confidential documents in the cloud is also not secure. They are usually protected by the service provider. However, there is no guarantee that they are completely hack-proof.

China's Ministry of Public Security warns its employees to keep confidential documents away from the Internet and not to view important documents online. Using software to scan documents on phones is also completely prohibited.

Source: https://znews.vn/lam-lo-bi-mat-quoc-gia-vi-phan-mem-quet-tai-lieu-post1547777.html