Chinese site uses Apple's own enterprise tools to distribute free pirated apps
A report on Thursday exposed a Chinese website that appears to be distributing pirated versions of iOS apps for free, with the system powered by Apple's own enterprise licensing technology.
First spotted by blog M.I.C. Gadget, Chinese website 7659.com allows iPhone and iPad owners to download and install popular iOS apps without going through the official App Store.
English version of KuaiYong's website.
The website in question, 7659.com, is actually a Web portal of a desktop program called "KuaiYong," which poses as a bulk licensing authorization asset to distribute free software to users. The software first hit the Web in 2012, and the new site is supposedly meant to streamline app discovery and downloading by making titles accessible online instead of through a dedicated program. KuaiYong's desktop software is still needed to retrieve the pirated apps.
According to the publication, KuaiYong leverages Apple's enterprise app distribution system, which is intended to be used by corporations and institutions for the dissemination of internal apps to staff. The licensing protocol allows for basically unlimited app distribution once a developer provisioning profile has been granted by Apple. This tactic lets iPhone and iPad owners install pirated software without jailbreaking their device.
KuaiYong is essentially distributing one app, with one license, continuously to end users.
A follow-up report from VentureBeat took a closer look at the nefarious site and discovered KuaiYong, and by proxy 7659.com, appears to be owned by Beijing YouRanTianDi Technology Co Ltd.
Website 7659.com as seen through a spoofed proxy server. | Source: VentureBeat
According to the KuaiYong website, the service is being branded as a helper tool for Chinese users unfamiliar with Apple's App Store:
M.I.C. Gadget says the team behind the operation is readying an international iteration of the program, with an English version coming to Windows users sometime soon. Currently, the service claims to have five million users in China.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter, though it is expected that the company will attempt to shut down the site as soon as possible.
First spotted by blog M.I.C. Gadget, Chinese website 7659.com allows iPhone and iPad owners to download and install popular iOS apps without going through the official App Store.
English version of KuaiYong's website.
The website in question, 7659.com, is actually a Web portal of a desktop program called "KuaiYong," which poses as a bulk licensing authorization asset to distribute free software to users. The software first hit the Web in 2012, and the new site is supposedly meant to streamline app discovery and downloading by making titles accessible online instead of through a dedicated program. KuaiYong's desktop software is still needed to retrieve the pirated apps.
According to the publication, KuaiYong leverages Apple's enterprise app distribution system, which is intended to be used by corporations and institutions for the dissemination of internal apps to staff. The licensing protocol allows for basically unlimited app distribution once a developer provisioning profile has been granted by Apple. This tactic lets iPhone and iPad owners install pirated software without jailbreaking their device.
KuaiYong is essentially distributing one app, with one license, continuously to end users.
A follow-up report from VentureBeat took a closer look at the nefarious site and discovered KuaiYong, and by proxy 7659.com, appears to be owned by Beijing YouRanTianDi Technology Co Ltd.
Website 7659.com as seen through a spoofed proxy server. | Source: VentureBeat
According to the KuaiYong website, the service is being branded as a helper tool for Chinese users unfamiliar with Apple's App Store:
As for 7659.com, its pirated wares are not accessible outside of China as the proxy software is not supported internationally, though a spoofed IP address allows for perusal of the website.First of all, we would like to thank all Apple users around the world and your support for Kuaiyong.
Statistics have shown that a significant amount of Apple users are Chinese based. However, the fact is that in China, a large number of Apple users are not very familiar with the iTunes system and how to effectively manage it.
In order for Chinese Apple fans to download applications securely, Kuaiyong developed its own method of giving users access to thousands of free apps without having to jailbreak their devices. Kuaiyong offers detailed descriptions of apps, free app download trial, IOS device management and visual and audio file backup system. IOS system backup and recovery features will also be released in the very near future.
Our goal has always been about bringing Chinese Apple users with quick, convenient and pleasant IOS experience. Since the introduce of Kuaiyong, the proportion of jailbreak in China has declined dramatically from 60% to around 30%. Kuaiyong will hold on to this goal in the future and we would like to see more support for Apple as well as Kuaiyong.
M.I.C. Gadget says the team behind the operation is readying an international iteration of the program, with an English version coming to Windows users sometime soon. Currently, the service claims to have five million users in China.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter, though it is expected that the company will attempt to shut down the site as soon as possible.
Comments
It seems like people in Asia have no conscience about stealing someone else's property. Doing so seems to be a common business practice and if a company makes a bunch of money off someone else's products they are praised instead of shamed for being a thief. Just look at Samesung as a prime example of a company that has for decades stolen products from other companies rarely if ever making any innovative product of their own but instead capitalizing on the research and development of others. Shame.
About 25% of the world's countries are in Asia and they hold about 60% of the world's population. Are you really sure you want to make blanket statements that Asian's have no conscience?
Now, now. Let's not blame China for this. You wouldn't want to get called a xenophobe by somebody who has no idea what they're talking about, now would you?
China has virtually no time left or any resources to focus on piracy or counterfeit goods, especially when there are real, serious problems taking place in the world, such as obscene, hardcore pornography on the iOS appstore and those evil Apple warranties.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
About 25% of the world's countries are in Asia and they hold about 60% of the world's population. Are you really sure you want to make blanket statements that Asian's have no conscience?
There is good evidence that the Koreans and the Chinese especially has no concept of "having a conscience." If you steal it fair and square, then it's yours.
I will say though that it's good that it's a Chinese site that exposed this. So not everything Chinese is bad, even though their government is beyond horrible.
I actually ordered something from M.I.C. gadget a long time ago, and the item I ordered arrived fine. I think that it was the first time that I ever ordered something directly from China on the internet. I also ordered a cool looking Steve Jobs doll a while ago from another place that was in China I think, but that got cancelled, though I did get a full refund.
Fucking despicable. I am dumbfounded that anyone would claim that 20% of the world's population in just two countries have no concept of "having a conscious." Care to tell us why? Some Phrenological proof or the colour of their skin that you'd claim there is "good evidence" that 2 of the world's countries are populated with more than a billion people whom you deem sociopaths?
Edit - Never mind.
Could we have a little transparency during this thread, boys and girls?
Please add your age, country, religion, and sexual orientation at the bottom of each of your posts so we can insult each other.
Thank you for your co-operation!
Age: 42
Country: Australian
Religion: All
Sex: Metrosexual (I also live in a city)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
There is good evidence that the Koreans and the Chinese especially has no concept of "having a conscience." If you steal it fair and square, then it's yours.
Come on bro, lets keep it civil. We are all Mac lovers here. Well, apart from the trolls... *squints at Ignore List*
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Fucking despicable. I am dumbfounded that anyone would claim that 20% of the world's population in just two countries have no concept of "having a conscious." Care to tell us why? Some Phrenological proof or the colour of their skin that you'd claim there is "good evidence" that 2 of the world's countries are populated with more than a billion people whom you deem sociopaths?
The original poster didn't say "They have no conscience," every human being has a conscience (I hope). He said they "... had no conscience about stealing other people's property," and if you think about it, China is no longer communist, but until very recently it was. And someone raised in a communist society might not take the concept of "private property" very seriously. They might even have been told in school that it was nonsense. They certainly wouldn't have the same instinct someone who has lived in a capitalist society their whole life has: when I hear "private property," I instantly subconsciously think "don't touch." I certainly hope the original comment was nothing to do with skin colour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTR
Sex: Metrosexual (I also live in a city)
Heterosexuals are attracted to women and Homosexuals are attracted to men and Metrosexuals are attracted to... cities?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
There is good evidence that the Koreans and the Chinese especially has no concept of "having a conscience." If you steal it fair and square, then it's yours.
It's a stupid way to put things. Chinese culture favors the copying of successful ways, and that's a perfectly reasonnable philosophy. It also favors strength and courage.
Let me remind you that in America, there is no real social welfare, or serious public health system. Why? Because people in America believe in egoism, and that if you fail it's your own fault. Europeans might find that a clear sign of having no conscience.
Don't compare other cultures with a given, logical set of values, based on your own culture's set of values, it doesn't work and makes you look stupid and intolerant.
Yes, let's blame China, because that's where the blame lies. All Chinese are of course not so corrupt, and there is considerable dissent there. But read the recent report on China and the internet in The Economist (http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21574628-internet-was-expected-help-democratise-china-instead-it-has-enabled), and you'll likely be appalled at what's possible there - what's censored, what's allowed, and the kind of corrupt culture government policy is creating. And as far as this particular story is concerned, piracy there, especially of foreign material, is a business model, not a crime (despite official disclaimers), and someone in or close to the government is almost certainly lining their pockets with the profits.
Read the OP carefully. He said no conscience about stealing somebody's property. Obviously, the OP meant intellectual property and this is a fact. Sorry to disappoint you.
Anybody dealing with and teaching Chinese students knows about rampant cheating on tests and examps. To ' borrow' somebody's results or copy pages and pages from somebody's writing is a norm. When caught, their don't even understand what they are being accused of.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Fucking despicable. I am dumbfounded that anyone would claim that 20% of the world's population in just two countries have no concept of "having a conscious." Care to tell us why? Some Phrenological proof or the colour of their skin that you'd claim there is "good evidence" that 2 of the world's countries are populated with more than a billion people whom you deem sociopaths?
Oh come off it. I have literally just stepped off the plane from that region. Piracy is rife by comparison, that is just a plain fact.
The person who wrote what you are replying to obviously does not think every damn asian pirates software, but by comparison to EU or North America there is no shadow of a doubt that when averaged out Asians love to pirate stuff!
Thailand in particular has made great moves in the last few years to curb piracy as they are a very creative nation, and have more and more of their own IP to protect. And other countries are slowly getting their act together as well. I speak with first hand experience, as have been around the world a fair few times and have seen it with my own eyes.
Plus, isn't what I am saying just damn obvious anyway? Do you really need to travel to these countries to draw this conclusion?! No.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Plagen
Anybody dealing with and teaching Chinese students knows about rampant cheating on tests and examps. To ' borrow' somebody's results or copy pages and pages from somebody's writing is a norm. When caught, their don't even understand what they are being accused of.
And all Americans are fat, right?
That's absolutely not true. They have lots of resources to focus on piracy - when it's a Chinese company accusing Apple of having copyrighted products in the App Store. /s