StarDict’s Privacy Blunder: The Unsecured Dictionary App Sending Your Data to China!
StarDict, a seemingly harmless dictionary app, sends your selected text unencrypted to servers in China. While useful, this “feature” raises eyebrows internationally. Not a bug, nor an exploit, but definitely a vulnerability. Privacy standards differ globally, but many might find this unsettling. Wayland users, you’re safe; others might consider uninstalling, just in case.
Hot Take:
StarDict: the dictionary app that moonlights as an unintentional spy. Who knew vocabulary-building could be this exhilaratingly risky?
Key Points:
- StarDict, an app included in Debian, sends selected text unencrypted to servers in China.
- This behavior isn’t classified as a bug or exploit but is considered a vulnerability.
- The “feature” was previously documented in CVE-2009-2260, making it an old concern.
- StarDict’s functionality is paralleled by Apple’s macOS Look up, which operates offline.
- Wayland users are safe thanks to its policy of application isolation, unlike X11 environments.
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