[Bug 1867424] Re: motd-news transmitting private hardware data without consent or knowledge in background

[Guy Baconniere]

FYI Canonical's legal departement is reviewing motd-news "feature" (such as telemetry)
and will provide updated information next week.

All motd-news related tickets

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/base-
files/+bugs?field.searchtext=motd-
news&orderby=-datecreated&search=Search&field.status%3Alist=NEW&field.status%3Alist=OPINION&field.status%3Alist=INVALID&field.status%3Alist=WONTFIX&field.status%3Alist=EXPIRED&field.status%3Alist=CONFIRMED&field.status%3Alist=TRIAGED&field.status%3Alist=INPROGRESS&field.status%3Alist=FIXCOMMITTED&field.status%3Alist=FIXRELEASED&field.status%3Alist=INCOMPLETE_WITH_RESPONSE&field.status%3Alist=INCOMPLETE_WITHOUT_RESPONSE

"Canonical has launched the Ubuntu Appliance initiative which aims to
transform Raspberry Pi devices or personal computers into secure, self-
updating solutions" (source 9to5linux). I checked nextcloud-
core18-pi.img (and core18_1753.snap), motd-news is still present but
turned off by default -- Good! ENABLED=0 in the file /etc/default/motd-
news. I hope Canonical will apply "Secure by design" motto to the rest
of Ubuntu products https://ubuntu.com/appliance

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1867424

Title:
  motd-news transmitting private hardware data without consent or
  knowledge in background

Status in base-files package in Ubuntu:
  Won't Fix

Bug description:
  In package base-files there is a script /etc/update-motd.d/50-motd-
  news that harvests private hardware data from the machine and
  transmits it in the background every day.  There is no notice, no
  consent, no nothing.  This should be by default disabled until there
  is informed consent.

  This solution is simple:

  1. Change ENABLED=1 to ENABLED=0 in the file /etc/default/motd-news and 
  2. Place a comment in the file disclosing the fact that the 50-motd-news script will harvest private hardware data and upload it to motd.ubuntu.com daily if the end-user enables it.

  Creating databases that maps ip address to specify hardware is a
  threat to both privacy and security.  If an adversary knows the
  specific hardware and the ip address for that hardware their ability
  to successfully attack it is greatly increased.

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