Uc browser pc Archives

A fast and efficient browser

UC Browser is an Internet browser that focuses on delivering high speeds, efficient downloads and being light on your computer resources.

Browse the internet with the reliability of UC Browser. It offers quick loading time for pages, even on a low bandwidth or slow internet connection. Enhance your browsing experience by accessing your favorite websites and exploring the internet at a faster pace.

UC Browser knows that your time is precious. It seems to pride itself on being efficient and providing the fastest browsing service possible.

Download files from the internet and open them almost instantly. Concurrent downloads are supported as well, so if you are an internet user with a lot to download, UC Browser is for you.

You can save time by opening the browser and letting it load up your frequently visited pages. UC Browser compresses data on the server before its sent to the user, resulting in quicker loading times and reduced CPU usage. Enrich your browsing experience with a resource-light, efficient browser.

There are a couple of major pitfalls, however, that outweigh the benefits. The program has major privacy concerns, as it doesn’t use secure cryptology. Instead, it relies on outdated SSL protocols that leave users’ sensitive information vulnerable and open for hackers. Users who wish to add login credentials for banks and other sites on UC Browser may suffer from hacking or data leakage.

The browser doesn’t block ads and pop-ups as regularly as it should. Major malware or virus threats are detected and these pop-ups are automatically blocked. Other ads that can hinder your browsing experience are left up to you to manually remove.

Where can you run this program?

This program can be run on most operating systems, such as Linux, macOS, and Windows on desktops. It’s also available on Windows phone and tablet, Android and iOS.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. There are better alternative browsers to UC Browser that offer more security and pop-up control. Try Safari on macOS, or Google Chrome on Windows.

Our take

UC Browser delivers a high-speed browsing experience and a more seamless way to download files from the internet. Its lack of privacy makes it less of a contender against other browsers.

Should you download it?

No. It isn’t worth downloading UC Browser, as its fast loading time isn’t worth the lack of privacy. Try one of the alternatives for a more secure browser.

Developer(s)	UCWeb Alibaba Group
Stable release(s)[±]
Microsoft Windows 7.0.185.1002 (January 8, 2018; 2 years ago (2018-01-08)[1]) iOS 11.3.2.1094 (August 19, 2018; 2 years ago (2018-08-19)[2]) Android Android mini 12.12.6.1222 (February 7, 2020; 7 months ago (2020-02-07)[3]) Java 9.5.0.449 (June 23, 2014; 6 years ago (2014-06-23)[4]) UCBrowser UWP 1.0.468.0 (March 24, 2017; 3 years ago (2017-03-24)[5]) [±]
Engine	Blink, V8
Operating system	iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows RT, S60, J2ME, Windows CE, Microsoft Windows, MTK, Tizen, Bada, BREW
Standard(s)	HTML5, CSS3
Available in	Chinese, English, Urdu, Bangla, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Bhojpuri
Type	Mobile browser
License	Proprietary software with EULA(link) and Terms of Use(link)
Website	www.ucweb.com

UC Browser is a web browser developed by mobile internet company UCWeb, a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group. It is one of the most popular mobile browsers in China and Indonesia,^[6] and was the 8th most downloaded mobile app of the 2010–2019 decade.^[7]

Originally launched in April 2004 as a J2ME-only application, it is now available on a number of platforms including Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, Java ME, Symbian, Windows PhoneMicrosoft Windows.^[8] It has been the subject of several security and privacy controversies, and was banned in India on June 29, 2020, shortly after the 2020 China–India skirmishes.^[9]

Functionality[edit]

UC Browser is a cross-platform web browser primarily targeted at mobile phones.^[6] It is known for its small app size and data compression technology, making it popular in emerging markets where people tend to have mobile phones with more limited device memory and internet bandwidth.^[6] In particular, the browser is unique in its use of proxy servers, which run data through UCWeb servers before sending it to the user's device, enabling data compression but also posing privacy risks.^[8] Additional features of the browser include cloud acceleration, multi-file format downloading, HTML5 web app and cloud syncing features, and "fast download", a feature that downloads files in multiple parts simultaneously.

Platforms[edit]

UC Browser is available as both an Android app and an iOS app, and is also available on several other older or discontinued mobile operating systems including BlackBerry OS, Symbian, and Windows Phone.^[10] While primarily a mobile app, UCWeb also offers a Microsoft Windows desktop version (there is no macOS version).

The Android mobile operating system represents the largest user base for the company, which as of 2014 accounted for 300 million of its 500 million users.^[11]

Data compression[edit]

UC Browser uses proxy servers to compress web pages before sending them to users.^[8] This process requires less memory on the user's device and lowers data costs; however, it also poses privacy and security risks as all of the data accessed by the user through UC Browser first runs through a UCWeb server, rather than going directly to the user's device.

UC+: HTML5, WebApp and add-ons[edit]

In July 2013, UCWeb announced the UC+ Open Platform. The platform consists of a WebApp store, an add-on platform and an Application Bookmark Platform. It went live with the launch of UC Browser v9.2 for Android.^[12]

Developers can use a provided SDK to create programs that the browser runs in different scenarios. Users can download and install them from the browser's add-on panel. Examples include sharing to social media, webpage translation, augmented reality, and voice control. The Application Bookmark Platform allows partner websites to put up a QR code on UC Browser for users to scan, which adds the webpage to their bookmarks. This platform was among the first in China.

Download management[edit]

The browser supports simultaneous downloads and includes a download manager, including pages for offline reading. It supports pausing and resuming downloads.^[13] The current version of the download manager has features designed to solve common problems while downloading, such as an intermittent internet connection and mislabeled files.^[14] The download process can continue after the app is closed, and can also automatically resume if the download is interrupted.^[15] The download manager sorts downloaded files by type and places them in respective folders.^[16]

Cloud system[edit]

UCWeb claims that the cloud system used by the browser tends to fetch data from the closest servers available, making the loading process quicker and smoother for users.^[17]

Privacy and security[edit]

Privacy[edit]

Leaked NSA reports[edit]

In May 2015, National Security Agency (NSA) documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden indicated that UC Browser leaks sensitive data like international mobile subscriber identities, international mobile station equipment identities, MSISDN's, Android ID's, MAC addresses, and geolocation and Wi-Fi-related data without any encryption.^[18] These leaks were used by intelligence agencies to track users. The documents also revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) had identified UC Browser as a security weak point. Its widespread use in China, India and Indonesia made it particularly attractive to ASD. The documents revealed that in cooperation with its Five Eyes partners, ASD hacked the UC Browser and infected smartphones with spyware. The ASD declined to comment in relation to the revelations.^[19]

Citizen Lab report[edit]

In May 2015, Citizen Lab, a laboratory based at the University of Toronto, published a report finding numerous privacy and security issues with both the English language and Chinese language editions of the Android version of UC Browser.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} The report criticized the transmission of personally identifiable information to various commercial analytics tools and the transmission of user search queries without encryption. They also managed to bypass the encryption of UC Browser, leading them to accuse UCWeb of using non-effective encryption systems to transmit personally identifiable subscriber data, mobile device identifiers, and user geolocation data.^[25]

In May 2016, Alibaba Group provided Citizen Lab with updated versions of UC Browser in order to verify their security fixes to these issues. The subsequent update published by Citizen Lab indicated that not all of the previously identified data leaks and privacy breaches had been fixed in UC Browser.^[26][27]

India investigation[edit]

After the release of the Citizen Lab report, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Hyderabad, a scientific research unit within India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), began a technical investigation into the "several major privacy and security vulnerabilities that would seriously expose users of UC Browser to surveillance and other privacy violations" alleged in the report.^[28] C-DAC found that the browser (which is the second-most-used browser in India) had been sending user data to Chinese servers and that it retains control over a user's device DNS even after the browser is deleted.^[29]

Security[edit]

Research has found that UC Browser is insecure, with many vulnerabilities and privacy issues.

In March 2019, analysts at the anti-malware firm Doctor Web publicly disclosed that UC Browser and UC Browser Mini for Android was downloading and installing extra modules from the company's own servers via an unprotected HTTP channel.^[30] This exposed browser users to arbitrary remote code execution if an attacker was able to perform a man-in-the-middle attack to deliver malicious module (but no cases of exploitation were publicly disclosed). Furthermore, this violates Google Play policies that forbid Google Play apps from downloading any executable code from any sources outside of Google Play. Researchers contacted both UCWeb Inc. and Google prior to the disclosure, but as of March 26, 2019, neither app was patched and users are still vulnerable to the attack.^[31]

According to tests on Qualys, a cloud security firm, and High-Tech Bridge, an internet security firm, UC Browser contains Logjam, FREAK, and POODLE vulnerabilities.^[32][33] UC Browser also uses an outdated RC4cipher cryptography with deprecated SSL 3 or even SSL 2 protocols, which have many security flaws.^[34]

Market adoption[edit]

As of March 2014, UC Browser has over 500 million users, largely in China, India, and Indonesia,^[11] and as of 2016 it has more than 100 million monthly active users.^[35] According to the app analytics firm App Annie, UC Browser was the 8th most downloaded mobile app of the 2010–2019 decade.^[7]

UC Browser has gained significant popularity in China, India, and Indonesia. In October 2012, UC Browser topped Opera in Google Play's free Android app download category in India for the first time.^[36] According to third-party web analytics firm StatCounter, UC Browser surpassed Opera as India's top mobile browser with 32.82 percent of the market share to Opera's 26.91 percent.^[37] Google Zeitgeist 2013 showed that the "Most Searched Mobile Apps" in India were dominated by messaging and browsing apps, with WhatsApp and UC Browser topping the rankings for the most searches on mobile in 2013.^[38]

The number of users of UC Browser may be significantly affected by the May 2020 recommendation by India's National Security Council following the 2020 China–India skirmishes that UC Browser and other Chinese-owned apps be blocked due to cyber-security concerns.^[39]

History[edit]

UC Browser was initially launched in April 2004 as a J2ME-only application.

The logo of UC Browser was redesigned in December 2012, from a cartoon squirrel to a more abstract and stylized icon that's more in line with American designs.^[40]

In May 2013, UCWeb customized its browser for Vodafone's Indian customers.^[41] It also announced a partnership with Trend Micro, under which both companies worked to provide mobile web safety assessments in the browser.^[42]

In August 2013, UC Browser provided distribution channels of companies like AppURL Initiative^[43] and partned with distributor Gameloft to sell its products.^[44]

Ban in India[edit]

On June 29 Monday, 2020, the Government of India banned UC Browser, along with 58 other Chinese apps such as TikTok and WeChat, citing data and privacy issues and claiming that it is a "threat to the sovereignty and integrity" of the country.^[9][45] Many commentators have suggested that the move was a retaliation to the 2020 China–India skirmishes between India and China.^[46]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

India has banned some mobile apps of Chinese companies such as Xiaomi and Baidu, three sources told Reuters on Wednesday, in New Delhi's latest move to hit Chinese companies following a border clash between the neighbours.

India in June outlawed 59 Chinese apps for threatening the country's "sovereignty and integrity", including ByteDance's video-sharing app TikTok, Alibaba's UC Browser, and Xiaomi's Mi Community app.

Another ban was imposed in recent weeks on about 47 apps which mostly contained clones, or simply different versions, of the already banned apps, the sources said.

Unlike its June move, the government did not make its latest decision public, but there are a few new apps that have made it to that list, including Xiaomi's Mi Browser Pro and Baidu's search apps, the sources said.

It wasn't immediately clear how many new apps have been affected.

India's IT Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi did not respond to a request for comment. China has previously criticised India's decision to ban the apps.

A spokesman for Xiaomi in India said the company was trying to understand the development and will take appropriate measures. Baidu declined to comment.

A ban on the Mi Browser, which comes pre-loaded on most Xiaomi smartphones, could potentially mean the Chinese firm will need to stop installing it on new devices it sells in India.

Xiaomi is India's No.1 smartphone seller with close to 90 million users, according to Hong Kong-based tech researcher Counterpoint.

The bans are part of India's moves to counter China's dominant presence in the country's internet services market following a border clash in June between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

India has also made approval processes more stringent for Chinese companies wanting to invest in the country, and also tightened norms for Chinese companies wanting to participate in government tenders.

© Thomson Reuters 2020