this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
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If the code were static and unchanging, sure. But it's not possible to conduct such analysis every time an update is issued on a continuing basis, without fast becoming a hundreds of millions of dollars or more program.
So the better question isn't whether it's possible — it's whether it's feasible. And the answer is no, it's not.
I think if pirates working on their bedroom PCs can release cracks and keygens only days after a game or other piece of software is out, then the government can probably keep up with app updates.
It's a lot easier to scan for very specific code behavior than it is to scan for "anything useful for espionage". And that still wouldn't solve the question of what their server software is doing or where the collected data is ending up.