26 Android Phone Models Shipped with Pre-Installed Spyware

[sinu]

Content source

http://thehackernews.com/2015/09/android-smartphone-malware.html

Bought a brand new Android Smartphone? Don't expect it to be a clean slate.

A new report claims that some rogue retailers are selling brand-new Android smartphones loaded with pre-installed software.

Security firm G Data has uncovered more than two dozens of Android smartphones from popular smartphone manufacturers — including Xiaomi, Huawei and Lenovo — that have pre-installed spyware in the firmware.



G Data is a German security firm that disclosed last year the Star N9500 Smartphone's capability to spy on users, thereby comprising their personal data and conversations without any restrictions and users knowledge.

The pre-installed spyware, disguised in popular Android apps such as Facebook and Google Drive, can not be removed without unlocking the phone since it resides inside the phone's firmware.
The spyware is capable of doing the following actions:

• Listening in to telephone conversations
• Accessing the Internet
• Viewing and copy contacts
• Installing unwanted apps
• Asking for location data
• Taking and copying images
• Recording conversations using the microphone
• Sending and reading SMS/MMS
• Disabling Anti-Virus software
• Listening in to chats via messaging services (Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook and Google+)
• Reading the browser history

The affected Smartphone brands include Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Alps, ConCorde, DJC, Sesonn and Xido. Most of the suspected models are sold in Asia and Europe.

However, this isn't the first time Chinese handsets come with pre-installed spyware. Back in March, the mobile security firm Bluebox found pre-loaded malware on Xiaomi Mi4 LTE. To which Xiaomi said the compromised handsets were high-quality counterfeits.

Late last year, researchers from Palo Alto Networks discovered that the high-end devices from Coolpad came pre-installed with the backdoor, dubbed "CoolReaper," sold exclusively in China and Taiwan.

 

[Chromatinfish 123]

Gaaaah!

Better remember to not buy any phones in China! Better to live without a phone if it breaks down there.

 

[Cch123]

GData report: https://public.gdatasoftware.com/Pr...lware_Reports/G_DATA_MobileMWR_Q2_2015_EN.pdf

The G DATA security experts are certain that the manufacturers are not the perpetrators in the majority of cases. Renowned companies will not risk their reputation by distributing malware in the firmware. The G DATA experts therefore suspect middlemen of being the perpetrators. In addition to the revenue gained from selling on the mobile device, they try to make additional financial gains from stolen user data and enforced advertising.

That's the problem with android in general. There is no control over its ecosystem, so people are free to load malware.

Gaaaah!

Better remember to not buy any phones in China! Better to live without a phone if it breaks down there.

Some of them in the list are not Chinese brands. Xido is German for one.

 

[soccer97]

I am sad to say I am not surprised. I remember seeing the initial story about some Chinese phones containing spyware. Do you guys remember the whole Huawei news stories about 2 years ago? There was question of whether NIC's were compromised.

If it's too good to be true (a nice phone for too good of a price, it likely is).

 

[jamescv7]

Better conduct a research first, many manufacturers of Smartphone/Tablet can provide quality without any bloatware. One of the brands I use is AOC (Art of Colors) which doesn't contain any unnecessary programs.

 

[LabZero]

Is the trend of the moment : sell devices that secretly steal personal data to customers, so gain on sale of these devices as well as data.

The best part is that the user does not notice anything if you do not install an antivirus. But even if it installs, however can not remove the malware from your mobile, because the infected app is one of those installed in the firmware.