Security researchers have discovered more examples of Android devices with pre-installed malware. Security firm G DATA found that more than 24 devices from different manufacturers have been hacked straight out of the box.
Manufacturers such as Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi have pre-installed applications κατασκοπείας στο firmware. Η G DATA υποψιάζεται ότι μεσάζοντες τροποποιούν το λογισμικό της devices to steal user data, with the aim of displaying their own ads, which brings them very large profits.
Of course, as happened in 2010's Vodafone in Spain, there may also be inadvertent equipment contamination from the supply chain or deliberate government spy interventions.
Please note that many of the malware models are currently being released in China.
The pre-infected devices has become a very serious privacy problem for smartphone users. As you understand downloading apps only from Google Play Store, avoiding weird websites and generally taking common sense precautions doesn't help in such cases.
Already in March, the Bluebox Security discovered pre-installed malware on Xiaomi Mi4. Xiaomi responded by saying that the devices that contained the malicious software were not genuine. But regardless of blame, the incident illustrates the general danger.
At the end of last year, Palo Alto Networks, he discovered that the high-end Androids from Coolpad contained pre-installed CoolReaper malware.
Though little known in the West, Coolpad is the third largest smartphone maker in China.