Android smartphones from Chinese manufacturers even infected … – Tudocelular.com

Researchers security of G Data, a company based in Germany, discovered a pre-installed malware in more than two dozen Android smartphone models transported from Asia, including some well-known brands such as Lenovo, Huawei and Xiaomi .

But before those in a hurry blame the companies for some act of bad faith, Andy Hayter, Security Evangelist of G Data It says that in each case the manufacturers itself not seem to be involved in the pre-installation of malware on their new Android devices. Apparently, the intervention seems to happen at some point in the distribution chain, from the time after the shipment of the manufacturer and before the devices reach the hands of consumers.

Hayter added that the level of sophistication required to perform operation without being noticed would be quite significant.

 

Someone is unlocking these phones by installing malware and blocking them again. It takes a certain amount of risk to do so

 

In total, the company says it discovered about 26 infected models with malware capable of stealing personal information from users, perform call recordings, transmit location data and send ads and spyware without the user’s knowledge or consent. Most models are sold within the Asian region.

In most cases, the malware is usually hidden within an application above suspicion, like Facebook, Hayter said. The malware is hidden by the normal functionality of the application and few realize this, because most malicious processes run in the background.

Based on the research so far, it is difficult to determine whether the pre-malware installed is the work of a group or several. But it is very likely that there is an organization among various groups involved, given the geographical dispersion of the problem and the number of affected brands.

The findings of G Data on the pre-installed malware on Android smartphones stemmed Asia are part of a general report on the malware scene in Google’s operating system in the second quarter of 2015. As with previous quarters, security researchers at G Data found a considerable increase in the number of malicious applications. For the first quarter, it was reported 440,000 new Android malware.

The security company also said its researchers analyzed about 6,100 new malware samples per day during the second quarter compared to 4,900 daily in previous quarter. In total, researchers at G Data found more than one million new Android malware variants in the first six months of the year. A new record, according to Hayter.

This new discovery reveals a very sophisticated method of malware installation. However, users who buy their phones in ways “legitimate” need not worry so much. The intervention seems to occur in devices acquired through less reliable online stores.