Many low-cost smartphone models have malware pre-installed before leaving the factory.

Security experts from Trend Micro (Japan) have just discovered that millions of smartphones from lesser-known phone brands have pre-installed malware before reaching users.

Nhiều mẫu smartphone giá rẻ bị cài sẵn mã độc trước khi xuất xưởng

At the Black Hat Asia security conference, Trend Micro discovered that hackers had installed malware firmware (programs stored on hardware, which control the operation of components and electronic devices). These components are often used on Android smartphones from lesser-known manufacturers.

Although Trend Micro did not announce the name of the smartphone brand that had the malware pre-installed, at least 9 million devices from 10 smartphone brands contained the malware before being sold on the market.

This type of malware can steal information from the device such as reading messages, hijacking emails or social network accounts, etc. The hacker's purpose is to sell information for profit or take advantage of the smartphone to click on ads for illegal profits. This malware is very difficult to remove from the device because it is installed directly into the smartphone's firmware.

At this point, Trend Micro has not revealed which country the culprit behind this malware comes from. However, to avoid the risk of using a smartphone with pre-installed malware, users should choose a product with a reputable brand. Because large companies often invest in security and choose a strict supply chain.

This is not the first time Trend Micro has discovered malware pre-installed on smartphones before being sold on the market. Previously, many technology devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones were also discovered to have malware pre-installed before being released. Many of these devices were sold in Vietnam.

Source