Pre-Installed Malware Found on 5 Million Android Phones
Return To ArticleSecurity researchers have discovered a massive continuously growing malware campaign that has already infected nearly 5 million mobile devices worldwide.
Dubbed RottenSys, the malware that disguised as a ‘System Wi-Fi service’ app came pre-installed on millions of brand new smartphones manufactured by Honor, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Samsung and GIONEE—added somewhere along the supply chain.
All these affected devices were shipped through Tian Pai, a Hangzhou-based mobile phone distributor, but researchers are not sure if the company has direct involvement in this campaign.
According to Check Point Mobile Security Team, who uncovered this campaign, RottenSys is an advanced piece of malware that doesn’t provide any secure Wi-Fi related service but takes almost all sensitive Android permissions to enable its malicious activities.
