Android. Google confirmed this week a huge problem with phones running its operating system, it was discovered a long time ago, but officially confirmed only now. More precisely, we are talking about the fact that Google has finally confirmed that certain models of its phones were infected with malware during the production process, the software having the name Triada, which was initially discovered during 2016.
Android. According to those from Google, no less than 42 models of phones produced in China, and sold mainly in the country, were infected with this malware even while they were being manufactured to be put on sale. A company called Yehuo, or Blazefire, is the one that started the whole problem with this malware, according to Google, with Android users having their phones infected and monitored by hackers right from the start.
Android – Phones infected with Factory Malware, confirmed by Google
Android. The biggest problem lies in the fact that everything was done during the production process, so people who expected to buy a phone, without problems, actually received the Triada together with it. Those from Google claim that they would have solved the problem through a series of OTA updates that phones have received from manufacturers, containing modifications intended to block this malware, but also its spread to other phones.
Triada infects device system images through a third-party during the production process. Sometimes OEMs want to include features that aren't part of the Android Open Source Project, such as unlocking. The OEM might partner with a third-party that can develop the desired feature and send the whole system image to that vendor for development. Based on analysis, we believe that a vendor using the name Yehuo or Blazefire infected the returned system image with Triada.
Android. Despite this, there still remains the big problem of the fact that phones were produced in China that came with malware in the factory, and this is not the first time something like this has happened. We already know that phones from well-known manufacturers come with hidden ads all over the operating system, but what Google has confirmed is a much bigger problem that can affect a lot of people, Android being completely vulnerable.
Android. In contrast to what we see from Apple, which very carefully checks the iOS in the iPhones delivered to customers, the phones from China arrive with everything through them, and Google cannot prevent this.
