Chinese Smartphone May Come Preloaded with Spyware
It's a feature, not a bug. That
may be the only possible excuse for spyware that allegedly comes
preloaded onto the Star N9500, an Android smartphone manufactured in
China and sold on Amazon and eBay.
According
to German security company G Data, the spyware, called Uupay.D, is
capable of intercepting personal data transmitted over the phone, such
as banking data, phone calls, email messages and text messages. It then
transmits that data to a server in China. G Data said Uupay.D can also
remotely control the phone's camera and microphone, and covertly install
more malware onto the device.
"The
options with this spy program are nearly unlimited. Online criminals
have full access to the smartphone," G Data's Christian Geschkat said in
a company blog post.
G
Data said Uupay.D runs in the background, invisible to the user, and is
part of the device's firmware, making it impossible to delete. The only
place the app is visible is in the phone's active applications menu,
where it displays a Google Play icon to make it seem legitimate. Android
antivirus apps such as G Data's Internet Security app will detect the
spyware, but can't remove it.
At
time of this posting, the Star N9500 (and a similar phone, the Orient
N9500, which may or may not also have the preloaded malware) is still on
sale online, where its low price (below $200 for an unlocked model) and
high-end specifications make it an attractive smartphone option. G
Data's researchers suspect the low price may be offset by the reselling
of personal data stolen from the handset's unsuspecting users.
"In
general, particularly cheap offers online that seem tempting should
make buyers suspicious," Geschakt said in the G Data blog post. "There's
no such thing as a free lunch."
G Data recommends that if your Android antivirus app detects Uupay.D on the phone, you should return the handset immediately.
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