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“From the moment you log into the mobile device,” say the Malwarebytes researchers, “Wireless Update starts auto-installing apps. The pre-installed malware comprises a Wireless Update app detected by Malwarebytes as Android/.fbcvd, and a Settings app that is malware detected as Android/. The FCC declined to comment, noting that it had not yet reviewed the report. “We are aware of this issue and are in touch with the device manufacturer Unimax to understand the root cause, however, after our initial testing we do not believe the applications described in the media are malware,” Babbington said. The phone in question is the UMX U686CL sold by Virgin Mobile (Virgin Mobile US is a subsidiary of Sprint).Ĭontacted by SecurittyWeek, Danielle Babbington, Senior Public Relations Manager at Sprint, said the carrier was looking into the report. Adding insult to injury, the phone in question is manufactured in China with apparently pre-installed Chinese malware, yet sold to Americans for just $35 under the government funded Lifeline Assistance program.
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Now, in an unrelated report, Malwarebytes discusses one example of this apparent ‘race to the bottom’ in a low-priced phone. “We urge you to use your position as an influential agent in the ecosystem to protect people and stop manufacturers from exploiting them in a race to the bottom on the pricing of smartphones,” they wrote. Pre-installed malware on Android phones is a growing menace - so much that on Wednesday this week, Privacy International and around 50 other international NGOs (including ACLU, EFF, Amnesty and the TOR project) sent an open letter to Google demanding a stop to the habit.
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