Thousands of Cheap Android Phones in Africa Were Pre-Installed With Malware

The hard-to-remove Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion, according to security research from Upsteam Systems.

Thousands of cheap Android smartphones were getting sold in Africa with malware already pre-installed onboard, according to new security research.

On Monday, the mobile company Upstream Systems published a report on how a nasty malware strain known as Triada has been preying on low-income consumers in over a dozen African countries.

Usually malware ends up on an Android device after the owner installs a fake third-party app that contains malicious code. However, Upstream noticed the Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion before getting sold to local consumers in countries such as Ethopia, Cameroon and Egypt.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/thousands-of-cheap-android-phones-in-africa-were-pre-installed-with-malware

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