Malware & Ransomware That Are Info-Stealers Was Found To Be Pre-Installed On Some 38 New Android Smartphones & Tablets

New android smartphones and tablets have been found to be infected by malware before it was sold to public use. This alarming news has already debunked the idea of blocking spams, downloading anti-virus apps and simply avoiding clicking suspicious content. These things tend to be useless after this recent discovery, and it's not only one or two affected; 38 units sold in the market and passed on to an unknowing consumer.

Big companies were not saved from this unfortunate incident that was discovered by Check Point, a cyber-security firm. According to reports from The Independent, among the companies are Samsung, LG and Google were found to be pre-installed by malware and ransomware. A ransomware is specifically used by a hacker to devoid the user from using his or her phone in exchange for money, one of the phones were discovered to have a specific ransomware called Slocker.

The Malware or ransomware may have been added along the supply chain as mentioned by Check Point and six cases were found to be installed through system privileges as reported by TravelersToday. Once a user receives a malware-infected device, it's as if the unit is as normal as it looks. However, the firmware must be reinstalled completely in order for the device to be disinfected or a malware scanner should be downloaded immediately once the device is turned on.

Checkpoint may have cleared that not all of the devices mentioned are infected and only an unfortunate number of the specific models were found to have it. Malware or ransomware discovered by Check Point were usually info-stealers and was not part of the official ROM from the vendor. Among the malware discovered are "Loki" which is a malicious advertising bot and "Slocker" which uses the Tor network to send data back to its creator without detection.

However, it is still alarming, due to the onset of online banking which may be detrimental to one's bank account. The issue has also turned on an alarm to consumers and has allegedly accused the CIA and MI5 of hacking into phones, TVs and computers with the recent WikiLeaks' Vault 7 data dump.