Pre-Baked Firmware Malware Hits Budget Android Devices in 150+ Countries
There is a large global market for low-cost Android devices. Bad actors are aware and are servicing the demand through devices built on MediaTek platforms – but with malware preinstalled in the device firmware.
When the recipient of such an affected device switches it on, the malware is present, unseen, and available to any bad actor who can control it remotely from its C2. It is a persistent, pre-installed firmware system app that cannot be removed by normal uninstall procedures.
The campaign, dubbed Midnight Mimosa, was discovered and analyzed by Bitdefender.
The potential for this type of malware infection controlled via the actor’s C2 is massive. “The malware runs with system-level privileges that allow it to silently install and remove apps, grant permissions, and load arbitrary code supplied remotely. This essentially means its operators could install and delete apps at will, tuning each device to their needs, including making them...
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