May 16, 2023
Trend Micro has discovered a supply chain attack that infected millions of Android devices with infostealer malware even before they left the factory. The hack has also affected other smart products, such as smartwatches and smart TVs, raising concerns among consumers and industry experts alike.
Senior Trend Micro researcher Fyodor Yarochkin and colleague Zhengyu Dong blamed rivalry among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It appears that smartphone manufacturers outsource the creation of certain components, such as firmware, to third-party providers. These vendors, however, have failed to monetize their goods because to falling prices in the mobile phone firmware market.
As a result, according to Yarochkin, gadgets have begun to arrive with unanticipated modifications in the form of “silent plugins.” Many firmware images contain dangerous malware and 80 distinct plugins. Some of these plugins were part of a larger “business model” and were offered on dark web forums as well as conventional social networking platforms and blogs.
These plugins are capable of collecting personal information, intercepting SMS messages, hijacking social media accounts, committing ad and click fraud, and manipulating site traffic. One of the plugins gives customers complete control over a device for up to five minutes, allowing them to use it as a “exit node,” as The Register points out.
The sources for this piece include an article in TechRadar.
