Do you think we have this malware?

[magichoward]

It would seem if true even Samsung have pre-installed malware. Your thoughts

https://thehackernews.com/2018/03/android-botnet-malware.html?m=1

 

[j_hansen]

I don't find any of the mentioned system files on mine

 

[magichoward]

Even if we don't have it specifically on our phones, it's amazing if Samsung is doing this if true... Maybe it's a sponsored article by Apple?

 

[Gary02468]

It would seem if true even Samsung have pre-installed malware.

That's an irresponsible, unsupported claim by the "Hacker News" article you link to. The actual security report by Check Point Research merely speculates that the malware may possibly have been pre-installed on some devices. They further speculate that if the malware is getting installed before purchase, it may possibly be by a Chinese company that covers regional sales of various phones, including Samsung. There is no report that any Samsung devices have the malware, and no finding (just a guess) that any devices (by any manufacturer) have the malware pre-installed.

 

[magichoward]

Sorry I thought hacker news was a reliable source... It quoted

Security researchers have discovered a massive continuously growing malware campaign that has already infected nearly 5 million mobile devices worldwide.

Dubbed RottenSys , the malware that disguised as a 'System Wi-Fi service' app came pre-installed on millions of brand new smartphones manufactured by Honor, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Samsung and GIONEE—added somewhere along the supply chain.

 

[103Softail]

Is it already April 1st?

 

[Gary02468]

Sorry I thought hacker news was a reliable source.

It's seldom advisable to rely on a third-party's interpretation when the original source is just as readily available. Third-party versions often turn out to be wrong, as in this case--and each repetition by another article introduces further errors.

 

[magichoward]

https://blog.checkpoint.com/2017/03/10/preinstalled-malware-targeting-mobile-users/

 

[Gary02468]

https://blog.checkpoint.com/2017/03/10/preinstalled-malware-targeting-mobile-users/

That's interesting. Thanks for the link. But that year-old Check Point blog post is referring to different malware from the main focus of your Hacker News article, which links instead to this recent Check Point report (which refers to pre-installation as just a speculation, not a finding):
https://research.checkpoint.com/rottensys-not-secure-wi-fi-service/

(The Hacker News article does, toward the end, make passing reference to the year-ago supply-chain infection as well.)

In any case, both reports agree that the malware is not included in the actual Samsung ROM (though a regional distributor in China may have installed it prior to selling it there); and neither post names the Note8 as an affected device. So we ourselves have nothing to worry about.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Even if we don't have it specifically on our phones, it's amazing if Samsung is doing this if true... Maybe it's a sponsored article by Apple?

Sorry I thought hacker news was a reliable source... It quoted

Security researchers have discovered a massive continuously growing malware campaign that has already infected nearly 5 million mobile devices worldwide.

Dubbed RottenSys , the malware that disguised as a 'System Wi-Fi service' app came pre-installed on millions of brand new smartphones manufactured by Honor, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Samsung and GIONEE—added somewhere along the supply chain.

Yes. But it says it's being installed by a seller within the supply chain. Not at the Samsung plants. I would suspect that the PRC is behind it.

 

[chanchan05]

Considering all items listed are the major Chinese brands and the Samsung China distribution, it's presumably one of the things PRC does to watch its people. I'd think it goes worldwide thanks to gray imports and international markets for those brands.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Considering all items listed are the major Chinese brands and the Samsung China distribution, it's presumably one of the things PRC does to watch its people. I'd think it goes worldwide thanks to gray imports and international markets for those brands.

Which is a VERY scary thought.

 

[magichoward]

Considering all items listed are the major Chinese brands and the Samsung China distribution, it's presumably one of the things PRC does to watch its people. I'd think it goes worldwide thanks to gray imports and international markets for those brands.

So are iphones effected based on this?

 

[anon(7901790)]

So are iphones effected based on this?

Not sure, probably not. Apple is pretty strict with its supply chain. Although, I wouldn't it out completely. No OS is full proof.

 

[Gayle Lynn]

Sounds like related to one if the many ways Slingshot embedded itself often using WiFi hotspots around the Mideast https://www.cyberscoop.com/kaspersky-slingshot-isis-operation-socom-five-eyes/