A
AC Question
Hi. Sorry if this isn't the correct place for a technical issue, but I was wondering if anyone could help me as I'm not very tech-savvy and I'm having no success finding help with this issue.
I've been experiencing problems with random ads popping up on my phone (a Kazam Tornado 348) every so often, so I downloaded a Malware scanner. The scan flagged up one app detected as malware (PUP.Adware.Gmobi), but attempts to uninstall this app have been unsuccessful. I even went to the last resort of factory resetting my phone, and the app is still present. I'd read something about cheaper phones coming with adware-type apps pre-installed, but wasn't sure as to the legitimacy of this claim as I purchased my phone via my phone provider's official website (Virgin Media).
When I looked at the app info under Settings, it shows up as a 'Software Update' app with a blue icon with a white upwards-pointing arrow on it (I'd attach screenshots, but can't see a facility to do this). A package name of 'com.rock.gota' is displayed, which is meaningless to me, and Googling it seems to bring up mixed results of its significance. The thing that concerns me most is the permissions of this app, as the only permission it has is 'read sensitive log data'. I can't do anything to change this permission, and I'm concerned my security may be being compromised.
I rang the phone provider's customer service, who despite being very polite said they weren't sure what to do, but suggested I update Google Play Store? Which doesn't seem to have done anything to help. I've cleared the cache/data and forced stopped the app, but it seems to sporadically restart itself so I'm having to keep checking it and stopping it again.
I just want to know whether this is normal and the malware scanner is giving me a false positive (neither my antivirus, nor other scanners I've used in an attempt to remove the app have flagged it as problematic), or if not, if there's anything I can do about this that doesn't involve invalidating my warranty (e.g. rooting)?
Any pointers in the right direction would be most appreciated!
I've been experiencing problems with random ads popping up on my phone (a Kazam Tornado 348) every so often, so I downloaded a Malware scanner. The scan flagged up one app detected as malware (PUP.Adware.Gmobi), but attempts to uninstall this app have been unsuccessful. I even went to the last resort of factory resetting my phone, and the app is still present. I'd read something about cheaper phones coming with adware-type apps pre-installed, but wasn't sure as to the legitimacy of this claim as I purchased my phone via my phone provider's official website (Virgin Media).
When I looked at the app info under Settings, it shows up as a 'Software Update' app with a blue icon with a white upwards-pointing arrow on it (I'd attach screenshots, but can't see a facility to do this). A package name of 'com.rock.gota' is displayed, which is meaningless to me, and Googling it seems to bring up mixed results of its significance. The thing that concerns me most is the permissions of this app, as the only permission it has is 'read sensitive log data'. I can't do anything to change this permission, and I'm concerned my security may be being compromised.
I rang the phone provider's customer service, who despite being very polite said they weren't sure what to do, but suggested I update Google Play Store? Which doesn't seem to have done anything to help. I've cleared the cache/data and forced stopped the app, but it seems to sporadically restart itself so I'm having to keep checking it and stopping it again.
I just want to know whether this is normal and the malware scanner is giving me a false positive (neither my antivirus, nor other scanners I've used in an attempt to remove the app have flagged it as problematic), or if not, if there's anything I can do about this that doesn't involve invalidating my warranty (e.g. rooting)?
Any pointers in the right direction would be most appreciated!