China is currently the country with the largest number of Android mobile devices, but a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the Trinity College of Dublin revealed that top-of-the-line Android devices sold in the country are shipped with spyware.
The boffins used static and dynamic code analysis techniques to study the data transmitted by the preinstalled system apps on Android smartphones from three of the most popular vendors in China, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Oppo Realme. The experts discovered several system, vendor and third-party apps with dangerous privileges.
The apps were designed to exfiltrate user and device information in a stealthy way, including system info, geolocation, user profile, social relationships, and call history.
The smartphones analyzed by the r researchers were observed sending data to the device vendor and the Chinese mobile network operators (e.g., China Mobile and China Unicom), even though they do not provide any service to the device (i.e. the SIM card is not present in the phone or if the SIM card used was provided by a different operator in China or in the UK).
This malicious software puts users’ privacy at risk, it could be used to spy on users and unmasking of their identities.
The experts pointed out that also users that leave the country are exposed to surveillance, through the pre-installed software.
