Clone phones come with malware? (Case: Samsung Galaxy S4 replica)

A recent report from security company G Data has revealed an alarming detail about Chinese mobile clones. It is specifically the Chinese mobile Star N9500, a clone or cheap replica of the Samsung Galaxy S4, said to come with factory installed malware.

G Data would have received negative reports from users about this phone, which is why the firm chose to buy it on one of the web pages that offered this device. After several days of analysis, they confirmed that the device had spyware (a type of malware or malicious software to spy on), installed in the operating system.

This malware remains hidden from users and is not easy to identify because it appears to be camouflaged within the Google Play or Play Store application of the device. According to the report, this spyware or spyware would be embedded in the firmware of the Star N9500 ​​so it cannot be uninstalled by the user.

Regarding what it does, well, it would be able to steal the user’s personal data stored on the device (include here possible credit cards and sensitive information entered on the mobile), intercept calls and emails, and even activate the camera and the computer microphone.

All this spied information is apparently sent to an anonymous Chinese server, through which the installation of other irregular applications on the mobile would also be generated.

The Star N9500 ​​is basically a Chinese clone of the Samsung Galaxy S4, which is currently being marketed in Europe at a price below 200 euros.

The information that G Data has provided on this device indicates that it is a phone without a specific manufacturer’s label (Star is not an identifiable brand). In other words, the exact origin of it is not known, therefore, all those Chinese clones that do not have the guarantee of a brand behind may have these types of problems. Note: established Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, IUNI or Jiayu should not be included here. The latter are brands that really exist and have a reputation to take care of.

It’s certainly not the first time you’ve heard of mobile devices that come with factory-installed malware to spy on users. This has not only happened with these Chinese devices but also with world-renowned brands (let’s not forget the notorious “Carrier IQ” event). Despite this, in the case of Chinese clones, computers without a real brand behind, the danger of information plagiarism and privacy violation is much greater. What is worse, this type of problem cannot be reported as there is no entity that can be held accountable.