Android devices already come with preinstalled malware virus !

Android devices already come with preinstalled malware virus !

Probably if you are planning to change your old android phone with a new one  or  first time buying a new phone , then it is probably better to choose a handset which runs on  the latest stock Android operating system. While many may argue that stock Android OS should no longer be considered as a deciding factor while buying phones, Google thinks otherwise.

What is stock Android?

            We might have  all heard about "Stock Android" before, but mightn't have clear cut idea about it. Stock Android, also known by some as vanilla or pure Android, is the most basic version of the OS designed and developed by Google. It’s an unmodified version of Android, meaning device manufacturers have installed it as it is.

            Android is an open-source operating system, which means companies can customize,as they want. They do so by adding what’s known as a custom skin or user interface on top of the OS, which changes its look and feel as well as adds new features. These skins include Samsung Experience, HTC Sense, EMUI (Huawei), and OxygenOS (OnePlus), to name a few.

Advantages of  "Stock Android" !

The devices running on " stock Android" receives pretty fast android updates. Smartphones running it are among the first to get upgraded to the latest versions of OS,the other devices gets updates quite later.. That’s because the manufacturers have to modify and customize a lot of the original android software before they can release it.

      Another advantage is , Stock Android typically takes less space on your memory.Stock Android doesn't come with preinstalled apps.Mobile Manufacturers release the device with preinstalled apps, which user many a times doesn't even need and unnecessary.Worst thing is you can't possibly uninstall those unnecessary apps.

Check Motorola Moto One-runs on "Stock android"

More on pre-installed malwares...

At the recent Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Google Project Zero security researcher Maddie Stone made a shocking revelation. The security researcher revealed that “millions of new Android smartphones” already come with dangerous malware pre-installed in them, according to a report by Forbes. For those unaware, the Project Zero team is Google’s elite team of bug hunters. The scary bit is that these malware may not even be traced by regular users because there are no signs or app icons as such.
Why Mobile Android mobile manufacturers pre-installl malwares!
                       With reducing  costs of Android phones and the competition in the budget phone segment, lesser known brands might simply see this as a money making opportunity. Also, this model suits the creators of malware as instead of publishing malicious apps and waiting for people to fall victim to it, “the benefit of supply chain compromise is that they only have to convince one company to include their app, rather than thousands of users,” Stone was quoted in the report.
If you think this problem has to do with a limited number of Android phones then you are completely wrong. Google claimes that more than 200 Android brands have actually allowed malware to be pre-installed and even let the devices prone to remote hacking. Stone further claimed that around 100 to 400 apps come pre-installed in Android phones-- some visible, some not.

Stone revealed that the most common malware attacks were Chamois and Triada. While Chamois sends text messages from the phone to earn revenue for the creators Triada allows installation of apps in the background. The security researcher further claimed that between March 2018 and 2019, Google had to fight Chamois infection in 7.4 million Android phones and within a year Google could bring down the number of Chamois infected devices to 7,00,000.