It's an open secret that Chinese companies can not be trusted on quality and security issues. But there's a limit you would expect them to go. It does however, seems like they are ready to descend to the lowest hell if that would make profit for them.

At a time when America is mobilising the West not to use China-linked companies in 5G network, and banning Chinese tech like Tiktok, one would expect them to be more accountable. Apparently, they are turning to Africa to continue with their nefarious activities.

Only God knows how many companies are engaged in many of the evils China is exporting.

Malware which signed users up to subscription services without their permission has been found on thousands of mobiles sold in Africa.

Anti-fraud firm Upstream found the malicious code on 53,000 Tecno handsets, sold in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa.

Manufacturer Transsion told Buzzfeed it was installed in the supply chain without its knowledge.

Upstream said it was taking advantage of the "most vulnerable".

"The fact that the malware arrives pre-installed on handsets that are bought in their millions by typically low-income households tells you everything you need to know about what the industry is currently up against," said Geoffrey Cleaves, head of Upstream's Secure-D platform.

The Triada malware found by the firm on the Android smartphones installs malicious code known as xHelper which then finds subscription services and submits fraudulent requests on behalf of users, doing so invisibly and without the user's knowledge.

If the request is successful, it consumes pre-paid airtime, the only way to pay for digital services in many developing countries.

In total, Upstream found what it described as "suspicious activity" on more than 200,000 Tecno smartphones.

According to research firm IDC, Transsion Holdings is one of China's leading phone manufacturers and in Africa it is the top-selling mobile manufacturer.

In response Tecno Mobile said that the issue was "an old and solved mobile security issue globally" to which it issued a fix in March 2018.

"For current W2 consumers that are potentially facing Triada issues now, they are highly recommended to download the over-the-air fix through their phone for installation or contact Tecno's after-sales service support for assistance in any questions," the firm told the BBC in a statement.

It added that it is attached "great importance to consumers' data security and product safety".

"Every single software installed on each device runs through a series of rigorous security checks, such as our own security scan platform," it added.
Common problem

At the beginning of the year, security firm Malwarebytes warned that similar pre-installed apps were found on another Chinese Android phone - the UMX U686CL. This handset was offered to low-income families in the US via a government scheme.

And in 2016, researcher Ryan Johnson found that more than 700 million Android smartphones had malware installed.

Google, which developed the Android operating system, is aware of the issue.

In a blog written last year it blamed third-party vendors, used by manufacturers to install features such as face unlock, for pre-installing Triada malware.

It said it had worked with manufacturers to remove the threat from devices

.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53903436.

Nawa ooo,

What is wrong with the Chinese na?

Xiaomi is very much guilty of this shît, they took close to 5h from me, every time I change my sim something would just pop up and next thing I know 50 naira gone (a service to verify mi message I think) i had to disable some system app from getting sms permission

Too bad

I think that is why the ones that can afford it sticks with iPhone and Samsung.
Those things are not found in Nigeria because the government doesn't care about the citizens and the manufacturers know that everything goes so far they have settled the necessary people.

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Transsion holdings

Lol

Sha make dem dey spy and steal info.

Cheap phones users do not even understand malwares

tecno and its brothers are guilty of this.

Chinese tufia

Checking...

This is not new

Most of our BTS, Swithes , Routers and NOC equiptment are either Huawei or ZTE.

These companies have have uor information aan data.

By now we should know that China is heading for the next world power, just a matter of time they will have that power. For a long time the western countries have dominated the world.

Africa is the dinner table, its China time to feed, feed well on Africa China.

Chinese people will produce something at a relatively cheap price for you, then go ahead to clone your products only to come and be dragging prospective customers with you by offering the same products at a comparatively lesser selling price to the one you are offering which they created for you in the first place



Those people business practices is anyhow

Thank God I don't use Tecno. Very soon I'll stop using Chinese branded devices altogether

Damnnnnn niggarrr
You see why i will always recommend Samsung, iPhone and Nokia anyday anytime twice on Tuesday

I think the niggarrr above has something better to say

. oohh there was a country.

Lots of African countries have complained about this

I'm surprise we are just hearing about it in Nigeria

I don't understand why the Chinese are like this

This is the price you pay if you dont manufacture your own technologies. I thought some people were saying USA was hating on china when they banned Hauwei.

SPYWARES were also found in the African Union building that the Chinese built for Africans.

This is the classic Greek gift.

Even tho, I don’t use them china phones.. I always knew face unlock is definitely one coded tools for these folks.. I’ve never used it even on iPhone..

The best way to lock and unlock your phone is either via password or pin. Even finger prints, I don’t trust em.

This is another reason why people should desist from taking their naked pictures..

China nah one evil country. But I love the fact that they’re displaying the disadvantages of technology to the whole world..

Phones are not just called mobile phones anymore but smart phone.. It means you gotta be smart with whatever you wanna do with your phone!!

Wish Black berry and Nokia fit comes back to market.

All of them do this certainly

not lie
you'll get a phone
it'll popping up ads like crazy
downloading and installing strange apps and woe betide you if you load airtime it'll be sending sms till your airtime finish.
if you don't know how to root then you're stucked

i can never leave Samsung again even though stock android is the best but I love one UI 2.0

Tecno..... Yes to that one..

Shitty tecno must be there

Bye

this shouldn't be a surprise na....ALL Chinese phones come with spyware and malwares