A CHEAP smartphone may seem tempting to buy, but it could come with serious risks that are better to avoid.
It has been highlighted that cheap devices usually come with a catch and are not worth saving a few bucks.
The cheap devices can sometimes not have an official name or brand and are dubbed “no-name Android devices.”
The expensive mistake was brought to light by tech expert and cybersecurity company Kaspersky on the hidden risks of cheap Android devices.
The cheap devices will claim to offer the same specs at a fraction of the price, but this also means less official security is needed in its creation.
“Buying a cheap Android device can be an expensive mistake if it fails to perform its primary function or happens to be infected with viruses right out of the box,” Kaspersky said.
No-name Android devices can come with pre-installed malware.
It is unclear exactly when the malware is installed.
It could be by cyber criminals who happen to get their hands on the devices somehow or could get installed directly at a malicious/incautious factory.
It could happen on the way to the store or manufacturers could be carelessly using firmware from third parties that have trojans.
The issue is that these trojans are difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove, Kaspersky explained.
But when the trojan is present, the hacker has full access to the device and its data.
This includes information like intercepting passwords, messages, bank card numbers, authentication codes, and geolocation data.
Or any other useful information passing through the infected device.
A pre-infected device may also show tons of ads that the cybercriminals are trying to make money off of.
The ads can show up as pop-ups and also be excessive.
The device gets overwhelmed by the excessive ads and the result is slower operation and a full memory.
Cybercriminals can also run proxies on an infected device which allows them to pretend to be the owner of the device.
Lastly, they can create fake WhatsApp or Gmail accounts from the device and create an array of issues that lead the device owner to deal with anti-spam restrictions and blocks.
