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[Q] With new Android 4.3 Security features, is an av still needed?

On the Android site, they said that 4.3 checks every app you install by a blacklist maintained by Google and that each app is sandboxed. Do you guys think an AV is still necessary?

bump

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2226733
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2186782
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2041991
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1624199
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917990
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2254029
and so on...:good:

Bump

TimeAndroid said:
On the Android site, they said that 4.3 checks every app you install by a blacklist maintained by Google and that each app is sandboxed. Do you guys think an AV is still necessary?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on how much you care about security. There has been several virus on Android, but most of the thing comes from Android applications. A Virus can come from an image, email attachment or anything else shared. But the question would more be: Who use Android for its security? There are much better operating systems for security maniacs.
I suppose that you mean AV for Anti-virus. Some apps claim to be anti-virus, but they are not at all. It's more of analyzing app behavior and permissions than virus registries.
I personally do not use Anti-Virus because I do nothing really sensitive. I don't even care if my android device is turned unto zombie bitcoin machine for others

etiennep said:
It really depends on how much you care about security. There has been several virus on Android, but most of the thing comes from Android applications. A Virus can come from an image, email attachment or anything else shared. But the question would more be: Who use Android for its security? There are much better operating systems for security maniacs.
I suppose that you mean AV for Anti-virus. Some apps claim to be anti-virus, but they are not at all. It's more of analyzing app behavior and permissions than virus registries.
I personally do not use Anti-Virus because I do nothing really sensitive. I don't even care if my android device is turned unto zombie bitcoin machine for others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not have anything sensitive
I do not open emails on my phone
I do not download apps 3 stars and below
Am I safe? :fingers-crossed:

I think u still need a good antivirus
Security is weak in Android but it can be achieved
If u dnt sidelode app
Dnt Root ur phon
Use a AV
If u do
Then after rooting
it is always unsecure
Thank you for helping me

Security Issues. a must see and read

Okay so ive been battling this for sometime. I'm starting to get a little more knowledgeable but still don't know what to do with all this.I experienced this first back in 2015 then I completely made a switch. Well now I'm back to same issues.
The problems I'm experiencing is it's happening on all the devices I have. The phone I'm on now bought brand new from metropcs. and not even a day 30minutes later I get an update for the phone. I new not to install or download. But it inventively did. Now it's sitting on my storage wanting me to move files to root.
LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR. NON OF MY DEVICES ARE ROOTED.
to make this short. My devices seem to have a Bluetooth admin. And connects to any Bluetooth device without me knowing.
So far from what I see chromium and stage fright is a big part of what I'm seeing.
I'm attaching some pictures to give more detail look. And it's not just my Android devices it's my Xbox one S as well.
looking to completely remove. I'm not trying to waste money on switching networks or completly going Mia.
Fast responses please.
Sincerly,
-Desperate androidian

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Okay so ive been battling this for sometime. I'm starting to get a little more knowledgeable but still don't know what to do with all this.I experienced this first back in 2015 then I completely made a switch. Well now I'm back to same issues.
The problems I'm experiencing is it's happening on all the devices I have. The phone I'm on now bought brand new from metropcs. and not even a day 30minutes later I get an update for the phone. I new not to install or download. But it inventively did. Now it's sitting on my storage wanting me to move files to root.
LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR. NON OF MY DEVICES ARE ROOTED.
to make this short. My devices seem to have a Bluetooth admin. And connects to any Bluetooth device without me knowing.
So far from what I see chromium and stage fright is a big part of what I'm seeing.
I'm attaching some pictures to give more detail look. And it's not just my Android devices it's my Xbox one S as well.
looking to completely remove. I'm not trying to waste money on switching networks or completly going Mia.
Fast responses please.
Sincerly,
-Desperate androidian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Android community isn't what it used to be that's for sure. No help, no suggestions. Just nothing.

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Okay so ive been battling this for sometime. I'm starting to get a little more knowledgeable but still don't know what to do with all this.I experienced this first back in 2015 then I completely made a switch. Well now I'm back to same issues.
The problems I'm experiencing is it's happening on all the devices I have. The phone I'm on now bought brand new from metropcs. and not even a day 30minutes later I get an update for the phone. I new not to install or download. But it inventively did. Now it's sitting on my storage wanting me to move files to root.
LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR. NON OF MY DEVICES ARE ROOTED.
to make this short. My devices seem to have a Bluetooth admin. And connects to any Bluetooth device without me knowing.
So far from what I see chromium and stage fright is a big part of what I'm seeing.
I'm attaching some pictures to give more detail look. And it's not just my Android devices it's my Xbox one S as well.
looking to completely remove. I'm not trying to waste money on switching networks or completly going Mia.
Fast responses please.
Sincerly,
-Desperate androidian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm no expert but I'm struggling to see your exact issue you seem to think you have, is it just t your Bluetooth is switching on. All those licences, security certs, file locations etc look normal to me (without checking numbers or being able to compare to same phone os etc) though I have disabled many of those certs eg the Turkish ones etc & my Bluetooth files are different but I can find ref hill those locations online eg Xieomi phones
You appear to have a ZTE, please give model number and current OS & rev (must be stock I suppose). ZTE was found with a backdoor in older phones, sending data to China, so it's possible, & some Chinese phones also update their apps without notification. But as you say your whole network appears compromised so the source may be something else, like your router/modem, or Bluetooth as you think (though some apps require Bluetooth admin permission legitimately, you can disable it as an Admin). Tell us what behaviors you are seeing that you believe are malicious. New phone update soon after you turn on is quite common, as I'm sure you know.
When I had a quick look at your log it did have a lot of activity going to the US DOD, would you expect this, as well as the usual google & Facebook connections. Though (perhaps) strangely also to a server from a small marketing company here in Australia, but I'm no expert even if I looked at your log line by line I wouldn't understand it all.
Ref his other post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/security/security-global-family-credientals-t3665851
Things to try. Run a reputable antivirus. Boot into safe mode, so only system apps run, is it still happening? Can you turn off anything that is listed as a device admin? Try run a root checker app. Even if it all comes back negative you may still have a problem as a port may already have been opened and malicious app self deleted or something. Use an app like Fing to see if any device you don't recognise are connected to your network.
You may be able to block some activity if it's not going through root with a firewall eg NetGuard no root firewall, start with everything blocked.
Above are just some general hints, without knowing specifics I can only suggest you backup any stuff you want to keep then factory reset everything & change ALL passwords to strong ones (no good just adding a number on the end of your old ones!), better still reflash all firmware (updates if available) to overwrite everything. This incl your internet access points eg router, and only reconnect to the net/networks after you have done them all (one at a time preferably then you may be able to identify source of problems)
That turned out a lot longer than I intended!

IronRoo said:
I'm no expert but I'm struggling to see your exact issue you seem to think you have, is it just t your Bluetooth is switching on. All those licences, security certs, file locations etc look normal to me (without checking numbers or being able to compare to same phone os etc) though I have disabled many of those certs eg the Turkish ones etc & my Bluetooth files are different but I can find ref hill those locations online eg Xieomi phones
You appear to have a ZTE, please give model number and current OS & rev (must be stock I suppose). ZTE was found with a backdoor in older phones, sending data to China, so it's possible, & some Chinese phones also update their apps without notification. But as you say your whole network appears compromised so the source may be something else, like your router/modem, or Bluetooth as you think (though some apps require Bluetooth admin permission legitimately, you can disable it as an Admin). Tell us what behaviors you are seeing that you believe are malicious. New phone update soon after you turn on is quite common, as I'm sure you know.
When I had a quick look at your log it did have a lot of activity going to the US DOD, would you expect this, as well as the usual google & Facebook connections. Though (perhaps) strangely also to a server from a small marketing company here in Australia, but I'm no expert even if I looked at your log line by line I wouldn't understand it all.
Things to try. Run a reputable antivirus. Boot into safe mode, so only system apps run, is it still happening? Can you turn off anything that is listed as a device admin? Try run a root checker app. Even if it all comes back negative you may still have a problem as a port may already have been opened and malicious app self deleted or something. Use an app like Fing to see if any device you don't recognise are connected to your network.
You may be able to block some activity if it's not going through root with a firewall eg NetGuard no root firewall, start with everything blocked.
Above are just some general hints, without knowing specifics I can only suggest you backup any stuff you want to keep then factory reset everything & change ALL passwords to strong ones (no good just adding a number on the end of your old ones!), better still reflash all firmware (updates if available) to overwrite everything. This incl your internet access points eg router, and only reconnect to the net/networks after you have done them all (one at a time preferably then you may be able to identify source of problems)
That turned out a lot longer than I intended!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank-you. Now for a better visual. There's to many apps.
And if u can give me links to apps that will help.
And on my oneplus one the Bluetooth thing says :1002 sharing or midi or something.

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Thank-you. Now for a better visual. There's to many apps.
And if u can give me links to apps that will help.
And on my oneplus one the Bluetooth thing says :1002 sharing or midi or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And code.auroa? What is this

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Thank-you. Now for a better visual. There's to many apps.
And if u can give me links to apps that will help.
And on my oneplus one the Bluetooth thing says :1002 sharing or midi or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have that phone so can't really tell what is a suspect app or not, especially just from screen shots.
Here use this app to run on demand scans against the virustotal database (this is not an "antivirus app" like Avast so offers no protection, it only scans apps on demand, so you should run a good antivirus also)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.funnycat.virustotal
it should flag any suspect apps and you can submit any unknown ones you are worried about.
---------- Post added at 05:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:02 AM ----------
BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
And code.auroa? What is this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
edit: not Firefox then.
org.codeaurora.bluetooth is a legit part of Bluetooth .... Well unless it's flagged by virustotal then it probably is a malicious app just given a common name to try and hide

IronRoo said:
I don't have that phone so can't really tell what is a suspect app or not, especially just from screen shots.
Here use this app to run on demand scans against the virustotal database (this is not an "antivirus app" like Avast so offers no protection)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.funnycat.virustotal
it should flag any suspect apps and you can submit any unknown ones you are worried about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay but what is provisioning? Code auroa smartcard services googleplay for instance apps and
And IV never encrypted this phone.

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Okay but what is provisioning? Code auroa smartcard services googleplay for instance apps and
And IV never encrypted this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And alot of the overlay apps n simtoolkit are all questionmarked

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
And alot of the overlay apps n simtoolkit are all questionmarked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ser my edit above re aurora
sometimes virustotal will have 2 or 3 antiivirus companies flag a file, these are probably false positives so probably nothing to worry about (though could just be a new submission, other companies should soon update if real malicious code, check back in a day or two). If lots of companies flag an apk then you haven a problem.
It looks like you have a problem whit overlays (unless it's an app your phone company installs for that function, not sure what you mean). You should install a proper antivirus app like Avast, malwarebytes etc as a first step, hopefully it can remove malicious apk
---------- Post added at 05:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 AM ----------
BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
And IV never encrypted this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't matter, encrypting phone only protects unauthorised access to your data. Once it is unlocked anyone can view your stuff. And once a malicious app is on your system it can shall read all your data even if you had encrypted it as it's unencrypted when you use it

IronRoo said:
ser my edit above re aurora
sometimes virustotal will have 2 or 3 antiivirus companies flag a file, these are probably false positives so probably nothing to worry about (though could just be a new submission, other companies should soon update if real malicious code, check back in a day or two). If lots of companies flag an apk then you haven a problem.
It looks like you have a problem whit overlays (unless it's an app your phone company installs for that function). You should install a proper antivirus app like Avast, malwarebytes etc as a first step, hopefully it can remove malicious apk
---------- Post added at 05:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 AM ----------
Doesn't matter, encrypting phone only protects unauthorised access to your data. Once it is unlocked anyone can view your stuff. And once a malicious app is on your system it can shall read all your data even if you had encrypted it as it's unencrypted when you use it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay so now I'm trying to post screenshots of when I'm connected to wifi and it's not letting me
Pairwise cyphers and
Group cyphers
Sim_num
?

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
And alot of the overlay apps n simtoolkit are all questionmarked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tap those with question marks to submit to virustotal for analysis

IronRoo said:
Tap those with question marks to submit to virustotal for analysis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/sys/fs/selinux/class/appletalk_socket/perms
Not suspious?

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
/sys/fs/selinux/class/appletalk_socket/perms
Not suspious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I'm not stupid, this is facts. I just need defined and solution!!!

No these are normal library files. Stagefright "the malicious exploits" were called this as it was the stagefright framework it exploited. Everyone has these files, here are mine below.
You need to use tools like antivirus to identify bad files but even that is no guarantee as there is the possibility the original malicious file could have self deleted and, for example, just left open ports which would not be found as a "virus" but still allow remote access to your device.
If you cannot identify the actual exploit on your phone then the best solution is probably to just reflash the stock rom as this will wipe & overwrite everything. But if a malicious file is left on your SD card or another networked device you could soon be infected/compromised again. That is why I said before if you can't identify the source of your infection you really need to factory reset or reinstall all OS on all devices affected including your home router etc (or maybe it's your work or public network) and change all passwords.

IronRoo said:
No these are normal library files. Stagefright "the malicious exploits" were called this as it was the stagefright framework it exploited. Everyone has these files, here are mine below.
You need to use tools like antivirus to identify bad files but even that is no guarantee as there is the possibility the original malicious file could have self deleted and, for example, just left open ports which would not be found as a "virus" but still allow remote access to your device.
If you cannot identify the actual exploit on your phone then the best solution is probably to just reflash the stock rom as this will wipe & overwrite everything. But if a malicious file is left on your SD card or another networked device you could soon be infected/compromised again. That is why I said before if you can't identify the source of your infection you really need to factory reset or reinstall all OS on all devices affected including your home router etc (or maybe it's your work or public network) and change all passwords.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on a video bridge network I got the direct TV setup with 2 wireless setups. Both secure from what I know.

BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
Pairwise cyphers and
Group cyphers
Sim_num
?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are for encryption of your connection, not your phone
BLEEDCOLORYOU said:
I'm on a video bridge network I got the direct TV setup with 2 wireless setups. Both secure from what I know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm no coding/security guru, but I have worked on telecoms, military electronics, etc but my coding & network security knowledge is limited.
I would run this app Fing to check your local network, are there any unknown devices connected?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.overlook.android.fing
note: this only finds currently connected devices, so you'd want to do this several times & especially when you see suspect behavior.
Also check for open ports, easiest way is probably this site, it will scan the first 1000 ports or so (select all)
https://www.grc.com/
go to shields up
but you really need to scan ALL possible ports with a tool like Zenmap (for PC) if you think you are compromised
https://nmap.org/zenmap/
However it's not clear to me if you ever installed a proper antivirus and whether it found and deleted anything? Virustotal seemed to find some suspect apks, I had a quick look at Trendmicro database but it didn't list details of the one it found in your screenshot, but the fact some of those antivirus companies called the suspect apk names with "joke" in it may suggest it's just a joke app your mate has installed, though probably not a joke app if your other devices are really also compromised, from memory there is also real malware with that name which may be able to infect other devices. Running a proper antivirus should easily find and clean any "joke" app on your phone & hopefully any real malware. If you've done this and still seeing indications you are compromised then do what I suggested above. (Also repeat malware checks on other devices and removable storage media)
You should also log into your router as admin and check settings, are you using a secure router password? Is firmware up to date. Is firewall set up correctly? Also close any open ports that you don't use. Turn off remote admin, if router has it. Etc etc what do your router logs show (turn on more detailed logging if necessary) Factory reset or reinstall firmware if you think changes have been made to your router by someone else.

Hi I am having same issues. Exact same behaviors regardless of new phones new carrier and all accounts being unconnected in name. Google etc. This is extreme. Its via bluetooth I agree something with esims or virtual sims for use of wifi access and or signal piracy for media. The DOD files are also something I am familier with seeing. Code Aurora was also a govt project way back. Its Interesting thst I have Verizon files loading on at & t phones and sprint loading on Verizon. Whatever this is has managed to infiltrate my computers as well. Its relentless. Its impressive and sophisticated. Please please help.

Spidder77 said:
Hi I am having same issues. Exact same behaviors regardless of new phones new carrier and all accounts being unconnected in name. Google etc. This is extreme. Its via bluetooth I agree something with esims or virtual sims for use of wifi access and or signal piracy for media. The DOD files are also something I am familier with seeing. Code Aurora was also a govt project way back. Its Interesting thst I have Verizon files loading on at & t phones and sprint loading on Verizon. Whatever this is has managed to infiltrate my computers as well. Its relentless. Its impressive and sophisticated. Please please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issmy ues. Did anyone ever resolve or figure out what is happening? I think I'm under investigation by the DOD and they own my devices. My uploads/downloads are blocked, internet searches filtered, pics/screenshots of evidence deleted off my phone, etc.

[Doogee Shoot 1 ] App Android "Chromes". what's it? [TRIADA Malware]

Dear friends,
i am struggling with a strange APP named "Chromes". It seems to be undocumented (i googled a lot).
The only thing i know is that IT INSTALLS ALONE without any visibile message. After a Factory reset i found it (AGAIN) in the phone.
I couldn't SEEK what / when / Who installs it in my phone.
It gains telephone and archive rights without any ask to me.
I also know that my doogee phone suffers of a vulnerability (never closed) by DOOGEE and i don't know if it'd be related with it.
No clue.
Does anyone have had the same experience? Does anyone have EVER seen it?
Let me know please.
Best Regards.
EDIT: ****warning: I remember to everyone that ROOTING/HACKING/INSTALLING a different ROM in your phone may void the warranty AND can potentially BRICK your phone . Do it ONLY IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING . I warned you.*****
edit 13/11/2017 *LIST OF REPORTED DEVICE AFFECTED WITH CHROMES (Malware) app *:
----------------------------------------------
Doogee Shoot 1
Gretel A9
UHANS A101
NOMU S10
Leagoo M8
leagoo M8 pro
----------------------------------------------
Report if you have it. Thank you.

i just found it on my phone too and started googling it.. and yours seem to be the only instance ive found so far.. i dont know what it does or where it comes from.. i can close it from the task manager but itll start itself again 3 processes that itself have about 2-3 services.. mostly ChromesService DaemonService and ChromesService2 the main proces seems to be signed from com.appclone.lyhj the second one doesnt have the daemonService and is signed from com.android.qnsettings and the third one had com.yunshi.market listed. again i dont know there they come from or whats their purpose.. and if they have anything to do with the ad popups i get since a few days now that dont seem to be app related since its the same popups for most apps .. apps that dont have those popups natively like whatsapp or facebook. i have since uninstalled pretty much anything and tried some antivirus but i guess its gonna be rooted and gets a custom rom. it is also a china cell called nomu s20 . after googling a bit it seems there are a lot security problems with my device.
edit: ive found something on this link i cant post because i am not a trusted user yet
also after running kaspersky antivirus it did indeed find something (as opposed to the comodo antivirus that kept silent)
it found Trojan.androidOS.Boogr.gsh as the chromesBase.apk and another one i just deleted without writing the name. it seems though this might be related to the Triada-Virus/trojan .. soo.. yeah it might be a good idea to save your stuff and not only try with a factory reset but completely reinstall the whole rom.
edit2: just deinstalling them hasnt solved anything .. the problem sits way deeper meaning it is definitely related to the triada virus. it just reinstalls the software again without anything showing.
edit3: found it.. it is indeed the triada virus on my phone ..

I have been dealing with that damned "Chromes" app for two or three weeks now (BTW, they appear two of them with the same icon and logo.)
MalwareBytes detects it as malware (Avast sometimes does, sometimes does'nt)
I have trie , for sure , uninstalling (completely unuseful) stopping all the apps I can (seems to have an effect in the reinstalling time ), and also keeping them installed but removing the Phone, Storage and SMS permissions, which, surprisingly, remain removed (until you uninstall the app)
I dealed in the past with the virus app on the Shoot 1 firmware, which turnaround solution (disabling the fake app) worked OK for me. But recently there have not been any fw update, so this time is not the firmware the responsible.
Any hint or help will be greatly appreciated.
¡Cheers!

Hi guys!
I'm having the same problem as you two. I can't believe that Doogee has screwed up on this again... (I also have the shoot 1 [nice screen ]) I'm surprised that, as you said, I've not found anything on the internet about this*. In addition, the application consumes a large amount of mobile data!
I hope there is an update soon, and that the problem is solved
Thank you all for your comments! Greetings from Spain!!
*Well, here they have the same problem
https ://android.stackexchange.com/questions/185520/how-to-get-rid-of-a-malware-app-chromes

Don't wait too much from Doogee. In fact don't wait nothing at all. They didn't solved yet the firmware virus that came with the first OTA update. We're alone...

And your GPS signal how is it going? In my case it does not get fixed to any satellite. Has someone managed to root it successfully? The truth is that I do not understand much about this, that's why I'm a bit afraid to do it.
I found this in a spanish forum, look at the last post (#19). (I think you have to translate it )
http: //ww w.htcmania. com/showthread.php?t=1291106
Summing up a bit, he says that Doogee sells mobiles with malware in the system. The fact is that they do it conscientiously. And then put a "solution", which is to install a firewall, so that you can control the internet connection of the applications.
Thanks again!

Some updates...
let me give you some updates :
1) the Shoot 1 phone is not easy to root with standard tools (kingroot & others: i tried a lot of them);
1) i successfully installed twrp with the FLASHTOOL and a specific recovery image TWRP + SU (if needed i can help about it);
2) I backupped everything (included malware of course) just to be sure i could go back in case of brick;
*** 3) I downloaded and installed the FANTASTIC lineage OS without any STUPID bloatware. ***
My phone is secure and fast NOW.
i warmly RECOMMEND all of you to root and update to lineage OS 7.1.2 (ver 14). Thankx to the lineage team! **they deserve a donation!!****
* about Shoot1 GPS *
i still didn't test it with the new LINEAGE and i will update you
Before i discovered the malware inside the GPS was not fixing correctly and in general not working like my previous LG or HTC
I was using an external BLUETOOTH antenna by using a middleware driver named Bluetooth GPS. Once you configured the driveer it works like a charm with tomtom and all GPS software ( i tested a lot). The external GPS solution lets the phone cold and free to charge during long gps travel session.
I will test anyway with the internal GPS again with the new LINEAGE ROM.
For any test or info write here and send me a PV message.
UPDATE: the lineage team is releasing the version 15 (development) with OREO. Anyway i will not install it soon. I am SOOOO SOLID now!

jmam said:
Any hint or help will be greatly appreciated.
¡Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately you can't get rid of it. No one knows if there is another fake app or background service that loads it again. It seems to appear (after a factory reset) some days later (i.e. just the time to download from whoknowswhere).
The fact is that I CAN'T TRUST ANYMORE the Doogee and the entire ROM so i warmly suggest you to ROOT (via TWRP + SU) , backup all, and install a LINEAGE fresh n° 14 release for shoot 1.
i did it and it worked like a charm.

Chromes
I have phone that is not rooted or changed firmware. Antivirus said that i have chomes and facebook apps that are not safe, but i do not have facebook installed. I tried factory reseting the phone twice, but it still comes back....

Have got the same "Chromes" problem on Gretel A9 mobile. Not rooted, only used Google Playstore for few apps. So frustrated and so little information on how to solve it for a non techie like me. Tried to contact Gretel who never reply. Still under an AliExpress warranty but not sure if malware stuff is covered. Needrom have the official stock rom for the A9. Do I have to root the phone to reinstall a clean stock rom? Can anyone point me to instructions on how to replace the stock rom? Thanks for any help.

I am really sorry to say that. The SUPPORT from some of these Chinese Supplier is really poor. I can't help you with your GRETEL . Please search on this XDA forum is anyone can do .
Root it and install a reliable distro. Be careful: when you root your phone you loose your WARRANTY and (sometime) some functions of your phone is not available or not available at 100%.
Custom ROMs should be considered ALWAYS as "bleeding" and "in development".
As i said i will never buy anymore low cost China phones DUE to this lack of support and this (unbelievable) disattention to release malwared firmware.

Deki-bg said:
I have phone that is not rooted or changed firmware. Antivirus said that i have chomes and facebook apps that are not safe, but i do not have facebook installed. I tried factory reseting the phone twice, but it still comes back....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I struggled a lot to remove it with normal antivirus and antimalware.
It seems to BE NOT POSSIBLE without a rooted phone.
In my phone there were 2 problems:
1) the malware CHROMES
2) the injected system library (dunno what it does).
So , once i removed the CHROMES %$£"%$£% app....i could not know if it was related (or somehow connected) with the malware injected system library. So i couldn't trust anymore that factory o.s. and i replaced it with LINEAGE (atm something not working 100% like GPS) but at least it's clean and works.
I hope LINEAGE could support more chinaphones to get rid of the buggy malwared firmware from Doogee, Gretel and others Chinamakers

UHANS A101 affected as well!
CHROMES and
fake FACEBOOK app

garibald75 said:
I am really sorry to say that. The SUPPORT from some of these Chinese Supplier is really poor. I can't help you with your GRETEL . Please search on this XDA forum is anyone can do .
Root it and install a reliable distro. Be careful: when you root your phone you loose your WARRANTY and (sometime) some functions of your phone is not available or not available at 100%.
Custom ROMs should be considered ALWAYS as "bleeding" and "in development".
As i said i will never buy anymore low cost China phones DUE to this lack of support and this (unbelievable) disattention to release malwared firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
Do warranties usually cover an infected Rom (I'd need to send it to a Poland service centre)
Is it hard to flash a new clean stock rom over an infected stock rom?

owlsman said:
Thanks for the reply.
Do warranties usually cover an infected Rom (I'd need to send it to a Poland service centre)
Is it hard to flash a new clean stock rom over an infected stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can't ROOT it, try to open RMA or open a ticket, try (at least). I hope we can MOUNT CASE and create a bit of hype around this CRAZY THINGS .
In my case it doesn worth. The DOOGEE has a really poor website and we yellew there a lot about this malware.
No way to return. IT doesn't worth.
However tell them and try to have it swapped.

Hey guys, I just got the apk. If a dev can make it "peaceful", I will really appreciate that. Just rename the chromes(blablabla).txt to chromes(blablabla).apk

jimmy1235 said:
Hey guys, I just got the apk. If a dev can make it "peaceful", I will really appreciate that. Just rename the chromes(blablabla).txt to chromes(blablabla).apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WARNING for all the users: THIS APK IS FOR DEVELOPERS. This apk CONTAINS a malware. it's *ONLY* FOR RESEARCH purposes. so Don't try to install it!!

the really interesting THING would be to know if it RECALLS some system service or other RESIDENT modules to complete the cleaning and to allow US to use the original firmware again.
Let's see if anyone can help us.

Well... This is getting REALLY deeply...
https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/triada-trojan/11481/

i tested KAV and other antivirus and malware removal tools.
KAV was not able to remove and to detect it.
the 1st (maybe not the only one) that warned me has been DR WEB ANTIVIRUS and it (also) couldn't remove it without rooting.
It's impossibile, though, to know WHAT / WHICH process is linked in memory or injected in the original ROM since the Chinese CRAPPYPHONES are full of bloatware and "weirdware" .
The trust is ZERO for them ATM.

Trojan infected recovery phone partition

Hi,
I'm new to XDA. I think I'm in the right forum for my issue. My phone was infected with what I think is a type of auto rooting trojan. I was looking for info on an app I'm using called Duraspeed. I came across this website that started throwing popups at me saying my phone had tons of viruses, which was a lie. By the time I could break free from the drive by attacks, it was too late. I started getting sluggish performance on my phone and popup ads randomly. Even though it somehow gained root access, my phone is not rooted. Never was. Its still not! Because I checked with several apps off the playstore to confirm this. Long story short:
It put a file called "ads_popup-release.apk"
in my root folder /system/priv-app/
And modified a file called "8e710bb7.0"
in root folder /system/etc/security/cacerts/
or put (installed) the file there I'm not sure.
The file running on the phone as a system app is called "ad_surface"
I can only force stop and disable ad_surface without the ability to uninstall. I have to repeat this process every time I reboot. This stops the ads from popping up. Funny thing is, even though the force stop button in app settings is greyed meaning it was stopped and disabled, my OS Monitor app that shows running processes shows ad_surface is still running. Yet, it does stop the random popup ads by doing it this way. I've tried 360 AV, Avast, AVG, Malwarebytea, Kaspers, stubborn rootkit remover, a lot of antivirus programs but nothing detects it. I'm using Total Commander File Manager to view the device system partitions. I even copied the two trojan files to a folder on the user partition to see if any of the antivirus programs could check them there away from the root areas. But nothing. My guess is that I need to root my phone so I can gain access to the apk file and delete it. I haven't done a factory reset because I realize that apk file is in the recovery partition in order to reinstall itself. I've never rooted a phone before, but I have Kingroot installed. I downloaded it from XDA. I just don't have the guts to use it in fear of bricking. Do you think it would work with my phone? Does it abort the root procedure if it can't do it? Here are my phone specs:
Vortex Beat 8
Software build: 8_V1.5_20171011
Chipset: MT6580M Cortex-A7
CPU Architecture: ARMv7 Processor Rev 3(V71)
Cores: 4 1300MHz
Kernal Version: 3.18.19
Total Ram: 459MB
Internal ROM: 8GB (4GB for user)
That's about it. If there's anything anybody who could recommend how to go about this I would greatly appreciate the help. Thank you...

Go try factory resetting it, doesn't hurt to try.
If the "virus" is still there you can always re-flash the phones os. Here is the link to the stock ROM ---> http://www.needrom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/BEAT-8_V1.06_20170413.rar
The below link is a tutorial on how to flash the phones ROM.
https://www.getdroidtips.com/stock-rom-vortex-beat-8/#How_to_Download_Stock_ROM_on_VORTEX_Beat_8
In mtkdroid tools, Have all the boxes unchecked, and make sure you only have "ANDRIOD" and "RECOVERY" checked marked. The other boxes are just about the phones information and properties. Theses shouldn't be checked because it might erase your imei/drivers or other stuff. After flashing the rom make sure you do a complete factory rest + cache. Erase whatever you have on ur sd cards or micro sd cards.
Just do this and call it a day
Good luck

Cool
Hi, thank you! I will try this. I will have to borrow someone's computer like my nephews. I did try Kingroot and OneClickRoot but they both failed. Perhaps due to a locked bootloader. Or the evil trojan that made itself super user blocking them. I did do a factory reset, but the trojan persist. My mistake was forgetting to turn off unknown sources in security settings. I think that's how it got in... I'll keep checking back on this thread in the meantime to see if someone knows a tool that can kill the trojan, but I doubt it. Cheers!

SecretSociety68 said:
Hi, thank you! I will try this. I will have to borrow someone's computer like my nephews. I did try Kingroot and OneClickRoot but they both failed. Perhaps due to a locked bootloader. Or the evil trojan that made itself super user blocking them. I did do a factory reset, but the trojan persist. My mistake was forgetting to turn off unknown sources in security settings. I think that's how it got in... I'll keep checking back on this thread in the meantime to see if someone knows a tool that can kill the trojan, but I doubt it. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having similar troubles I somehow believe I have an entire infected Network from Windows 10 to iOS and all the cell phones even two 3-g flip even the Smart car has been recognized I communicated with the virus / hacker Network I have no idea how to get rid of it I give his self super user privileges without quite rooting the phone and hides itself in system apps so it's virtually impossible to get rid of at least for me it is I have post here called wading deep Waters please do check it out

sassyfrassy said:
I'm having similar troubles I somehow believe I have an entire infected Network from Windows 10 to iOS and all the cell phones even two 3-g flip even the Smart car has been recognized I communicated with the virus / hacker Network I have no idea how to get rid of it I give his self super user privileges without quite rooting the phone and hides itself in system apps so it's virtually impossible to get rid of at least for me it is I have post here called wading deep Waters please do check it out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't unheard of for a router to get infected with a virus/malware, rare, but not exactly impossible. I've run across others here over the years that have discussed this issue. I don't remember any specifics, tools or methods to fix the issue though, but you can probably find info on removing malware from a router.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
It isn't unheard of for a router to get infected with a virus/malware, rare, but not exactly impossible. I've run across others here over the years that have discussed this issue. I don't remember any specifics, tools or methods to fix the issue though, but you can probably find info on removing malware from a router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your prompt response I'm not positive that the router and modem are infected more or less they are overloaded from the amount of leeches in hitchhiker's I have from this awful network of hackers and code running through my TV's my cars for god sakes I read one of their lauder's I got in somehow and I could see that they were logging how many seconds it took me from getting out of the car to getting in my home that was just one scary example they could tell when my phone was in my pocket and if I was walking and how many people were with me this is just my cell phone not to mention my TV's the laptops I have no idea what to do

sassyfrassy said:
Thank you for your prompt response I'm not positive that the router and modem are infected more or less they are overloaded from the amount of leeches in hitchhiker's I have from this awful network of hackers and code running through my TV's my cars for god sakes I read one of their lauder's I got in somehow and I could see that they were logging how many seconds it took me from getting out of the car to getting in my home that was just one scary example they could tell when my phone was in my pocket and if I was walking and how many people were with me this is just my cell phone not to mention my TV's the laptops I have no idea what to do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds to me like their hold over you has more to do with your personal information than with your devices. With certain pieces of your info, they can gain access to any device that you sign into, login to or even just enter information in while using, even if it isn't yours.
If your network provider randomly cycles IP addresses among its users, it could be that the hacker has previously hijacked that IP address while another user was using it and his access carried over to you when the IP was assigned to you. If this is so, a new IP and changing all of your account info among all of the various accounts you have would cut him off, maybe?
I'm not the best at network security issues that go that deep. My network management/LAN Admin days were a very long time ago, too many things have changed.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
It sounds to me like their hold over you has more to do with your personal information than with your devices. With certain pieces of your info, they can gain access to any device that you sign into, login to or even just enter information in while using, even if it isn't yours.
If your network provider randomly cycles IP addresses among its users, it could be that the hacker has previously hijacked that IP address while another user was using it and his access carried over to you when the IP was assigned to you. If this is so, a new IP and changing all of your account info among all of the various accounts you have would cut him off, maybe?
I'm not the best at network security issues that go that deep. My network management/LAN Admin days were a very long time ago, too many things have changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you I really appreciate you taking the time to think about my situation I have had no one to talk to about this for 2 months

sassyfrassy said:
Thank you I really appreciate you taking the time to think about my situation I have had no one to talk to about this for 2 months
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how much help I'll be to you. I'm no expert in what you're dealing with. I'm just telling you some possibilities that I've seen others dealing with over the years.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
It sounds to me like their hold over you has more to do with your personal information than with your devices. With certain pieces of your info, they can gain access to any device that you sign into, login to or even just enter information in while using, even if it isn't yours.
If your network provider randomly cycles IP addresses among its users, it could be that the hacker has previously hijacked that IP address while another user was using it and his access carried over to you when the IP was assigned to you. If this is so, a new IP and changing all of your account info among all of the various accounts you have would cut him off, maybe?
I'm not the best at network security issues that go that deep. My network management/LAN Admin days were a very long time ago, too many things have changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You hit the nail on the head! Told me "unfortunately we have met"
Sent from my LGE LGL158VL using XDA Labs

SecretSociety68 said:
It put a file called "ads_popup-release.apk"
in my root folder /system/priv-app/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
translation it installed itself to the privilege app section on your phone which does not delete with a reset (new rom does) this also gives the app more power
it can only be done with root so the app rooted your phone (at least temp) here is a app that removes it but it needs root
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.j4velin.systemappmover/
And a system priv app has AFAIK full power however as of Oreo thier is another file to give it permisions so says google https://source.android.com/devices/tech/config/perms-whitelist namely
/etc/permissions/privapp-permissions-OEM_NAME.xml
/etc/permissions/privapp-permissions-DEVICE_NAME.xml
check these files and see what you find
SecretSociety68 said:
And modified a file called "8e710bb7.0"
in root folder /system/etc/security/cacerts/
or put (installed) the file there I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
translation installed a CA certificate that enables them to have a SSL connection or with this certificate can spoof websites
of course this should be deleted but again you will need root (or new Rom)
SecretSociety68 said:
The file running on the phone as a system app is called "ad_surface"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app has to be running with a linux GUID so you can check with that
the apps can not find root this can be because the program used root once to get a elevated status (temporary root) and then does not need it anymore
so you cannot find it. The question still remains how they did that but right now you need to get out.

Waiting for other response. Hehe.

I had this take control of multiple devices and 2 computers. 3 android phones and an apple iphone and 2 windows computers. I countless hours going through logs and data. On my android devices it even made a cloned version of TWRP so it would reinstall itself through recovery. I spent hours on the phone with samsung and apple senior advisors. I viewed the analytic data on the apple device over and over. Extremely werid things were running. Constantly writting system wwrites on a stock apple phone. It was able to transfer from device to device over wifi hotspot. It went on for over two months. I had a roku tv also become monitored. It was the craziest **** ive ever had happen to me. It litterally almost drove me insane and I thought I was going crazy. Ive never seen anything like it. Even google reaults were completely false and fake sites. I disnt know this happened to anyone else. Ive got countless logs and screenshots saved in case I ever needed to share the info. It even remotely sipped my desktop hard drives and had me connecring to a remote server on boot.
---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------
I could make a phone call and hear breathing in the background. Id make a call and touch tone sounds would go off after the first ring. I was getting constant interference through my phone. It connected all my devices to a home group I never created. I literally had to destroy the devices
---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 PM ----------
Applied protocal - makes sense man, in juat glad I got it off my back. On the iphone, when yyou would install a new app from the "app store" it would run a wake up over 4000 times a second to wake up an unknown app in system files . im assuming this was to clone the app or change some code in it when it was installed. The app name was ??? In the analytic logs and it was an "event write system". This was some dirty stuff man. Is this something that is common right now? This exploit across so many devices? Id love to share some of these logs and screenshots if anyone is interested.

SecretSociety68 said:
Hi,
I'm new to XDA. I think I'm in the right forum for my issue. My phone was infected with what I think is a type of auto rooting trojan. I was looking for info on an app I'm using called Duraspeed. I came across this website that started throwing popups at me saying my phone had tons of viruses, which was a lie. By the time I could break free from the drive by attacks, it was too late. I started getting sluggish performance on my phone and popup ads randomly. Even though it somehow gained root access, my phone is not rooted. Never was. Its still not! Because I checked with several apps off the playstore to confirm this. Long story short:
It put a file called "ads_popup-release.apk"
in my root folder /system/priv-app/
And modified a file called "8e710bb7.0"
in root folder /system/etc/security/cacerts/
or put (installed) the file there I'm not sure.
The file running on the phone as a system app is called "ad_surface"
I can only force stop and disable ad_surface without the ability to uninstall. I have to repeat this process every time I reboot. This stops the ads from popping up. Funny thing is, even though the force stop button in app settings is greyed meaning it was stopped and disabled, my OS Monitor app that shows running processes shows ad_surface is still running. Yet, it does stop the random popup ads by doing it this way. I've tried 360 AV, Avast, AVG, Malwarebytea, Kaspers, stubborn rootkit remover, a lot of antivirus programs but nothing detects it. I'm using Total Commander File Manager to view the device system partitions. I even copied the two trojan files to a folder on the user partition to see if any of the antivirus programs could check them there away from the root areas. But nothing. My guess is that I need to root my phone so I can gain access to the apk file and delete it. I haven't done a factory reset because I realize that apk file is in the recovery partition in order to reinstall itself. I've never rooted a phone before, but I have Kingroot installed. I downloaded it from XDA. I just don't have the guts to use it in fear of bricking. Do you think it would work with my phone? Does it abort the root procedure if it can't do it? Here are my phone specs:
Vortex Beat 8
Software build: 8_V1.5_20171011
Chipset: MT6580M Cortex-A7
CPU Architecture: ARMv7 Processor Rev 3(V71)
Cores: 4 1300MHz
Kernal Version: 3.18.19
Total Ram: 459MB
Internal ROM: 8GB (4GB for user)
That's about it. If there's anything anybody who could recommend how to go about this I would greatly appreciate the help. Thank you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely malmare! Mine was called "Ad-Time", like a kid's show or something, but either way, very persistent and pervasive! I have 2 roms, (v 1.5 & 1.6), in img format, easy fastboot flash. Look at this phone wrong and it's rooted. Anybody interested, hit me up, I even got the couple-line script to install SuperSU /system (beat 8 doesn't like Magisk). A simple su.d script to enable permissive selinux, build.prop changes, and you have a $30 Nexus via MTK. I also ported TWRP 3.2.1(no bugs) & Philz, but TWRP is my comfort-zone.
Sent from my ZTE Sapphire 3G using XDA Labs
---------- Post added at 02:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 AM ----------
sameboat said:
I had this take control of multiple devices and 2 computers. 3 android phones and an apple iphone and 2 windows computers. I countless hours going through logs and data. On my android devices it even made a cloned version of TWRP so it would reinstall itself through recovery. I spent hours on the phone with samsung and apple senior advisors. I viewed the analytic data on the apple device over and over. Extremely werid things were running. Constantly writting system wwrites on a stock apple phone. It was able to transfer from device to device over wifi hotspot. It went on for over two months. I had a roku tv also become monitored. It was the craziest **** ive ever had happen to me. It litterally almost drove me insane and I thought I was going crazy. Ive never seen anything like it. Even google reaults were completely false and fake sites. I disnt know this happened to anyone else. Ive got countless logs and screenshots saved in case I ever needed to share the info. It even remotely sipped my desktop hard drives and had me connecring to a remote server on boot.
---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------
I could make a phone call and hear breathing in the background. Id make a call and touch tone sounds would go off after the first ring. I was getting constant interference through my phone. It connected all my devices to a home group I never created. I literally had to destroy the devices
---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 PM ----------
Applied protocal - makes sense man, in juat glad I got it off my back. On the iphone, when yyou would install a new app from the "app store" it would run a wake up over 4000 times a second to wake up an unknown app in system files . im assuming this was to clone the app or change some code in it when it was installed. The app name was ??? In the analytic logs and it was an "event write system". This was some dirty stuff man. Is this something that is common right now? This exploit across so many devices? Id love to share some of these logs and screenshots if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typical Chinese ad/malware/surveillance. If you visit china, you turn over your devices for "inspection", so they can sideload some state-sponsored goodies. A lot of these Chinese roms have the ads baked-in, like mine. Whoever's listening and seeing my pics is gonna need therapy, because I filled the phone up with some STRANGE s*** Remove the apk, but there's several .xml's and .jar's that gotta go, too.
Sent from my ZTE Sapphire 3G using XDA Labs

What is the best way to counter this problem?

Dassote said:
What is the best way to counter this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root, and remove all traces of the " ad_* " app and even the duraspeed app if you want, but I didn't see anything untrustworthy about that. Duraspeed is in the default.prop (running booster), so it's in the kernel. Root uninstall just leaves you no way to control, kuz the PROCESS will go and go, unless you're willing to play with the kernel. Not for amateurs like myself My Beat 8 has been flashed or fastboot-booted more times than I can count. Good times.
Once your Chinese spyware is uninstalled, delete build.prop lines with "running booster", /system/lib's with it, and I think it was in the /system/bin, and /vendor/app had one. Clear them all, and you'll need to tweak the build.prop some more. debug.qemu.kernel=1, ro.secure_storage.support=0, ro.debuggable=1, then reboot AFTER you chmod 644 the build.prop! The "debug.qemu.kernel=1" was what made the rest stick. ADD those props, but don't change the existing ones (kernel). I just deleted the default values, replaced with "" . Fits the whole debug vibe. I should upload a copy of my final build.prop, cheap-a** phone runs like a champ.
Sent from my LG G Stylo using XDA Labs

Possible tampering or what?

Ok. Last year someone was able to tunnel into my network at home. Alot of crazy s*** went down. Long story short, I think there's something fishy going on again.. let me explain.
Everytime I get a new phone, laptop, desktop, etc. I start finding a ridiculous amount of hidden files and folders. The PC side is no longer the issue, now its moved to Android, I think?..
The question I want to know, is how can I compare my what my phone should be installing after a factory reset, file wise? I've looked for a list online to compare with and no luck so far. I also found that there is a partition of the internal storage, completely hidden and inaccessible. Like.. I can't see anything. Add that with permissions being changed randomly so I'm not able to take full control over these pesky little buggers.
In short, I'm either wayyyy to high off that last dab, or my phone is being tampered with. What can I do? Here's what I'm working with.
Samsung A21 (SM-S215DL) using Straight Talk. Attached is a screenshot of the SW mumbo jumbo. I really hope someone can help. TIA!

namdrop22 said:
The question I want to know, is how can I compare my what my phone should be installing after a factory reset, file wise? I've looked for a list online to compare with and no luck so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO nobody can tell you what apps to install after a Factory Reset: it's alone your decision what apps you want to run.

jwoegerbauer said:
IMO nobody can tell you what apps to install after a Factory Reset: it's alone your decision what apps you want to run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no. You're missing the question here.

namdrop22 said:
No no. You're missing the question here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May be.
A Factory Reset doesn't install anything, it wipes all user apps and data. A Factory Reset never touches Android OS itself.

Look at the running apps and services, anything utilizating root or kernel or system privileges will not be in that list unless it's using a app to bootstrap but if you have a weird duplicate system app or an app with a strange name could help you narrow it down. if you have usb debugging enabled you may be able to run a logcat as well to see what messages the system is generating.
Does samsung offer any tools to read the boot log? You might find something In that too. Lastly, well you should do this first, check if there are any exploits or vulnerabilities with your phones software and hardware. Google search " chipset-or-software-name-here + escalate vulnerable cve exploit "
Check past software versions too, you could get hit while the vuln is unknown or lesser known then it patches the manufacturers patches.
Can u elaborate on these file systems or folders you say you have that are invisible?

Unless you loaded malware, a trojan etc on to the phone either in data from the PC, email download, an app you installed or a download from the internet.
Even so it would die with a factory reset... so do another factory reset so if you think so.
Then be careful what you allow into it.
Don't let anyone use your phone or access any of your devices ie flashcards, PC etc.

Run
SafetyNet Test - Apps on Google Play
SafetyNet device compatibility test
play.google.com
to check whether phone's Android got tampered or not