US government-funded phones come with pre-installed malware

Researchers at Malwarebytes have uncovered malware pre-installed on phones offered under the US government-funded Lifeline Assistance program. Assurance Wireless by Virgin Mobile offers the UMX U686CL phone as their most budget-friendly option at only $35 under the scheme. However, users are getting more than they bargained for. An app called Wireless Update is designed to update the phone's OS but can also install other apps without consent. The app is a variant of Adups, created by a China-based company caught collecting user data, creating backdoors for mobile devices and, yes, developing auto-installers. Unfortunately this isn't the only problem. The device's… [Continue Reading]