Millions of cheap Android TV boxes come pre-infected with botnet malware
If you’re still using an older Android TV device that you bought from Amazon, it might be time to upgrade to one of the best streaming devices. Back in May, we reported about a wave of malware that was being used to infect budget Android TV boxes — now it appears that a second botnet has been discovered on some of the same devices.
The Android TV devices in question are made by AllWinner and RockChip, two Chinese-based companies that have hundreds of '5-star reviews' on Amazon. Those devices can be used for launching “powerful DDoS attacks” or will secretly download a clickbot that will click on ads in the background to commit ad fraud for the device’s manufacturer.
According to Russian IT-security solutions vendor Dr. WEB, the malware on the device can be acquired in one of two ways — it’s either put there via a firmware update from the manufacturers or can be a side-effect of downloading third-party streaming apps that promise free content.
