These TV devices, manufactured in China, come preloaded with the malware before they reach resellers.
You can identify these boxes by their modified user interface, which differs from the one mandated by Google for all official 'Android TV' or 'Google TV' devices.Ĭan access your home networkCybersecurity firm Human Security has unveiled new details about the extent of the malware botnet that fuels a network of fraudulent schemes. To be clear: These boxes run AOSP (Android Open Source Project), not Google's certified 'Android TV' or 'Google TV' such as Chromecast and Nvidia Shield, and that's the problem – the open nature of AOSP. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, according to a report from Wired this week. In September, another malware botnet was discovered. The situation first came to the public's attention in in May 2023, when a warning was issued that popular Chinese Android TV boxes come preloaded with malware.
The scale of malware in Chinese Android TV boxes is worse than feared, with over 20 million devices believed to be infected and capable of accessing users' home networks.
