“In total the researchers confirmed eight devices with backdoors installed—seven TV boxes, the T95, T95Z, T95MAX, X88, Q9, X12PLUS, and MXQ Pro 5G, and a tablet J5-W. (Some of these have also been identified by other security researchers looking into the issue in recent months).”
edit this is the v4 of the title of this post. I’m not accustomed to editorializing or de-editorializing posts. I believe that the brand names involved were fairly trivial to the discussion of escalating malware cyberoperations especially if they are state sponsored. Earlier versions of the title were mischiefously incendiary. I apologize for that.
Clarifying “Android” here feels misleading. Sure, they’re all Android devices, but they’re not what people think of when they think of Android devices. And they’re also unlikely to be the ones most people buy.
You could also say “cheap Chinese TV boxes” and it’d still be accurate, and the devices people would think of would be more closely related to the actual devices in question.
This has basically nothing to do with Android. You might as well say “plastic TV boxes” at that point.
agreed! what a pointless inclusion of Android in the headline. clearly trying to paint a bad picture for them
I agree with you that it’s misleading, but the app was in the playstore and I think that’s what they’re referring to. Google says they weren’t certified which means they weren’t tested and they were removed. I agree that it’s still clickbait though.
Thats what the title was for the last couple posts for this article, “cheap android TV boxes” instead android itself.
Thank you. I was not aware of that. I don’t really know how to check to see if a link has been posted before. I would like to avoid reposting. 'sure would be nice if a veteran citizen of Leamington could explain it. I have re- re-titled the title in light of your comment.
I respectfully disagree. Ars Technica is not known for being a clickbait site. They are merely stating what platform(s) the malware runs on. It’s not an Android hit piece, and it’s not clickbait, it’s just a warning about buying cheap Chinese electronics that have access to your Wi-Fi.
That’s a Wired article though, they sometimes run those too and the quality of them, at least from my perspective, is dubious.
I suppose that clarifying it as ‘uncertified open source Android’ would be more appropriate.
Not at all for anybody who knows “Android TV” is an operating system.
You could also say “Wrzldrmpft with BBQ sauce”.
Android TV is installed on TVs, projectors, small boxes, big boxes, round boxes, triangled boxes, californian boxes, chinese boxes…