Security company: Hackers are selling counterfeit phones pre installed with cryptocurrency to steal malicious software

According to Cointelegraph, cybersecurity company Kaspersky has discovered that thousands of counterfeit Android smartphones sold online are pre installed with malicious software aimed at stealing cryptocurrency and other sensitive data. These low-priced Android devices are filled with a variant of the Triada Trojan virus, which can infect all processes and give attackers "almost complete control" of the device. Once an attacker accesses a device through this Trojan virus, they can replace the wallet address to steal cryptocurrency. In addition, the virus can also steal user account information and intercept sending and receiving SMS, including two factor authentication SMS. As of now, there have been 2600 confirmed cases of infection related to this scam in different countries, with the majority of Russian users being targeted in the first three months of 2025. To avoid becoming a victim of such scams, the best practice is to only purchase equipment from legitimate dealers and install security solutions immediately after purchase.