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Police disrupt backdoor network infecting over 1.3 million Android devices
Security firms and Japan’s National Police Agency disrupted XCPE, a backdoor operation that infected more than 1.3 million Android devices worldwide. Google says Shenzhen-based Videostrong Technology intentionally built and embedded the backdoor in device firmware for financial gain, allowing criminals to use customers’ internet connections to conceal malicious traffic.
The coalition included Google, Lumen, Human Security, Plume, Synthient and TrendAI, which also disrupted domains used to control the malware. TrendAI recorded more than 3.8 million distinct home and mobile IP addresses connected to the operation between 3 June and 1 October; Google says cutting off affiliate control domains could also sever access to at least 10 million other compromised devices. Google has ended ties with Videostrong and barred it from making devices with preloaded Google apps.
In short
- XCPE infected more than 1.3 million Android devices.
- Google says Videostrong embedded the backdoor for profit.
- Disrupted control domains may affect millions more devices.
Explained simply
A backdoor is hidden software that can let someone access a device or use it without the owner’s knowledge. Android is the operating system used by many phones, televisions and other connected devices. If the software is built into a device’s firmware, it may be present before the device reaches its buyer.
Videostrong Technology is a Shenzhen-based company that makes Android devices. Google says the company deliberately included the backdoor to make money, allowing criminals to route activity through customers’ internet connections and disguise where it came from. Security firms and Japan’s National Police Agency worked to disrupt the network and the online addresses used to control it.
The operation matters because infected devices can be misused without their owners knowing, and the scale reported suggests the effects may reach well beyond individual users. Google has ended its relationship with Videostrong and barred it from making devices with Google apps pre-installed.
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Originally published by The Register as “Cops bust botnet of 1.3M infected Android TV boxes”.