Analysis of children’s tablets purchased from Amazon revealed security vulnerabilities, including the presence of dormant malware, an outdated version of the Android operating system, and potentially unwanted pre-loaded programs.
Don’t jump on the first good price products from Amazon. The American media TechCrunch reveals a report published on November 16, on a tablet with malware pre-installed before purchase. The author of the report is none other than the mother of the child who received the product. Alexis Hancock, a cybersecurity researcher, was dubious about the tablet her daughter received for her birthday. The expert decided to take the device, a Dragon Touch KidzPad Y88X, to the laboratory. She discovers many programs that are dangerous for user data.
This tablet is currently still on sale on Amazon.
One of the most worrying aspects revealed by the analysis is the presence of traces of Corejava malware on the tablet. This finding aligns with findings from cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, which previously identified Corejava as malware during an analysis in January. Although the software currently appears to be inactive, it was programmed to send data to dormant servers, raising concerns about malware installation. Hackers can use these flaws to hijack a product or inject other software into the device.
Outdated versions of software
The tablet also came preloaded with Adups, software used for “firmware over the air” updates. Adups has been classified as malware and potentially unwanted software by Malwarebytes due to its ability to automatically download and install new malware from the Internet. This feature poses a risk to user security and privacy.
Finally, the device uses a version of Android that is five years old, which raises security concerns, given that older versions of an operating system can be vulnerable to unsecured security flaws. corrected.
Despite Alexis Hancock’s attempts to report these issues to Dragon Touch, the company has not responded, leaving these security concerns unanswered and unresolved. Amazon listings show over 1,000 reviews for this product, with no way to determine the number of buyers. Amazon spokesperson Adam Montgomery told TechCrunch in an email that the company “ is investigating these allegations and will take appropriate action if necessary “.
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