The FBI Issued a Warning About This Malware That's Infecting Millions of Devices
1 min read
Summary
Badbox 2.0 malware targets internet-connected devices in homes, including smart TVs, streaming boxes and IoT devices, as well as projectors, tablets and more.
It’s often preloaded onto inexpensive hardware, and can provide backdoor access to the device, stealing data and being hard to remove.
The FBI recently issued a warning about it and revealed that most devices are preinfected with malware at the point of sale, mostly coming from China.
Cybercriminal gangs gain unauthorised access to home networks by preconfiguring the product with malicious software before purchase, or by infecting the device when it downloads required applications that contain backdoors.
This malware can carry out various attacks, including programmatic ad fraud, click fraud, stealing OTPs and distributing malware, all while remaining undetected on the compromised device.
To check if a device is affected, users should check the model against a list of infected devices, and then review all internet-connected devices for suspicious app marketplaces and unexpected changes.
Removing Badbox 2.0 is difficult and involves flashing a new, clean firmware, or in some cases, ditching the infected device.
