Pre-installed malware discovered on Alcatel smartphones

While manufacturers often include pre-installed apps on their devices, Upstream recently discovered that Alcatel smartphones came bundled with a suspicious app from TCL. The app in question, “Weather Forecast – World Accurate Radar”, was found on the company’s Pixi 4 and A3 Max devices. However, instead of just providing users with weather forecasts and local weather alerts, it was actually found to behave like a typical malicious app.

TechRadar Pro spoke with Upstream’s CEO Guy Krief to learn how the company discovered the malicious app and the ways in which it was found to be secretly collecting user data.

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