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“Videostrong monetized the backdoor by selling access to criminal affiliates and loading those affiliates’ malware modules onto infected devices,” the company said in the Google Cloud blog post. It also added, “We found this malicious software built directly into many different device models and brands over multiple years, supported by dedicated infrastructure and constantly evolving configurations to evade detection and manage their affiliates. We believe this campaign wasn’t an isolated rogue insider or a development oversight. As a result, Google has cut ties with Videostrong and banned them from making devices with preloaded Google apps.”
There have been supply chain attacks in the past, wherein a third-party compromises a trusted product to steal data, like some Ledger hardware wallets that have been sold by a reseller in Southeast Asia and Europe . Although Google did not characterize this as a supply chain attack, as it was perpetrated by the manufacturer itself and not a third-party operator, it still compromised a supposedly trusted operating system, leading to millions of victims. This incident also shows how even the simplest of devices can be used to execute complicated attacks, like how a Chinese couple hid a PC behind a fridge in a Japanese hotel and targeted 2.4 million victims.
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Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/certified-android-tv-manufacturer-put-unauthorized-backdoor-in-set-top-boxes-google-reveals-oem-sold-access-to-criminal-affiliates-for-1-3-million-devices-used-massive-network-as-botnet-for-ad-fraud-residential-proxy#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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