• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 

U.S. CISA urges to immediately patch Microsoft SharePoint flaw adding it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Microsoft issues emergency patches for SharePoint zero-days exploited in "ToolShell" attacks

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Hacking
  • Internet of Things
  • Malware
  • Security
  • T95 Android TV Box sold on Amazon hides sophisticated malware

T95 Android TV Box sold on Amazon hides sophisticated malware

Pierluigi Paganini January 16, 2023

Expert discovered that the T95 Android TV box, available for sale on Amazon and AliExpress, came with sophisticated pre-installed malware.

Security researcher, Daniel Milisic, discovered that the T95 Android TV box he purchased on Amazon was infected with sophisticated pre-installed malware.

Android TV box

This Android TV box model is available on Amazon and AliExpress for as low as $40.

The device came with Android 10 (with working Play store) and an Allwinner H616 processor. Milisic discovered pre-loaded malware into its firmware.

Milisic purchased the T95 Android TV box to run Pi-hole, which is a Linux network-level advertisement and Internet tracker blocking application.

After running the Pi-hole he noticed that the box was reaching addresses associated with malware campaigns.

Android TV box 2

“After searching unsuccessfully for a clean ROM, I set out to remove the malware in a last-ditch effort to make the T95 useful. I found layers on top of layers of malware using tcpflow and nethogs to monitor traffic and traced it back to the offending process/APK which I then removed from the ROM.” the expert wrote on Reddit.

“The final bit of malware I could not track down injects the system_server process and looks to be deeply-baked into the ROM. It’s pretty sophisticated malware, resembling CopyCatin the way it operates. It’s not found by any of the AV products I tried — If anyone can offer guidance on how to find these hooks into system_server please let me know here or via PM.”

The device uses an Android 10 operating system that was signed with test keys. The expert also discovered that it had the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) reachable through the Ethernet port.

The malicious code embedded in the firmware of the device acts like the Android CopyCat malware. The experts pointed out that all the AV products he tested were not able to detect the threat.

Milisic also devised a trick to block the malware using the Pi-hole to change the DNS of the command and control server, YCXRL.COM to 127.0.0.2.

He also created an iptables rule to redirect all DNS to the Pi-hole as the malware/virus/whatever will use external DNS if it can’t resolve.

“By doing this, the C&C server ends up hitting the Pi-hole webserver instead of sending my logins, passwords, and other PII to a Linode in Singapore (currently 139.162.57.135 at time of writing).” continues the expert.

Watch out, the solution proposed by Milisic doesn’t remove the malicious code or disable it, it just neutralizes it interfering with its operations.

In order to determine if s T95 Android TV Box has been infected, the researcher recommends checking the presence of a folder named:

/data/system/Corejava

and a file named

/data/system/shared_prefs/open_preference.xml?

Milisic was not able to test other devices from the same vendor or model to determine if their firmware was infected too.

“Don’t trust cheap Android boxes on AliExpress or Amazon that have firmware signed with test keys. They are stealing your data and (unless you can watch DNS logs) do so without a trace!” Milisic concludes.

Below are the cleanup instructions provided by the researcher on GitHub:

  • Reboot into recovery to reset the device or use the Reset option in the ‘about’ menu to Factory Reset the T95
  • When device comes back online, connect to adb via USB A-to-A cable or WiFi/Ethernet
  • Run the script (WiP!)

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

[adrotate banner=”9″][adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, malware)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

Hacking hacking news information security news IT Information Security malware Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News T95 Android TV Box

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

    Intelligence / July 25, 2025

    Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

    Malware / July 25, 2025

    Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT