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A comment on Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartphone sold in the US.

Re:Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartph... by JohnFen on Friday January 10, 2020 @05:59PM (#22016547)
In my opinion, the prevalence of software that I consider to be malware has become so extreme that I don't consider any smartphone to be safe enough to use anymore.

Although I'm marginally OK with my current one (an antique that I have a google-free ROM and a lot of security installed on), it will probably die within the next couple of years. At or (hopefully) before that time, I'll have completed my move out of smartphones entirely.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartph... by makerofspoons on Friday January 10, 2020 @06:06PM (#22016587)
The PinePhone will be launching soon, and you could install any flavor of mobile Linux you want if you are still interested in owning a smart phone: https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartph... by JohnFen on Friday January 10, 2020 @06:18PM (#22016661)
Yes, I've already investigated the PinePhone. I have nothing against it -- there are a great many things about it that are wonderful -- but I don't find it particularly appealing on the whole.

My escape plan is to use the dumbest feature phone I can find and also carry a pocket computer (running standard Linux) that lacks cell capability.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartph... by spurgu on Friday January 10, 2020 @06:28PM (#22016722)
Why not combine those two into a Cosmo Communicator or its predecessor Gemini PDA?

I'd love to get a Cosmo but I'd hate to carry it around everywhere due to its bulkiness. I guess that might be your concern as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Unremovable malware found preinstalled on low-end smartph... by JohnFen on Friday January 10, 2020 @07:36PM (#22017095)
Yes, it's much too bulky. I've also become very fond of the idea of keeping my compute and my cell physically separate. That's not really necessary from a security perspective as long as I can install my own copy of Linux on it, but the idea gives me warm fuzzies.
[ Parent | on HN ]