Re:Preinstalled malware on low-cost phones stealing data and...
by yorwba on Wednesday August 26, 2020 @05:31AM
(#24280746)
> Fraudulent transactions and charges to their prepaid airtime
I sure hope Yelp doesn't do that. In countries without sufficient traditional banking infrastructure, prepaid phone balances become a substitute to bank accounts. According to the Upstream Systems report you yourself linked, the malware wasn't just using the phone's data allowance, but actively attempting to subscribe to digital services which get billed to the user's prepaid balance. That's equivalent to signing up to services with the user's credit card.
I sure hope Yelp doesn't do that. In countries without sufficient traditional banking infrastructure, prepaid phone balances become a substitute to bank accounts. According to the Upstream Systems report you yourself linked, the malware wasn't just using the phone's data allowance, but actively attempting to subscribe to digital services which get billed to the user's prepaid balance. That's equivalent to signing up to services with the user's credit card.