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spyware on phone that wont go away..please can someone help??

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nick_htid

Newbie
not sure if i am posting this in the right place as i am new to this forum but really need help with my phone. ok so i have just bought a samsung galaxy s 2 brilliant phone love it. last week i recieved a spam text message and went to delete it but opened it by mistake. i started getting my internet lights flashing on a wierd times like during calls and when sending and recieving texts. took it to the phone shop and they flashed the memory and reinstalled android. still got internet lights flashing at wierd times and started hearing a strange clicking sound on certain calls which can only be heard on my phone and not on the other end. got told to do factory reset. which i have done. now my credit is dissapearing started with
 
This sounds horrible. You cant locate any unrecognized files from your file manager? is your phone rooted? or unrooted? You did receive this install from an unknown sms message? That is so easy to pick up a bug that way, now I must be careful not to click on sms messages unless i know the source.

Ive been careful not to open emails from unrecognized senders but never had an unknown sms yet, but must be dilligent!

maldroid.jpg
 
yes it is horrible. i have been on phone to o2 today and they have told me there is alot of data been uploaded to a company called mx telecom but i have not yet give this number out to people or posted it on the internet the only way i can see they have got me new number is either off my phone or google account. so i am now really confident that there is spyware on my phone. as for the rooted or unrooted not even sure what rooting is so wouldnt know just need to know how to get rid of this stuff so i can get my phone back.
 
Wow, it does indeed. Do you suppose you should go ahead and get a new device? Shut down the current Google account and everything associated with it even apps you
 
There is very little chance that spyware would survive a full factory reset. I'd look for other vectors, especially since you changed your mobile number. I am wondering if they were somehow able to activate another device using your Google account. Have you changed the password?
 
You will not get a virus from opening an email or sms this isn't Windows.

For reference my "Internet lights" flash often aswell it's apps using data in the background.


How much data do you get from your network? If you're using more data than they gave you it could be eating into your credit. It's easy to use allot of data on these phones I've used about 1.4gb already this month. You need to stop things automatically syncing if you want to cut the data usage.


A virus would have to be installed by you and you would have to accept the permissions for it to install,a factory reset would have got rid anything bad on the phone.


Edit - Normally if you text stop too them numbers they will stop sending the messages.
 
getting a new device is easier said than done when the o2 shop arent interested and dont want to beleieve a word im saying. i am going to get rid of my google account and open a new one up. i have looked on google and found this article which might be what the problem is. not sure if i can post links to so i will post it in here instead. this is the article copied and pasted and i am printing it out and taking it to o2 shop see what the say about it.

[FONT=&quot]Spy program snoops on cell phones[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]New software that hides on cell phones and captures call logs and text messages is being sold as a way to monitor kids and spouses. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

The software captures call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity, among other things.The software can root a bug into the phone so that even if the factory data reset function is used the spyware remains on the phone and can keep monitoring the user
 
nick_htid said:
getting a new device is easier said than done when the o2 shop arent interested and dont want to beleieve a word im saying. i am going to get rid of my google account and open a new one up. i have looked on google and found this article which might be what the problem is. not sure if i can post links to so i will post it in here instead. this is the article copied and pasted and i am printing it out and taking it to o2 shop see what the say about it.

[FONT=&quot]Spy program snoops on cell phones[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]New software that hides on cell phones and captures call logs and text messages is being sold as a way to monitor kids and spouses. [/FONT]

The software captures call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity, among other things.The software can root a bug into the phone so that even if the factory data reset function is used the spyware remains on the phone and can keep monitoring the user’s activity. The company behind the bug can then use the information gathered to send premium rate sms messages to the user costing $ 4.79 and taking it off the user’s monthly calls. The bug can also work on prepay cell phones and deducts the amount off the balance of the phone. This also gives them access to take money off the phone whenever they like. The software has been traced by three different mobile security companies and is quickly becoming a widespread problem on the Android platform. Users can get this bug on their cell by opening an sms message from a seemingly innocent number once the message has been opened the bug roots itself onto the phone and spies on activity. Mobile security firm Lookout have identified this bug as a spyware which has been distributed in sms, picture messages and emails by a company known as MX Telecom LTD. They send messages under different names such as FreeFun4All and MobileFreeFun. The best advice if you get this bug is to take you phone to the shop you bought it from and get them to wipe the memory and reinstall the OS. Because the bug is rooted this is the only way to get rid of it says a member of the Lookout Mobile Security Team. As spyware becomes an ever growing problem for Android users, users of such phones are being advised to be extra vigilant when using phones running Android. The bug seems to be hitting only Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. There is no sign of this bug for Apple IPhone yet but Lookout say they have uncovered a form of the bug for Blackberry. It is important to get this bug off as soon as possible as left on the cell can actually damage internal components of the phone.
Click to expand...



Have you got a link to that article please?
 
Lunatic's (love that screen name!) got a good point , so does Casual Pete! I wonder if some new method exists now thats causing your prob.

What is your plan at this point? Seem like you've tried several options thus far and you are still having the bug? Hopefully taking the article with you will persuade them to swap out your phone if they can fully clean it.

(Lunatic, you got runnerup in a contest)
 
no i didnt back anything up and its good job to if lunatics right they mite have access to me google account aswell. i will create a new one i think and start all over again. luckely i havent bought any apps off android market all i installed was facebook, twitter, lookout mobile security free version and angry birds.
 
nick_htid said:
no i didnt back anything up and its good job to if lunatics right they mite have access to me google account aswell. i will create a new one i think and start all over again. luckely i havent bought any apps off android market all i installed was facebook, twitter, lookout mobile security free version and angry birds.
Click to expand...


do you hve any privacy info in your facebook or twitter accounts? for example,ive seen persons post their cellualar and email addresses publicly in facebook.. Curious to why this sort of info has never been hacked...

Do you suppose maybe that either of these apps could be hacked and feeding info also to some rogue server? (just a wild guess)....
 
not sure but i did hear that facebook started selling people phone numbers to third parties not sure how true it is or if that is how these people got my number to send this text but whatever it is has come from that message and not an app i've downloaded i am always careful with downloading apps as i have had problems with programs containing viruses and spyware on computers before so i always read reviews and google the app and makers of the app before downloading.
 
We do have dodgy outfits here in the states. You think you've ordered a ringtone and you get billed 9.99 per month. I think they can also do this with a text message.

Changing phone # and customer service should help with that - a factory reset would do nothing since the text is tied to your account. Your account doesn't start over with a reset.

If you are pay as you go, this would eat into credit. Other apps like Facebook can run at all times looking for updates to your page and eat into data.
 
ye just hope having the memory flashed and the os reinstalled will end the problem. obviously will create a new google account for android market and get onto o2 to see if they can block suspicious text messages. and will get a new sim and phone number.
 
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