According to researchers at Kaspersky, 14.8 percent of Android users who were targeted with mobile malware or adware last year were left with permanent and undeletable files. This is called a system partition infection, and the undeletable files can range from trojans that can install and run apps without the user’s knowledge to less threatening advertising apps.
The research also found that most devices harbor pre-installed default applications that are also undeletable, affecting one to five percent of users with low-cost devices. Kaspersky stated that infection can either happen when the threat actor gains root access on a device and installs adware in the system partition, or the bug is in the firmware of the device before the consumer purchases it. The latter scenario can lead to more severe consequences, such as a data compromise of a user’s device.
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