The Pandora Backdoor Trojan can infiltrate your Android TV Box and cause it to participate in massive hacks, among other risks.
Malware, like the security mechanisms of electronic devices, It evolves over time to adapt and find cracks in which to act. Spain is a country that is increasingly aware of computer security, but even so, many users can be affected by the type of virus that infiltrates devices.
Now, malware has been discovered that affects Android TV Boxes, the multimedia devices thanks to which the operating system can be used on traditional televisions. Her name is Pandora Backdoor, and it is an evolution of another type of malicious software called Mirai, and in just a few months it has been detected more than 30,000 times, and in some cases also on Android phones.
Its great danger is that this type of virus can carry out certain actions without the user knowing, so it can be difficult to stop them if the user themselves does not know that their device is infected. These actions can include using the device in a cyber attack, sending sensitive data, and even installing other types of malware.
Some Android TVs are in danger
Typically, the transmission of this type of malware occurs when a user downloads an application from a source outside of Google Play. Many times, the apps that hide this type of surprise are apparently normal, promising to be able to access content such as television shows or movies for free.
This adds to some security deficiencies that, according to the security company, ESET, exist on some cheap Android TV devices. The lack of care taken by some manufacturers in this regard means that some devices, including home automation devices, may be more exposed.
In the case of devices with Android TV, the best prevention to avoid this type of malicious content is Do not download applications from sources external to the official Google Play store. And unless the store in question passes rigorous security tests on the apps it offers, you cannot know if they are reliable or not.
It is also advisable to be wary if, after installing one of these apps, it begins to ask for permissions that, a priori, are not necessary to run a content app on streaming. If you are not sure if Pandora Backdoor is present on a device with Android TV, you can try downloading an antivirus app that analyzes the internal memory to detect and eliminate it.
