New Android malware can survive factory reset

Malware has always been a constant threat to our smartphones. Ways to deal with many, but even for the most persistent, we could always resort to resetting the factory settings. But that’s not the case with xHelper , a new type of malware that we can’t remove from our phone, even with a factory reset.

So malware can’t be removed from the phone even by restoring the factory settings, and so far antivirus doesn’t seem to work. Symantec and Malwarebytes believe this application is so persistent because of a system application that has been compromised. So when factory settings are reset and only system applications are installed, even if the malware has been removed, the system application will reinstall it.

There is currently no solution for xHelper. Fortunately, all it is designed to do is display pop-up ads, but there is a dangerous feature of it according to ZDNet , which appears to be able to download and install applications without your approval.

To date, 45,000 devices have been infected, with approximately 130 victims per day. Most infected devices are located in India, Russia and the USA. According to Malwarebytes, most infections occur through sites that offer unofficial Android apps outside the Play Store.