Why you should avoid buying Chinese Smartphones? What is Ghostnet? Explained

techytushar (44)in #technology • 7 years ago

Chinese Smartphones have been in the Indian market for a long time. They are cheap, looks exactly like the expensive original models and also feature loaded. "But all that glitters is not gold". After you read this article you will think twice before buying a Chinese Smartphones.

Before we jump on to the topic on Chinese Smartphones let us first understand what is Ghostnet. In 2009 "Information Warfare Monitor" (a group which monitored online activities) discovered that an online spy operation was being conducted online. The victims were mainly the embassies, foreign ministries, government offices, and the Dalai Lama's Tibetan exile centers in India. when the research was done they found out that the command and controls of this operation was based in China. This operation was named Ghostnet. No one knows whether the operator of Ghostnet was a company, or a group of hackers, or the Chinese Government itself.

How this worked -

The operators of the ghostnet sends an anonymous e-mail which contains the malware (RATs and keyloggers to be precise). When this e-mail is opened the malware gets installed on the computer, which gives remote access of that computer to the hacker. Which means they now have total control over that computer. They can see what the person is doing, they can control webcams, install or delete applications etc.

So, now lets see why you should avoid buying Chinese Smartphones -

Waste Of Money - No matter how cheap the smartphone is, most of them do not have any warranty, no customer support, no resale value and no valid company's name. So why to waste money on a box of electronic which runs at God's will, when you can buy a branded smartphone by adding some more money.
Privacy At Risk - It might be the case that the smartphone you buy has the malware already installed on it and once you switch it on, the malware gets activated. Then all the information that you enter in your phone goes to the hacker. If your phone is connected to the internet it might be used as a botnet as well. All these things might end you up in trouble.