Shibai: New Clipper malware pre-installed on Mobile Phones Targeting Crypto User

[DYING_S0UL]

To be honest, Chinese phones aren't that bad. They do an excellent job delivering performance and providing a good overall experience without much deterioration. I'm speaking from experience. But, when it comes to privacy, I'm not sure, I don't trust any of them. This is why I've always preferred custom ROMs, where I have full control.
~snip~

I can also conclude the same from personal experience, as someone who has been using one of the Chinese manufacturer's premium smartphones for many years. Even though that smartphone no longer gets updates, it still works perfectly like on the first day, and even though I try to choose a new one that is not from a Chinese manufacturer, I have to admit that it is a difficult mission.

What some may forget when buying a smartphone that is not a Chinese brand is that most smartphones are manufactured in China, except perhaps Samsung smartphones, for which until a few years ago the company claimed that it did not have a factory in China. The fact is that everyone is spying on us, from smartphones, computers to smart TVs, which we have already become accustomed to.

As for the risks associated with storing cryptocurrencies, smartphones have never been recommended for this purpose, and if you are already storing something on them, then do not store more than you can afford to lose at any moment.

People keep saying "cheap Chinese phones, cheap Chinese phones," referring to Chinese phones as bad. But I don't think that's the case. In fact, they provide decent phones with beast performance! Yes, they have cheap labor and cheap parts! But that doesn't make their phones typically bad. All cheap phones are bad, it doesn't matter where they were manufactured. I just talked with a friend regarding pc parts and now facebook is showing me pc ads! Lol..

Mine stopped giving updates years ago. AFAIK, the last official update was for Android 11 or something. But with the power of custom ROMs, I have taken it to Android 15 with the security patch up to March 2025. Can you believe that? This is what I like about some Chinese phone manufacturing companies. They give you total access to your phone. It's not like iPhone, where you cannot change anything or it's closed source. Mess with your device, open it wide, the manufacturer won't even care!

Anyway, back to the topic! As the old man always said, it's better to use a hardware wallet than smartphones to store crypto. For me, normally, I don't spend much or have much, that's why I'm using my wallet on my mobile. Even if I get compromised (which i never did), I won't be losing much anyway!

[PrivacyG]

People keep saying "cheap Chinese phones, cheap Chinese phones," referring to Chinese phones as bad. But I don't think that's the case. In fact, they provide decent phones with beast performance! Yes, they have cheap labor and cheap parts! But that doesn't make their phones typically bad.

Running from Chinese products is almost impossible these days.  You can not run from something that has currently dominated all of the industries.  I mean you can, but you will need a LOT of money on your hands to spend.  Particularly in this age where trends change even from one week to another, including technology.  What do you purchase, an iPhone that is designed in California?  All other 'good' brands come from China or other countries with cheap labor.

All phones are bad in my opinion if we are talking about spyware, but purchasing a no brand device and installing banking or Cryptocurrency software on it lacks all sense in my mind.  It is the perfect recipe to get scammed quickly.

[DYING_S0UL]

People keep saying "cheap Chinese phones, cheap Chinese phones," referring to Chinese phones as bad. But I don't think that's the case. In fact, they provide decent phones with beast performance! Yes, they have cheap labor and cheap parts! But that doesn't make their phones typically bad.

Running from Chinese products is almost impossible these days.  You can not run from something that has currently dominated all of the industries.  I mean you can, but you will need a LOT of money on your hands to spend.  Particularly in this age where trends change even from one week to another, including technology.  What do you purchase, an iPhone that is designed in California?  All other 'good' brands come from China or other countries with cheap labor.

All phones are bad in my opinion if we are talking about spyware, but purchasing a no brand device and installing banking or Cryptocurrency software on it lacks all sense in my mind.  It is the perfect recipe to get scammed quickly.

To be honest, I don't think I have seen anything that is not from China! Literally, everything is made in China! Even many luxurious brands exploit China for its cheap labor and other facilities!

Regarding no brand phones, I have heard that people can purchase a smartphone for just 20 dollars in the US! I surely wouldn't trust these cheap phones for anything!

Not saying iPhones are the best in terms of security, and I still don't trust them because they are closed source. However, if a person cannot afford phones like that, my suggestion would be to choose a brand that allows the bootloader to be unlocked and has custom ROM support! This way, he can get rid of all stock features and choose a ROM to his liking. Imo, this would allow him to use any wallets without worrying about built in spywares!

[Lucius]

~snip~
Anyway, back to the topic! As the old man always said, it's better to use a hardware wallet than smartphones to store crypto. For me, normally, I don't spend much or have much, that's why I'm using my wallet on my mobile. Even if I get compromised (which i never did), I won't be losing much anyway!

There is some truth in that - but the question arises, can we blindly trust every HW that exists on the market today? Of course the answer is negative, because I personally have very little confidence in any HW that is not fully air-gapped. People who own cryptocurrencies (even significant amounts) still avoid everything that seems complicated to them, regardless of the risks they may be aware of.

I think everyone should be guided by a very simple thought - owning cryptocurrencies is not literally just about their safe storage, but also in a way a competition with all those who are trying to take them away from us. Staying one step ahead of hackers is always a challenge, but I accepted it a long time ago.

[Outhue]

The price we pay for buying cheap and used products from China, nothing good ever comes from buying cheap products especially phones, some might even be used in a crime and tracking the phone will be the first priority, let's be very careful out there.

At first I thought this malware is from the original brands because I am still trying to buy a latest Samsung phone but on the other part I am used to storing my crypto in a hardware wallet any day.

If you are using a hardware wallet you won't fall for this scam because all you will probably do with the phonw is scan QR codes for transaction instead of copy and paste.

[NotATether]

One thing that is not mentioned in the OP is that many of the Android keyboards e.g Samsung keyboard automatically saves your items inside a clipboard that's publicly accessible by default. In fact it doesn't even encrypt passwords or clear the clipboard history. So it's a very dangerous method of obtaining passwords without needing to create a keylogger.