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Some months ago, I purchased an Azumi cell phone from an official store in a shopping mall in Mexico and subsequently discovered its firmware contains a ton of malware. The malware connects with a server in China and downloads a load of malicious apps which then launch automatically and eventually render the phone so slow as to be unusable.

I have just done a factory reset for the fifth time and expect it to run smoothly for a few weeks until the problems return. I tried installing a new ROM but it did not resolve the problem, possibly because the malware is hidden inside a partition.

I am not at all literate with Android, but am willing to learn and do whatever is necessary to fix this phone. Can someone advise or point me in the right direction?

If I need to root it, how can I do this safely, and how can I locate the offending malware? What diagnostic tests can I perform to learn more about the problem? And if it's easier to flash a new system, what is the most effective way to do this, and where can I locate a reliable ROM?

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  • This is a similar issue as this one Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 5:49
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    I think you have a different definition of "perfectly serviceable" than I do.
    – user202027
    Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 15:14
  • SiXandSeven8ths - Possibly. What I mean is, the hardware works perfectly well. It seems a shame to create more garbage for the world just because some gangsters chose to install dodgy software on it. Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 19:33
  • Parth Pandya - thank you for sharing the link. Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 19:34
  • What's phone exact model? Which ROM it has? Which ROM have you tried to install? It was probably originally made in China, so it could be possible to find original model and try to search for it's full stock ROM (or just some ROM without ads) which will overwrite everything.
    – janot
    Commented Jan 19, 2019 at 0:06

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The app - NoRoot Firewall can be very useful for preventing unwanted malware / adware related app downloads. Cheap phones, tablets (particularly phones off the grey market) typically experience this issue.

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    You answer does not address the issue of the malware already being present.
    – CodeMonkey
    Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 14:41
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    Hi TestDeviant, thanks for getting back. NoRoot Firewall is a great app and I've been using it. However, sooner or later it crashes and lets the malware through. It's a good temporary solution but I'm looking for something more permanent. Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 19:29
  • @Workrobotwork - I switched from NoRoot firewall to NetGuard firewall, although paid because the former one was last updated in 2014 and these days it frequently crashes.
    – miroxlav
    Commented Jan 27, 2019 at 19:02
  • Thanks miroxlav. Looks good, will give it a go. Commented Feb 5, 2019 at 4:21

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