How to use Kaspersky for Android on possibly compromised device?

[hughtrimble]

Howdy,

I have received a TTfone 280, and there are some reports that some handsets have the Triada trojan:

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Triada: a Trojan pre-installed on Android smartphones out of the box

An updated version of the Triada mobile Trojan is built into the firmware of smartphones offered by online stores. It steals everything it can: from cryptocurrency to Telegram, WhatsApp, and other social media accounts.

www.kaspersky.co.uk

Users report the only consumer anti-virus software which seems to detect it, is Kaspersky's and the others like AVG and Malwarebytes do not.

To install it, I'll need to download Kaspersky (which is a paid-for app) and to do so I'll need to make a (fresh) Play Store account and pay for it, thus exposing that payment method/account possibly to this trojan.

Is there a way to pay for/install Kaspersky for Android without exposing payment/account details on that same device?

Hugh

 

[hughtrimble]

Probably a better fit in the mobile forums.

Even if Kaspersky can detect it, if the trojan is integrated at a system level then there's no way to remove it. You're better off waiting for TTfone to release a clean system image, then wipe the phone and flash that.

Ah my bad, I didn't see the software for PC vs mobiles, sorry.

My plan was to see if it's found, and if yes, return it. The customer service team there were being helpful in how to check (which I found surprising and somewhat refreshing as I expected them denying it could possibly be on there!).

One Reddit thread suggests the firmware has been updated, and I received the phone just today. But I'd like to check it has indeed gone, though also aware that these tools can't find everything and it could well be something else has replaced it.

To flash it, wouldn't that require connecting it up to a PC to do? I have zero idea how 'contagious' this stuff is in terms of going from the phone to other devices running a different OS.

 

[hughtrimble]

Can you download the APK for it and side load it on to the phone instead of going through the store?

Thank you for this suggestion - I now have the APK downloaded from Kaspersky using the phone's browser. However, it requires payment to activate! There is an activation code option I can use instead, so may buy a licence on another device and use the provided code; seems to be one of the safest options?

 

[hughtrimble]

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Try check for new firmware update, you should see 28 October 2025 update then download and update it. Users reported issue is resolved with new firmware update released on 28 October 2025 after they scanned with Kaspersky anti-virus again found no traces of Triada trojan on the phone.

Yes, mine does indeed have that firmware already. I've also found the free Kaspersky scanner (behind their various payment insisting sections and prompts to activate a paid version).

The reports section which is hidden in the settings area and not out front, shows 2665 files scanned and nothing detected. So it's looking positive.

 

[hughtrimble]

Personally I wouldn't trust Russian-owned Kaspersky products on my device either.

Quite, there are eyes everywhere.

I'm doing a fresh install after these checks, but Kaspersky was also always a risk to some degree.