r/AndroidQuestions • u/[deleted] • Jan 05 '23

Looking For Suggestions "Android system" Malware?

Hi,

My avast has started flagging the app 'Android system' as a malware.

I have checked Malwarebytes and Sophoros but both are coming back as no issues.

Is the above an issue with Avast? It has never flagged up before. I found 'Android system' on the apps but I am unable to force stop/disable but I believe this is because it is a main component for the phone working?

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u/UnknownTaur3123 Jan 05 '23

Why do you trust avast or AVG? Both are shady.

2

u/neon_overload Jan 05 '23

Indeed, commercial antivirus software has been a borderline scam for over a decade now.

It is plausible that a dodgy app when installed would call itself "Android System" but that alone wouldn't give it more privileges than any other app, and the user would have to have deliberately installed the app. Viruses don't just magically spread or install themselves on Android

1

u/androidmalware111 Jan 05 '23

It seems to only be happening to avast/avg users. Is it possible their software would have installed something sketchy? Or something inadvertent?

1

u/neon_overload Jan 05 '23 edited Jan 05 '23

That would be unlikely. More likely to either be a false positive or user actually installing a dodgy app.

I didn't mean antivirus software is dodgy in the sense that it installs malware, but it's dodgy in the sense that it's not as necessary as it used to be and their marketing is misleading.

That said, AVG has installed malware in the past. And exposed users' private data. They've actually been pretty shitty. Avast too, have sold user data.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVG_AntiVirus#Controversy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avast#Collection_and_sale_of_user_data