Singapore police, cybersecurity agency warn of malware in non-certified Android TV boxes

“Users who visit illegal streaming sites or download unofficial applications through their non-certified TV boxes may be exposed to malware that can compromise their home networks and personal information,” they said.

The authorities added that such malware will infect users’ devices with malicious applications, turning them into part of a botnet – a network of compromised computers used to carry out cyberattacks such as distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks and spam campaigns.

The malware also commonly steals users’ personal data and users’ internet protocol, or IP, addresses to commit crimes, including phishing, ad fraud and running online scams.

“Users affected by such malware may notice slow device performance, unusual account behaviour, persistent pop-ups, suspicious programmes and system instability on their devices,” said the police and CSA.