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DRob1

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  1. Hi Kindleshot, This topic is over a year old. Is there a specific reason you would like to reach me outside of the forum?
  2. Hi everyone, I finally received a reply from Malwarebytes regarding the SMSThief detection in the Alcatel Smart Suite app. It appears the detection is a false positive, and the app has been whitelisted for the moment. However, they are reinvestigating the app due to the AVG detection, and it could very quickly find it's way back on to the blacklist if they find it exhibiting any malicious behavior. I have been in IT for sometime, and it is very common for software developers to "borrow" a useful behavior from malware, and code it into a legitimate application. My educated guess is; the Smart Suite mobile app uses a method very similar in nature to the actual SMSThief, malware to capture SMS messages on your phone and then pass them on to the Alcatel Smart Suite PC app for the purpose of backing up the contents of your phone. Malwarebytes' heuristics saw this behavior in the raw code of the .apk and flagged the app as malicious. It is a legitimate application, just with suspicious code embedded in it. So, unless you use the Smart Suite mobile app in conjunction with the Smart Suite PC app for phone backup and file transfer, there is absolutely no need for this app on your phone. If your are concerned about potential privacy issues, my recommendation is to completely disable the app and delete the app's data. In Android 6.x, Go to Settings > Apps > Smart Suite > Select Force Stop > Select Ok > Select Storage > Select Clear Cache > Select Clear Data > Select the Arrow next to Storage to return to the app's detail page > Select Disable > Select Disable App > Reboot your phone. This will completely disable the app on your phone. For earlier versions of Android, please refer to your manufacturer's website or phone manual for instructions on disabling the application and deleting it's data. Thanks to a_Mbam of Malwarebytes and Elvidster for the additional info on this issue. Take care everyone!
  3. There are a few root utilities out there that will do it, but if your phone is new like mine is, it will void the warranty.
  4. Below is my email to Alcatel Support: Hello Carolina, Thank you for speaking with me this morning, and agreeing to follow-up with your engineering and development teams regarding the malware detection on my Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3. Per instruction of the first representative I spoke with this morning, I have deleted the application’s data, disabled the application and rebooted the phone, which is an acceptable workaround for the moment. However, I will not uninstall my anti-malware software (MalwareBytes) per her recommendation, and simply ignore detection of this potential malware. Also, as you are aware, the application’s .apk cannot be removed due to system permissions without rooting the phone and voiding the warranty. This is of great concern to me and others that have detected the malware and reported this in the MalwareBytes forums. It is very disturbing to think that Alcatel would intentionally distribute Android system software with embedded malware in order to gather statistical data from customer’s phones. If this is truly the case, it must be immediately remedied by your development and/or engineering teams with an application update that does not contain the malware, or they must provide customers with a removal procedure for the aforementioned software that will not void the phone’s warranty. Hopefully, we will all have a resolution for this soon!
  5. From similar posts regarding Malwarebytes detection of Android/Trojan.Spy.SmsThief.fp and Android/Trojan.Spy.SmsThief.ay, this may be a false positive. However, I just spoke with Alcatel Support, and what I gathered from them is it appears they have been are aware of the existence of this Trojan in their SmartSuite.apk file for sometime, as their recommended solution was to uninstall Malwarebytes so it would not be detected. Absolutely ridiculous! I have forwarded information about the detection to Alcatel Support and a manager assured me that she will follow up with their engineering and development teams regarding the issue. I will update my post when I receive any information from her. If this is truly a false positive, can someone from Malwarebytes please address the issue with an updated DAT file as soon as possible? If it is a valid detection, can Malwarebytes please provide an updated DAT or removal assistance for the .apk that doesn't require rooting the phone and voiding the warranty? Phone Model: 60450 - Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 Android Version: 6.0.1 App Info: Alcatel SmartSuite v 3.2.8 Detection Info:
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