Midnight Mimosa: Low-cost Android phones ship with firmware proxy malware

A malware campaign named 'Midnight Mimosa' has been found pre-installed in the firmware of low-cost Android smartphones, enabling attackers to silently install apps, commit ad fraud, and use devices as residential proxies. The supply-chain compromise is ongoing and affects devices from multiple vendors, with the full scope of distribution still unclear. This highlights a growing threat vector in the budget Android market, with implications for network integrity and user privacy.