Is Medies malware?

[jamescar]

My Ulefone Mix - running Android 7 - suddenly installed an app called "Medies" during the night.
I've searched, without result, reference to this app on the net. I worry that it may be malware but AVG doesn't seem to find any problem.
Does anybody know anything about it?

 

[yo.edy.4ever]

Try a different AV like Kaspersky and see if the results are the same.

 

[jamescar]

Tried with Malwarebytes too. It doesn't register a problem either.
I find it strange that there is no mention of Medies when Googling it.

 

[rastin.godejohann]

Gday, yeah I have a ulephone mix and mine has just started being really slow randomly, ive also just noticed this medies android thing and it's gone through almost a gig of my data (I have background data disabled) I would be keen to find out what it is

 

[rastin.godejohann]

Did you reply to me i don't know how this site works?

 

[jamescar]

Hi Rastin

Yes, I noticed that it had chewed through 300+ megas - which is why it caught my attention initially - so I blocked it. I use No Root Firewall to do this after similar problems with a Doogee i had before.
Apart from the data usage irritation the security aspect worries me and stops me from trusting my bank app on it
Didn't even bother contacting Ulefone as their customer service is useless. A pity their phones are actually quite good.
It'll be interesting to see if someone comes up with a better solution than, as I've done, simply blocking web access. I haven't tried deleting Medies as if hoped to hear that it was in fact legit.
We'll see what other input comes up.
Best of luck,
JC

 

[jamescar]

Rastin,

I did reply to you and have reposted it in case it didn't go up properly.

Have also posted on Google+:

https://plus.google.com/105583890872819477680/posts/TDNvyt2iBPv

so hopefully we may get more info..

JC

 

[voyager10]

The Cubot MAX has a similar problem, their firmware is written by a 3rd party who allowed the malware in via the firmware this included Medies and it looked like it also introduced a different copy of Playstore, so perhaps this is common in a lot of Chinese manufactured phones that use this Firmware or Firmware writers. Cubots fix was to release new firmware. And you have to reset your phone back to factory and install nothing else until you install the firmware and of course kiss goodbye to any backups in case they are also compromised.

 

[voyager10]

Here is a couple of links relating to this.
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2017/12/mobile-menace-monday-upping-the-ante-on-adups-fwupgradeprovider/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/kryptowire-adups-news/
http://www.techweez.com/2017/09/19/cubot-malware/

 

[RememberThe5th]

On cheap phones i install custom rom provided by xda developers if they have.
I had issue with uemi automatically going to settings of phone and trying to change admin.

 

[jamescar]

On cheap phones i install custom rom provided by xda developers if they have.
I had issue with uemi automatically going to settings of phone and trying to change admin.

I'm probably having a blonde day Robert but what is "uemi"? Googled it but am no wiser.

 

[RememberThe5th]

Hahaha, sorry I call it uemi, its Umidigi, an android phone.