Potentially millions of Android TVs and phones come with malware preinstalled

Is it actually malware? It depends on your perspective, I suppose. Most flavors (for lack of a better word) of Android serve as a vehicle to collect data on its users. I consider this a form of malware (since the definition is "software that is designed to disrupt, damage, or _gain unauthorized access_ to a computer system").

While AOSP is less so, since it is open source after all, it is still often used to create versions of Android that spy on its users.

But I digress.

In practice, most Android devices are woefully outdated and cannot be upgraded to a current version - they are susceptible to being compromised, or may already be compromised.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/05/poten...

https://www.techradar.com/news/this-dangerous-new-malware-al...

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/this-new-android-malware-is-s...

Much of it is in their own App Store, or arriving to users pre-installed.