Huawei, Vivo Phones Tag Google App As TrojanSMSPA Malware
Huawei, Honor and Vivo smartphones and tablets display strange "security threat" warnings, asking to remove the Google app, warning that "TrojanSMS-PA" has been detected as malware.
These security alerts warn that "immediate removal is recommended," which appears to be a false positive, as the app is currently considered high-risk, as the alert next to one of BleepingComputer's devices shows.
When users click the "View Details" button, an alert alerts them that the app is sending secret SMS messages.
"This app has been discovered to send private SMS messages asking users to pay for adult content, download/install apps, or steal personal information, which may result in property damage and loss of sensitive information," the system alert details. Security:
"Immediate removal is recommended."
Many users have reported this issue on Google support forums (Vivo post), Reddit (Vivo thread), Huawei forums and some Android communities.
BleepingComputer contacted Google to find out if the latest app update could be the reason for the sudden increase in malware alerts, but a spokesperson said that Google Play Protect does not trigger alerts.
"This security advisory was not created by Google Play Protect and appears to come from a device that is not Play Protect certified and does not have an official Google core app download from Play. We recommend contacting your device manufacturer for more information. Google Play It's the only app store where you can officially download the best Google apps for Android. All Google apps undergo the same rigorous tests as all Google Play apps. These tests are designed to ensure that apps are safe and meet Google's quality guidelines. standards," a Google spokesperson said.
BleepingComputer independently verified that these notifications were displayed on a Huawei device with Google's core apps pre-installed (pre-banned) and no additional apps.
Therefore, Google's explanation does not accurately reflect the types of Android devices affected by these alerts.
BleepingComputer has confirmed that the Huawei Optimizer app displays these alerts on Huawei devices. However, it is not clear which apps are showing alerts for Vivo or Honor phones.
If you haven't downloaded the Google app on your Huawei, Vivo or Honor phone, you can ignore the warning and continue with it.
Also, while these alerts may be false positives, there has been no official comment from device manufacturers confirming this.
The recommended solution to disable the false alarm is to go to Settings > Apps > Optimizer > App Info > Storage > Clear Cache/Clear Data and then reboot your device.
If the problem persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Huawei Optimizer app.
This action should update the old signature database, removing false positive errors.
BleepingComputer has also reached out to Huawei and Vivo for comment, but we have yet to hear back from the Chinese smartphone makers.
