OnePlus Phones Come Pre-installed with App that can Root Devices to Give Backdoor Access

Back in January this year, OnePlus was caught manipulating the benchmark scores on the Snapdragon 821 powered OnePlus 3T smartphone. Later the company mentioned not to include the trigger process that boosts the CPU performance in the upcoming builds of the OxygenOS. The company again followed the similar process with the OnePlus 5 smartphone. Last month, UK-based security researcher Chris Moore also found that OnePlus is secretly collecting the user data without anonymity.

Now, a new software issue is found in the Oxygen OS that can give backdoor access to any OnePlus smartphone. The company has actually included Qualcomm’s app made for its OEM partners to test the hardware components in their devices. It comes pre-installed in the retail units of OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T, and OnePlus 5 smartphones. The app named as “EngineerMode” can give root access to the device even without unlocking the bootloader.

As of now, there is no way to get the backdoor access to any OnePlus smartphone remotely. However, any person with a physical access to the above mentioned OnePlus smartphones can get the backdoor access by running a two-line code. The company has quickly responded and mentioned to disable few features of the EngineerMode app with an update. According to Elliot Alderson, the OnePlus users can find the app on their device by going to the Settings > Apps > Menu > Show System apps.

He also mentioned listing an app on the Play Store to give root privilege to the users. Apart from OnePlus devices, the same app can also be found in few Snapdragon-powered smartphones from Asus, Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Motorola. OnePlus will be unveiling its first 18:9 smartphone tomorrow in New York. The OnePlus 5T will be coming with similar specifications as seen on OnePlus 5, but sports an OpticAMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio.

It will be still running on Android Nougat based Oxygen OS out of the box. While the company has already rolled out the Android Oreo beta update for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T users. Both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T might receive the latest Android update in the coming weeks. If you have found the EngineerMode app on your device, lets us know by mentioning the device name in the comments section below.

Source | Via