Google cuts ties with Android partner whose devices were turned into a botnet

Google says Shenzhen-based manufacturer Videostrong Technology secretly built a backdoor into about 1.3 million set-top boxes, turning them into a botnet. The company reports it has dismantled the backdoor and severed its relationship with the manufacturer. Videostrong has been barred from producing or selling certified Android devices and from supplying software for them. The compromised devices were reportedly used without their owners' knowledge for activities such as ad fraud, data theft, and routing unauthorized network traffic. Google alleges the backdoor and botnet were deliberately created and run for financial gain.