I just bought a Pixel 8 from someone who seemed a bit sketchy, and unfortunately, I can't return it. I want to make sure that the phone is completely free of malware, from the operating system all the way down to the root. What steps can I take to achieve this? Would installing a custom ROM help? Also, can a phone have viruses within the Linux root? Are there any known examples of such viruses?
3 Answers
Check if your Pixel 8's bootloader is locked. If it's locked, reflashing with stock ROM and a factory reset should be all you need. If it's unlocked, you might want to see if there's a custom recovery like TWRP or similar, then you can flash a verified stock ROM and clear user data. That should give you peace of mind!
Just keep in mind, you bought it from a sketchy seller, so there's always a little risk involved. Just be cautious and take all these steps to cover your bases!
Yeah, sometimes you just learn things the hard way.
First things first, a factory reset could help get some junk off it. Just make sure to reflash it with the stock firmware too, as resetting alone might not do the trick if a custom OS is involved. If the bootloader is still locked, you're in a good spot!
But just a heads up, if a custom OS was installed, resetting might not completely wipe everything.
How would I know if the seller unlocked the bootloader? And what are the signs to look for?