Android devices are equipped with many pre-installed applications which have the capability of tracking and monitoring users. Although applications coming pre-installed pose a great danger to user security and privacy, they have received little attention so far among researchers in the field. In this study, we collect a dataset comprising such applications and make it publicly available. Using this dataset, we analyze tracker SDKs, manifest files and the use of cloud services and report our results. We also conduct a user survey to understand concerns and perceptions of users. Last but not least, we present a risk scoring system which assigns scores for smart phones consolidating our findings based on carefully weighted criteria. With this scoring system, users could give their own trust decisions based on the available concise information about the security and privacy impacts of applications pre-installed on their Android devices.

翻译：安卓设备配备了大量具有追踪和监控用户能力的预装应用。尽管预装应用对用户安全和隐私构成重大威胁，但迄今为止该领域的研究者对其关注甚少。本研究收集并公开了一个包含此类应用的数据集。基于该数据集，我们分析了追踪SDK、清单文件及云服务的使用情况并报告结果。同时开展用户调研以了解用户的关切与认知。最后，我们提出了一套风险评分系统，根据经过审慎加权的标准整合研究结果，为智能手机分配风险分值。借助该评分系统，用户可根据其安卓设备上预装应用安全与隐私影响的简明信息，自行做出信任决策。