Preinstalled Malware: A Lovely Bonus

Same story different day, as low-cost Android hardware in over 150 countries arrived with Midnight Mimosa malware already baked into the firmware. Users hoping for a functioning budget phone were instead gifted preinstalled espionage straight from the factory. We protect ourselves from these pre-baked firmware disasters only by treating dirt-cheap devices like hazardous waste before handing them to users. Why do we even bother hoping supply chains will ever verify firmware before shipping hardware out the door?