How to check Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro for spyware: from hidden apps to network traffic

Smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro-based MIUI — It's a popular device, but its open architecture and Chinese roots often raise security questions, and owners often suspect that the phone could be infected with spyware, from simple keyloggers to professional surveillance tools like Pegasus or Cerberus. 9 Pro – preinstalled system applications Xiaomi, which are difficult to distinguish from malicious, as well as vulnerabilities in older versions of Android 10/11 (firmware-dependent).

In this article, 7 practical methods of verification, adapted specifically for the Redmi 9 Pro. → Applications, traffic analysis, hidden processes, and even hardware indicators (such as unexpected Snapdragon CPU heating) 720G We'll focus on the uniqueness of the feature. MIUI — Special permissions" (Settings) → Privacy, where programs with microphone and camera access can hide without notice.

1. Checking the list of installed applications: what to look for first

Start with a basic audit through the Settings menu → Apps → Application Management. On Redmi 9 Pro, there's a nuance: MIUI hides system applications by default. To see them all, tap three dots in the top right corner and select Show Systems.

Pay attention to:

• 🔍 Apps with unreadable names (like character sets like com.sec.android.app.launcher are OK for Samsung, but not for Xiaomi).
• 📱 Clone versions of messengers (for example, the second Telegram or WhatsApp with a different icon).
• 🛡️ Antiviruses from unknown developers (often disguised as "Security Master" or "Cleaner").
• 🔄 Services with constant activity (in the column "Battery use" they will consume energy even when the phone is idle).

On the Redmi. 9 Pro is especially dangerous for permissioned applications android.permission.READ_SMS, android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO orroid.permission.CAMERA, if you have not consented to them. To check permissions, go to Settings → Confidentiality → Application authorizations.

2. Network traffic analysis: how to detect a data leak

Spyware often sends data to remote servers. Redmi 9 Pro can track it without any need to be able to track it. ROOT, using built-in tools and third-party utilities. Start with the Settings menu → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic. Look here:

• 📊 Unexpected traffic peaks (like 500MB per night when the phone was in sleep mode).
• 🌐 Suspicious domains in the list of used applications (tap on the graph) → "Details").
• ⚡ Background activity (if Chrome or YouTube consumes traffic when you haven’t opened it).

For in-depth analysis, install NetGuard (no ROOT required) or PCAPdroid (for advanced users).

• 🔌 IP-Addresses that your phone is communicating with.
• 📡 Ports used for data transmission (e.g., port 443 for the HTTPS or 8080 for proxy).
• 🕵️ Encrypted connections (if traffic is sent to unknown servers via a TLS 1.3, that's a reason to be wary).

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On Redmi 9 Pro, you can turn on TCP/IP Log in the developer menu (Settings → About Phone → MIUI → 7 times tap) to help track suspicious connections without third-party applications.

Note the traffic on standby mode, and the Redmi 9 Pro is normal for up to 50MB per day (including background synchronization of Mi Cloud and Google Services), and if the number is higher, it means that something is transmitting data without your knowledge.

3. Verification of active processes and services through ADB

For power users: Android Debug Bridge (ADB) lets you see all running processes, including hidden ones. Connect Redmi 9 Pro to your PC, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI → 7 taps → Additional settings → Developer Settings) and execute commands:

adb devices


adb shell ps -A | grep -i "spy\|track\|monitor\|hidden\|service"

This will show a list of suspiciously named processes.

• 🚨 Processes with the names com.android.system.secret, tracker.service or hidden.admin.
• 🔄 Services that restart after adb shell am force-stop command].
• 📡 Processes consuming CPU (>10%) At rest (checked through adb shell top) -m 10).

Redmi 9 Pro is especially dangerous for processes associated with com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.midrop if you are not using Mi Drop or MIUI Analytics. These can be disabled via Settings → Memory → Autorun.

4. Physical signs of infection: heating, battery, strange behavior

Spyware often gives itself away through hardware symptoms. On the Redmi 9 Pro with a Snapdragon 720G processor, note:

To check the battery, use the hidden menu Xiaomi:

1. Dial in the dialer ##4636##.
2. Select Battery Information.
3. Check out the Usage since last full charge section – if screen time is significantly less than the iPhone idle, someone is using your phone remotely.

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On Redmi 9 Pro, spyware is often masquerading as com.qualcomm.qti (Snapdragon chipset) or com.android.phone. If they consume >5% of the CPU in idle, that’s cause for concern.

5. App Permissions Verification: Who Has Access to Your Data

MIUI on Redmi 9 Pro allows you to manage permissions flexibly, but it also plays into the hands of spies. Go to Settings → Privacy → App permissions and check:

• 🎤 Microphone: there should be only messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and applications for recordings (for example, Recorder).
• 📸 Camera: apps like "Flashlight" or "Weather" with camera access are dangerous.
• 📍 Location: disable geodata for everyone except maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator).
• 📂 Files and Media: Applications like Gallery or File Manager should have access, but not unknown utilities.

Please note the Special Permits section (Settings → Privacy → Special Permits) where you can hide software with rights:

• 🔓 Changes in system settings (e.g, WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS).
• 📱 Display over other windows (can be used for keyloggers).
• 🔄 Auto-run (spies are often added to the boot).

On the Redmi. 9 Pro is particularly dangerous permission android.permission.BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE — It allows apps to read everything you type (passwords, messages). → Special facilities → Established services.

Open Settings → Confidentiality → Application authorizations|Check the list of applications with microphone access|Disable geolocation for unnecessary applications|Remove applications with special permissions (unless you are sure of their security)-->

6. Search for rootkits and modified system files

Advanced spies (like Triada or Zygote) are embedded in Android system files. On Redmi 9 Pro without ROOT, they are difficult to detect, but you can check for indirect signs:

1. Firmware Integrity Check: Compare your firmware hash to the official one on MIUI Downloads. Use the TWRP utility (if installed) to check the /system and /vendor partitions.

Search for suspicious files

adb shell ls -la /system/bin | grep -i "su\|busybox\|sh"

Having su or busybox files without your knowledge indicates rooting.

Certificate verification

Install App Inspector and see which applications are signed with unknown certificates (e.g. CN=Unknown).

On the Redmi 9 Pro, Android 10 firmware (MIUI 12 and below) is particularly vulnerable due to a vulnerability called CVE-2020-0041 that bypasses app signature verification. If your phone hasn't been updated in a long time, the chances of infection are higher.

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To check the Android version on Redmi 9 Pro, go to Settings → About Phone → Android Version. If it is below 11, update your firmware immediately through Settings → System Update!

7 Hardware Methods: How to Check a Phone Without Software

If you suspect professional surveillance (e.g., through IMSI-catcher or hardware bookmarks), use physical methods:

• 📶 Network test: Turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data. If the phone still transmits data (for example, the LED flashes), someone uses alternative channels (for example, Bluetooth). LE or NFC).
• 🔊 Microphone check: Call your phone from another device, and if you hear any noise or echo during a conversation, the microphone is tapped.
• 🔋 Battery test: Charge your phone fully, turn off all connections (plane mode) and leave it for 6 hours. Normal consumption - 1-2%. If more - the phone runs the background process.

Redmi 9 Pro is a safe mode check:

1. Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
2. Hold your finger to turn off until a request to go to safe mode appears.
3. In Safe Mode, check if suspicious symptoms (heating, battery consumption) have disappeared. If unknown applications are working (only system applications are running in Safe Mode).

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If the problem disappears in safe mode, it's the third-party application's fault, if it stays, it's the firmware or the hardware infection.

⚠️ Note: Redmi 9 Pro with firmware MIUI Global and MIUI Europe sometimes comes with Mi Security or Clean Master preinstalled software that may be mistakenly identified as spyware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about spyware on Xiaomi

⚠️ Warning: If you find spyware on Redmi 9 Pro, don't limit yourself to removing it. Change passwords from all accounts (especially Mi Account and Google) as they may have been compromised. Use an authenticator (like Google Authenticator) for two-factor authentication.