mobile security | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new version of the SparkCat malware on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, more than a year after the trojan was discovered targeting both the mobile operating systems. The malware has been found to conceal itself within seemingly benign apps, such as enterprise messengers and food delivery services, while silently scanning victims' photo galleries for cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases. Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky said it found two infected apps on the App Store and one on the Google Play Store that primarily target cryptocurrency users in Asia. "The iOS variant, however, takes a different approach as it scans for cryptocurrency wallet mnemonic phrases, which are in English," the company said. "This makes the iOS variant potentially broader in reach, as it can affect users regardless of their region." The improved version of SparkCat for...

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp said it alerted about 200 users who were tricked into installing a bogus version of its iOS app that was infected with spyware. According to reports from Italian newspaper La Repubblica and news agency ANSA , the vast majority of the targets are located in Italy. It's assessed that the threat actors behind the activity used social engineering tactics to get users to install malicious software that mimicked WhatsApp. All the affected users have been logged out and have been recommended to uninstall the malware-laced apps and download the official WhatsApp app. WhatsApp did not reveal who was targeted in these attacks. The tech giant said it's also taking action against Asigint, an Italian subsidiary of spyware company SIO, for allegedly creating a counterfeit version of WhatsApp.  On its website, the company advertises solutions to law enforcement agencies, government organizations, and police and intelligenc...

Apple on Wednesday expanded the availability of iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7 to a broader range of devices to protect users from the risk posed by a recently disclosed exploit kit known as DarkSword . "We enabled the availability of iOS 18.7.7 for more devices on April 1, 2026, so users with Automatic Updates turned on can automatically receive important security protections from web attacks called DarkSword," the company said. "The fixes associated with the DarkSword exploit first shipped in 2025." The update is available for the following devices - iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11 (all models), iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12 (all models), iPhone 13 (all models), iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14 (all models), iPhone 15 (all models), iPhone 16 (all models), and iPhone 16e iPad mini (5th generation - A17 Pro), iPad (7th generation - A16), iPad Air (3rd - 5th generation), iPad Air 11-inch (M2 - M3), iPad Air 13-...

Google on Monday said it's officially rolling out Android developer verification to all developers to combat the problem of bad actors distributing harmful apps while "hiding behind anonymity." The development comes ahead of a planned verification mandate that goes into effect in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand this September, before it expands globally next year. As part of this effort, Google is requiring app developers who distribute apps outside of Google Play to create an account in the Android Developer Console to confirm their identity. Those who distribute apps through Android's official app marketplace and have verified their identity may be "already set," the tech giant said. "For the vast majority of users, the experience of installing apps will stay exactly the same," Matthew Forsythe, director of product management for Android App Safety, said . "It's only when a user tries to install an unregistered app that...

Proofpoint has disclosed details of a targeted email campaign in which threat actors with ties to Russia are leveraging the recently disclosed DarkSword exploit kit to target iOS devices. The activity has been attributed with high confidence to the Russian state-sponsored threat group known as TA446 , which is also tracked by the broader cybersecurity community under the monikers Callisto, COLDRIVER, and Star Blizzard (formerly SEABORGIUM). It's assessed to be affiliated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The hacking group is known for spear-phishing campaigns aimed at harvesting credentials from targets of interest. However, attacks mounted by the threat actor over the past year have targeted victims' WhatsApp accounts, as well as leveraged various custom malware families to steal sensitive data. The latest activity, highlighted by Proofpoint and Malfors , involves using fake "discussion invitation" emails spoofing the Atlantic Council to faci...

Apple is now sending Lock Screen notifications to iPhones and iPads running older versions of iOS and iPadOS to alert users of web-based attacks and urge them to install the update. The development was first reported by MacRumors. "Apple is aware of attacks targeting out-of-date iOS software, including the version on your iPhone. Install this critical update to protect your iPhone," the notification issued by Apple reads. The development comes a week after Apple released a support document, asking users running older versions of iOS and iPadOS to update their devices following the discovery of new iOS exploit kits like Coruna and DarkSword . Multiple threat actors of varied motivations have been found to leverage these kits over the past year to deliver malicious payloads when unsuspecting users visit a compromised website. While Coruna targets iOS versions between 13.0 and 17.2.1, DarkSword is designed to target iPhones running iOS versions between 18.4 and 18.7. A...

The kernel exploit for two security vulnerabilities used in the recently uncovered Apple iOS exploit kit known as Coruna is an updated version of the same exploit that was used in the Operation Triangulation campaign back in 2023, according to new findings from Kaspersky. "When Coruna was first reported, the public evidence wasn't sufficient to link its code to Triangulation — shared vulnerabilities alone don't prove shared authorship," Boris Larin, principal security researcher at Kaspersky GReAT, told The Hacker News in a statement. "Coruna is not a patchwork of public exploits; it is a continuously maintained evolution of the original Operation Triangulation framework. The inclusion of checks for recent processors like the M3 and newer iOS builds shows that the original developers have actively expanded this codebase. What began as a precision espionage tool is now deployed indiscriminately." Coruna was first documented by Google and iVerify earli...

Google on Thursday announced a new "advanced flow" for Android sideloading that requires a mandatory 24-hour wait period to install apps from unverified developers in an attempt to balance openness with safety. The new changes come against the backdrop of a developer verification mandate the tech giant announced last year that requires all Android apps to be registered by verified developers to be installed on certified Android devices. The move, it added, was done to flag bad actors faster and prevent them from distributing malware. This also includes potential scenarios where cybercriminals trick unsuspecting users who sideload such apps into granting them elevated privileges that make it possible to turn off Play Protect, the anti-malware feature built into all Google-certified Android devices. However, the mandatory registration requirements have been met with criticism from over 50 app developers and marketplaces, including F-Droid, Brave, The Electronic Fronti...

Apple is urging users who are still running an outdated version of iOS to update their iPhones to secure against web-based attacks carried out via powerful exploit kits like Coruna and DarkSword . These attacks employ malicious web content to target out-of-date versions of iOS, triggering an infection chain that leads to the theft of sensitive data. "For example, if you're using an older version of iOS and were to click a malicious link or visit a compromised website, the data on your iPhone might be at risk of being stolen," Apple said in a support document. "We thoroughly investigated these issues as they were found and released software updates as quickly as possible for the most recent operating system versions to address vulnerabilities and disrupt such attacks."

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed a new Android malware family called Perseus that's being actively distributed in the wild with an aim to conduct device takeover (DTO) and financial fraud. Perseus is built upon the foundations of Cerberus and Phoenix, at the same time evolving into a "more flexible and capable platform" for compromising Android devices through dropper apps distributed via phishing sites. "Through Accessibility-based remote sessions, the malware enables real-time monitoring and precise interaction with infected devices, allowing full device takeover and targeting various regions, with a strong focus on Turkey and Italy," ThreatFabric said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "Beyond traditional credential theft, Perseus monitors user notes, indicating a focus on extracting high-value personal or financial information." Cerberus was first documented by the Dutch mobile security company in August 2019, highlighting th...

Google is testing a new security feature as part of Android Advanced Protection Mode (AAPM) that prevents certain kinds of apps from using the accessibility services API. The change, incorporated in Android 17 Beta 2, was first reported by Android Authority last week. AAPM was introduced by Google in Android 16, released last year. When enabled , it causes the device to enter a heightened security state to guard against sophisticated cyber attacks. Like Apple's Lockdown Mode, the opt-in feature prioritizes security at the cost of diminished functionality and usability so as to minimize the attack surface. Some of the core configurations include blocking app installation from unknown sources, restricting USB data signaling, and mandating Google Play Protect scanning. "Developers can integrate with this feature using the AdvancedProtectionManager API to detect the mode's status, enabling applications to automatically adopt a hardened security posture or restrict h...

Apple on Wednesday backported fixes for a security flaw in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Sonoma to older versions after it was found to be used as part of the Coruna exploit kit . The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-43010 , relates to an unspecified vulnerability in WebKit that could result in memory corruption when processing maliciously crafted web content. The iPhone maker said the issue was addressed with improved handling.  "This fix associated with the Coruna exploit kit was shipped in iOS 17.2 on December 11th, 2023," Apple said in an advisory. "This update brings that fix to devices that cannot update to the latest iOS version." Fixes for CVE-2023-43010 were originally released by Apple in the following versions - iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 macOS Sonoma 14.2 Safari 17.2 The latest round of fixes brings it to older versions of iOS and iPadOS - iOS 15.8.7 and iPadOS 15.8.7 - iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPa...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered half-a-dozen new Android malware families that come with capabilities to steal data from compromised devices and conduct financial fraud. The Android malware range from traditional banking trojans like PixRevolution , TaxiSpy RAT , BeatBanker , Mirax , and Oblivion RAT to full-fledged remote administration tools such as SURXRAT . PixRevolution, according to Zimperium, targets Brazil's Pix instant payment platform , hijacking victims' money transfers in real-time to route them to the threat actors instead of the intended payee. "This new strain of malware operates stealthily within the device until the moment the victim initiates a Pix transfer," security researcher Aazim Yaswant said . "What distinguishes this threat from conventional banking trojans is its fundamental design: a human or AI agent operator is actively engaged on the remote end, observing the victim's phone screen instantaneously, poised to act at ...

Google said it identified a "new and powerful" exploit kit dubbed Coruna (aka CryptoWaters) targeting Apple iPhone models running iOS versions between 13.0 and 17.2.1. The exploit kit featured five full iOS exploit chains and a total of 23 exploits, Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said. It's not effective against the latest version of iOS. The findings were first reported by WIRED. "The core technical value of this exploit kit lies in its comprehensive collection of iOS exploits, with the most advanced ones using non-public exploitation techniques and mitigation bypasses," according to GTIG. "The framework surrounding the exploit kit is extremely well engineered; the exploit pieces are all connected naturally and combined together using common utility and exploitation frameworks." The kit is said to have circulated among multiple threat actors since February 2025, moving from a commercial surveillance operation to a government-backed att...

Google on Monday disclosed that a high-severity security flaw impacting an open-source Qualcomm component used in Android devices has been exploited in the wild. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-21385 (CVSS score: 7.8), a buffer over-read in the Graphics component. "Memory corruption when adding user-supplied data without checking available buffer space," Qualcomm said in an advisory, describing it as an integer overflow. The chipmaker said the flaw was reported to it through Google's Android Security team on December 18, 2025. Customers were notified of the security defect on February 2, 2026. There are currently no details on how the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild. However, Google acknowledged in its monthly Android security bulletin that "there are indications that CVE-2026-21385 may be under limited, targeted exploitation." Google's March 2026 update contains patches for a total of 129 vulnerabilities, including a critica...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered what they say is the first Android malware that abuses Gemini, Google's generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, as part of its execution flow and achieves persistence. The malware has been codenamed PromptSpy by ESET. The malware is equipped to capture lockscreen data, block uninstallation efforts, gather device information, take screenshots, and record screen activity as video. "Gemini is used to analyze the current screen and provide PromptSpy with step-by-step instructions on how to ensure the malicious app remains pinned in the recent apps list, thus preventing it from being easily swiped away or killed by the system," ESET researcher Lukáš Štefanko said in a report published today. "Since Android malware often relies on UI navigation, leveraging generative AI enables the threat actors to adapt to more or less any device, layout, or OS version, which can greatly expand the pool of potential victims." ...

An international cybercrime operation against online scams has led to 651 arrests and recovered more than $4.3 million as part of an effort led by law enforcement agencies from 16 African countries. The initiative, codenamed Operation Red Card 2.0, took place between December 8, 2025 and January 30, 2026, according to INTERPOL. It targeted infrastructure and actors behind high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent mobile loan applications. Countries that participated in the law enforcement operation included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC). "During the eight-week operation, investigations exposed scams linked to over USD 45 million in financial losses and identified 1,247 victims, predominantly from the African continent but also from other regions of the world," INTE...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new Android trojan called Massiv that's designed to facilitate device takeover ( DTO ) attacks for financial theft. The malware, according to ThreatFabric, masquerades as seemingly harmless IPTV apps to deceive victims, indicating that the activity is primarily singling out users looking for the online TV applications. "This new threat, while only seen in a limited number of rather targeted campaigns, already poses a great risk to the users of mobile banking, allowing its operators to remotely control infected devices and perform device takeover attacks with further fraudulent transactions performed from the victim's banking accounts," the Dutch mobile security company said in a report shared with The Hacker News. ThreatFabric told The Hacker News via email that the malware was first spotted in a campaign targeting users in Portugal and Greece earlier this year, although it has observed samples dating back to...

New research from the Citizen Lab has found signs that Kenyan authorities used a commercial forensic extraction tool manufactured by Israeli company Cellebrite to break into a prominent dissident's phone, making it the latest case of abuse of the technology targeting civil society. The interdisciplinary research unit at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy said it found the indicators on a personal phone belonging to Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan pro-democracy activist who has announced plans to run for president in 2027. Specifically, it has emerged that Cellebrite's forensic extraction tools were used on his Samsung phone while it was in police custody following his arrest in July 2025. The phone was returned to him nearly two months later, in September, at which point Mwangi found that the phone was no longer password-protected and could be unlocked without requiring a password. It's been assessed with high confidence that ...

A new Android backdoor that's embedded deep into the device firmware can silently harvest data and remotely control its behavior, according to new findings from Kaspersky. The Russian cybersecurity vendor said it discovered the backdoor, dubbed Keenadu , in the firmware of devices associated with various brands, including Alldocube, with the compromise occurring during the firmware build phase. Keenadu has been detected in Alldocube iPlay 50 mini Pro firmware dating back to August 18, 2023. In all cases, the backdoor is embedded within tablet firmware, and the firmware files carry valid digital signatures. The names of the other vendors were not disclosed. "In several instances, the compromised firmware was delivered with an OTA update," security researcher Dmitry Kalinin said in an exhaustive analysis published today. "A copy of the backdoor is loaded into the address space of every app upon launch. The malware is a multi-stage loader granting its operators the ...