#1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Platform
Followed by 5.20+ million
The Hacker News Logo
Subscribe – Get Latest News
DevSecOps

mobile security | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Category — mobile security
Apple Patches Actively Exploited iOS Zero-Day CVE-2025-24200 in Emergency Update

Apple Patches Actively Exploited iOS Zero-Day CVE-2025-24200 in Emergency Update

Feb 11, 2025 Zero-Day / Mobile Security
Apple on Monday released out-of-band security updates to address a security flaw in iOS and iPadOS that it said has been exploited in the wild. Assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2025-24200 (CVSS score: 4.6), the vulnerability has been described as an authorization issue that could make it possible for a malicious actor to disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device as part of a cyber physical attack. This suggests that the attackers require physical access to the device in order to exploit the flaw. Introduced in iOS 11.4.1, USB Restricted Mode prevents an Apple iOS and iPadOS device from communicating with a connected accessory if it has not been unlocked and connected to an accessory within the past hour. The feature is seen as an attempt to prevent digital forensics tools like Cellebrite or GrayKey , which are mainly used by law enforcement agencies, from gaining unauthorized entry to a confiscated device and extracting sensitive data. In line with advisories of this k...
DeepSeek App Transmits Sensitive User and Device Data Without Encryption

DeepSeek App Transmits Sensitive User and Device Data Without Encryption

Feb 07, 2025 Mobile Security / Artificial Intelligence
A new audit of DeepSeek's mobile app for the Apple iOS operating system has found glaring security issues, the foremost being that it sends sensitive data over the internet sans any encryption, exposing it to interception and manipulation attacks. The assessment comes from NowSecure, which also found that the app fails to adhere to best security practices and that it collects extensive user and device data. "The DeepSeek iOS app sends some mobile app registration and device data over the Internet without encryption," the company said . "This exposes any data in the internet traffic to both passive and active attacks." The teardown also revealed several implementation weaknesses when it comes to applying encryption on user data. This includes the use of an insecure symmetric encryption algorithm ( 3DES ), a hard-coded encryption key, and the reuse of initialization vectors . What's more, the data is sent to servers that are managed by a cloud compute a...
Navigating the Future: Key IT Vulnerability Management Trends

Navigating the Future: Key IT Vulnerability Management Trends 

Feb 11, 2025Vulnerability / Threat Detection
As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, proactive vulnerability management has become a critical priority for managed service providers (MSPs) and IT teams. Recent trends indicate that organizations increasingly prioritize more frequent IT security vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security flaws. Staying informed on these trends can help MSPs and IT teams remain one step ahead of potential cyber-risks. The Kaseya Cybersecurity Survey Report 2024 navigates this new frontier of cyber challenges. The data is clear: Organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on vulnerability assessments and plan to prioritize these investments in 2025. Companies are increasing the frequency of vulnerability assessments  In 2024, 24% of respondents said they conduct vulnerability assessments more than four times per year, up from 15% in 2023. This shift highlights a growing recognition of the need for continuous monitoring and quick response to emerging t...
SparkCat Malware Uses OCR to Extract Crypto Wallet Recovery Phrases from Images

SparkCat Malware Uses OCR to Extract Crypto Wallet Recovery Phrases from Images

Feb 06, 2025 Financial Fraud / Cryptocurrency
A new malware campaign dubbed SparkCat has leveraged a suit of bogus apps on both Apple's and Google's respective app stores to steal victims' mnemonic phrases associated with cryptocurrency wallets.  The attacks leverage an optical character recognition (OCR) model to exfiltrate select images containing wallet recovery phrases from photo libraries to a command-and-control (C2) server, Kaspersky researchers Dmitry Kalinin and Sergey Puzan said in a technical report. The moniker is a reference to an embedded software development kit (SDK) that employs a Java component called Spark that masquerades as an analytics module. It's currently not known whether the infection was a result of a supply chain attack or if it was intentionally introduced by the developers. While this is not the first time Android malware with OCR capabilities has been detected in the wild, it's one of the first instances where such a stealer has been found in Apple's App Store. The inf...
cyber security

Webinar: 5 Ways New AI Agents Can Automate Identity Attacks | Register Now

websitePush SecurityAI Agents / Identity Security
Watch how Computer-Using Agents can be used by attackers to automate account takeover and exploitation.
Google Patches 47 Android Security Flaws, Including Actively Exploited CVE-2024-53104

Google Patches 47 Android Security Flaws, Including Actively Exploited CVE-2024-53104

Feb 04, 2025 Vulnerability / Mobile Security
Google has shipped patches to address 47 security flaws in its Android operating system, including one it said has come under active exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2024-53104 (CVSS score: 7.8), which has been described as a case of privilege escalation in a kernel component known as the USB Video Class ( UVC ) driver. Successful exploitation of the flaw could lead to physical escalation of privilege, Google said, noting that it's aware that it may be under "limited, targeted exploitation." While no other technical details have been offered, Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman revealed in early December 2024 that the vulnerability is rooted in the Linux kernel and that it was introduced in version 2.6.26 , which was released in mid-2008. Specifically, it has to do with an out-of-bounds write condition that could arise as a result of parsing frames of type UVC_VS_UNDEFINED in a function named "uvc_parse_format()" i...
Malvertising Scam Uses Fake Google Ads to Hijack Microsoft Advertising Accounts

Malvertising Scam Uses Fake Google Ads to Hijack Microsoft Advertising Accounts

Feb 01, 2025 Malvertising / Mobile Security
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a malvertising campaign that's targeting Microsoft advertisers with bogus Google ads that aim to take them to phishing pages that are capable of harvesting their credentials. "These malicious ads, appearing on Google Search, are designed to steal the login information of users trying to access Microsoft's advertising platform," Jérôme Segura, senior director of research at Malwarebytes, said in a Thursday report. The findings came a few weeks after the cybersecurity company exposed a similar campaign that leveraged sponsored Google Ads to target individuals and businesses advertising via the search giant's advertising platform. The latest set of attacks targets users who search for terms like "Microsoft Ads" on Google Search, hoping to trick them into clicking on malicious links served in the form of sponsored ads in the search results pages. At the same time, the threat actors behind the campaign employ s...
Google Bans 158,000 Malicious Android App Developer Accounts in 2024

Google Bans 158,000 Malicious Android App Developer Accounts in 2024

Jan 31, 2025 Mobile Security / Cybercrime
Google said it blocked over 2.36 million policy-violating Android apps from being published to the Google Play app marketplace in 2024 and banned more than 158,000 bad developer accounts that attempted to publish such harmful apps. The tech giant also noted it prevented 1.3 million apps from getting excessive or unnecessary access to sensitive user data during the time period by working with third-party app developers. Furthermore, Google Play Protect, a security feature that's enabled by default on Android devices to flag novel threats, identified 13 million new malicious apps from outside of the official app store. "As a result of partnering closely with developers, over 91% of app installs on the Google Play Store now use the latest protections of Android 13 or newer," Bethel Otuteye and Khawaja Shams from the Android Security and Privacy Team, and Ron Aquino from Google Play Trust and Safety said . In comparison, the company blocked 1.43 million and 2.28 millio...
RANsacked: Over 100 Security Flaws Found in LTE and 5G Network Implementations

RANsacked: Over 100 Security Flaws Found in LTE and 5G Network Implementations

Jan 24, 2025 Telecom Security / Vulnerability
A group of academics has disclosed details of over 100 security vulnerabilities impacting LTE and 5G implementations that could be exploited by an attacker to disrupt access to service and even gain a foothold into the cellular core network. The 119 vulnerabilities , assigned 97 unique CVE identifiers, span seven LTE implementations – Open5GS , Magma , OpenAirInterface , Athonet , SD-Core , NextEPC , srsRAN – and three 5G implementations – Open5GS, Magma, OpenAirInterface, according to researchers from the University of Florida and North Carolina State University. The findings have been detailed in a study titled "RANsacked: A Domain-Informed Approach for Fuzzing LTE and 5G RAN-Core Interfaces." "Every one of the >100 vulnerabilities discussed below can be used to persistently disrupt all cellular communications (phone calls, messaging and data) at a city-wide level," the researchers said. "An attacker can continuously crash the Mobility Management En...
Android's New Identity Check Feature Locks Device Settings Outside Trusted Locations

Android's New Identity Check Feature Locks Device Settings Outside Trusted Locations

Jan 24, 2025 Biometric / Mobile Security
Google has launched a new feature called Identity Check for supported Android devices that locks sensitive settings behind biometric authentication when outside of trusted locations. "When you turn on Identity Check, your device will require explicit biometric authentication to access certain sensitive resources when you're outside of trusted locations," Google said in a post announcing the move. In doing so, biometric authentication will be required for the following actions - Access saved passwords and passkeys with Google Password Manager Autofill passwords in apps from Google Password Manager, except in Chrome Change screen lock, like PIN, pattern, and password Change biometrics, like Fingerprint or Face Unlock Run a factory reset Turn off Find My Device Turn off any theft protection features View trusted places Turn off Identity Check Set up a new device with your current device Add or remove a Google Account Access Developer options Identity C...
FireScam Android Malware Poses as Telegram Premium to Steal Data and Control Devices

FireScam Android Malware Poses as Telegram Premium to Steal Data and Control Devices

Jan 06, 2025 Malware / Mobile Security
An Android information stealing malware named FireScam has been found masquerading as a premium version of the Telegram messaging app to steal data and maintain persistent remote control over compromised devices. "Disguised as a fake 'Telegram Premium' app, it is distributed through a GitHub.io-hosted phishing site that impersonates RuStore – a popular app store in the Russian Federation," Cyfirma said , describing it as a "sophisticated and multifaceted threat." "The malware employs a multi-stage infection process, starting with a dropper APK, and performs extensive surveillance activities once installed." The phishing site in question, rustore-apk.github[.]io, mimics RuStore, an app store launched by Russian tech giant VK in the country, and is designed to deliver a dropper APK file ("GetAppsRu.apk"). Once installed, the dropper acts as a delivery vehicle for the main payload, which is responsible for exfiltrating sensitive data,...
U.S. Judge Rules Against NSO Group in WhatsApp Pegasus Spyware Case

U.S. Judge Rules Against NSO Group in WhatsApp Pegasus Spyware Case

Dec 23, 2024 Spyware / Mobile Security
Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp scored a major legal victory in its fight against Israeli commercial spyware vendor NSO Group after a federal judge in the U.S. state of California ruled in favor of the messaging giant for exploiting a security vulnerability to deliver Pegasus. "The limited evidentiary record before the court does show that defendants' Pegasus code was sent through plaintiffs' California-based servers 43 times during the relevant time period in May 2019," United States District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton said . The order further lambasted NSO Group, stating it "repeatedly failed to produce relevant discovery and failed to obey court orders regarding such discovery," referring to the company's failure to produce the Pegasus source code and for limiting the access to Israeli citizens present in Israel. This information, per WhatsApp, included code only pertaining to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) server, and not the entire codebase that wo...
CISA Mandates Cloud Security for Federal Agencies by 2025 Under Binding Directive 25-01

CISA Mandates Cloud Security for Federal Agencies by 2025 Under Binding Directive 25-01

Dec 19, 2024 Cloud Security / Encryption
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 25-01, ordering federal civilian agencies to secure their cloud environments and abide by Secure Cloud Business Applications (SCuBA) secure configuration baselines. "Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the significant risks posed by misconfigurations and weak security controls, which attackers can use to gain unauthorized access, exfiltrate data, or disrupt services," the agency said , adding the directive "will further reduce the attack surface of the federal government networks." As part of 25-01, agencies are also recommended to deploy CISA-developed automated configuration assessment tools to measure against the baselines, integrate with the agency's continuous monitoring infrastructure, and address any deviations from the secure configuration baselines. While the baselines are currently limited to Microsoft 365 (Azure Active Directory / ...
The Mask APT Resurfaces with Sophisticated Multi-Platform Malware Arsenal

The Mask APT Resurfaces with Sophisticated Multi-Platform Malware Arsenal

Dec 17, 2024 Cyber Espionage / Mobile Security
A little-known cyber espionage actor known as The Mask has been linked to a new set of attacks targeting an unnamed organization in Latin America twice in 2019 and 2022. "The Mask APT is a legendary threat actor that has been performing highly sophisticated attacks since at least 2007," Kaspersky researchers Georgy Kucherin and Marc Rivero said in an analysis published last week. "Their targets are usually high-profile organizations, such as governments, diplomatic entities, and research institutions." Also known as Careto, the threat actor was previously documented by the Russian cybersecurity company over a decade ago in February 2014 as having targeted over 380 unique victims since 2007. The origins of the hacking group are currently unknown. Initial access to target networks is facilitated by means of spear-phishing emails embedding links to malicious websites that are designed to trigger browser-based zero-day exploits to infect the visitor (e.g., CVE-...
Gamaredon Deploys Android Spyware "BoneSpy" and "PlainGnome" in Former Soviet States

Gamaredon Deploys Android Spyware "BoneSpy" and "PlainGnome" in Former Soviet States

Dec 12, 2024 Mobile Security / Cyber Espionage
The Russia-linked state-sponsored threat actor tracked as Gamaredon has been attributed to two new Android spyware tools called BoneSpy and PlainGnome , marking the first time the adversary has been discovered using mobile-only malware families in its attack campaigns. "BoneSpy and PlainGnome target former Soviet states and focus on Russian-speaking victims," Lookout said in an analysis. "Both BoneSpy and PlainGnome collect data such as SMS messages, call logs, phone call audio, photos from device cameras, device location, and contact lists." Gamaredon , also called Aqua Blizzard, Armageddon, BlueAlpha, Hive0051, Iron Tilden, Primitive Bear, Shuckworm, Trident Ursa, UAC-0010, UNC530, and Winterflounder, is a hacking group affiliated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Last week, Recorded Future's Insikt Group revealed the threat actor's use of Cloudflare Tunnels as a tactic to conceal its staging infrastructure hosting malicious payload...
Chinese EagleMsgSpy Spyware Found Exploiting Mobile Devices Since 2017

Chinese EagleMsgSpy Spyware Found Exploiting Mobile Devices Since 2017

Dec 11, 2024 Surveillanceware / Mobile Security
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a novel surveillance program that's suspected to be used by Chinese police departments as a lawful intercept tool to gather a wide range of information from mobile devices. The Android tool, codenamed EagleMsgSpy by Lookout, has been operational since at least 2017, with artifacts uploaded to the VirusTotal malware scanning platform as recently as September 25, 2024. "The surveillanceware consists of two parts: an installer APK, and a surveillance client that runs headlessly on the device when installed," Kristina Balaam, senior staff threat intelligence researcher at Lookout, said in a technical report shared with The Hacker News. "EagleMsgSpy collects extensive data from the user: third-party chat messages, screen recording and screenshot capture, audio recordings, call logs, device contacts, SMS messages, location data, [and] network activity." EagleMsgSpy has been described by its developers as a "compreh...
Fake Recruiters Distribute Banking Trojan via Malicious Apps in Phishing Scam

Fake Recruiters Distribute Banking Trojan via Malicious Apps in Phishing Scam

Dec 10, 2024 Mobile Security / Cryptocurrency
Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a sophisticated mobile phishing (aka mishing ) campaign that's designed to distribute an updated version of the Antidot banking trojan. "The attackers presented themselves as recruiters, luring unsuspecting victims with job offers," Zimperium zLabs Vishnu Pratapagiri researcher said in a new report. "As part of their fraudulent hiring process, the phishing campaign tricks victims into downloading a malicious application that acts as a dropper, eventually installing the updated variant of Antidot Banker in the victim's device." The new version of the Android malware has been codenamed AppLite Banker by the mobile security company, highlighting its abilities to siphon unlock PIN (or pattern or password) and remotely take control of infected devices, a feature recently also observed in TrickMo . The attacks employ a variety of social engineering strategies, often luring targets with the prospect of a job opp...
Expert Insights / Articles Videos
Cybersecurity Resources