Search results for hide news on google app in android | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

A zero-day security flaw in Telegram's mobile app for Android called EvilVideo made it possible for attackers to share malicious files disguised as harmless-looking videos. The exploit appeared for sale for an unknown price in an underground forum on June 6, 2024, ESET said. Following responsible disclosure on June 26, the issue was addressed by Telegram in version 10.14.5 released on July 11. "Attackers could share malicious Android payloads via Telegram channels, groups, and chat, and make them appear as multimedia files," security researcher Lukáš Štefanko said in a report. It's believed that the payload is concocted using Telegram's application programming interface ( API ), which allows for programmatic uploads of multimedia files to chats and channels. In doing so, it enables an attacker to camouflage a malicious APK file as a 30-second video.  Users who click on the video are displayed an actual warning message stating the video cannot be played and u...

Malicious loader programs capable of trojanizing Android applications are being traded on the criminal underground for up to $20,000 as a way to evade Google Play Store defenses. "The most popular application categories to hide malware and unwanted software include cryptocurrency trackers, financial apps, QR-code scanners, and even dating apps," Kaspersky  said  in a new report based on messages posted on online forums between 2019 and 2023. Dropper apps  are the primary means for threat actors looking to sneak malware via the Google Play Store. Such apps often masquerade as seemingly innocuous apps, with malicious updates introduced upon clearing the review process and the applications have amassed a significant user base. This is achieved by using a loader program that's responsible for injecting malware into a clean app, which is then made available for download from the app marketplace. Users who install the tampered app are prompted to grant it intrusive permiss...

The threat actors behind the PixPirate Android banking trojan are leveraging a new trick to evade detection on compromised devices and harvest sensitive information from users in Brazil. The approach allows it to hide the malicious app's icon from the home screen of the victim's device, IBM said in a technical report published today. "Thanks to this new technique, during PixPirate reconnaissance and attack phases, the victim remains oblivious to the malicious operations that this malware performs in the background," security researcher Nir Somech  said . PixPirate, which was  first documented  by Cleafy in February 2023, is known for its abuse of Android's accessibility services to covertly perform unauthorized fund transfers using the PIX instant payment platform when a targeted banking app is opened. The constantly mutating malware is also capable of stealing victims' online banking credentials and credit card information, as well as capturing keystrokes and interc...

Google is unveiling a set of new features in Android 15 to prevent malicious apps installed on the device from capturing sensitive data. This constitutes an update to the  Play Integrity API  that third-party app developers can take advantage of to secure their applications against malware. "Developers can check if there are other apps running that could be capturing the screen, creating overlays, or controlling the device," Dave Kleidermacher, vice president of engineering for Android security and privacy,  said . "This is helpful for apps that want to hide sensitive information from other apps and protect users from scams." Additionally, the Play Integrity API can be used to check if  Google Play Protect  is active and if the user's device is free of known malware before performing sensitive actions or handling sensitive data. Google, with Android 13, introduced a feature called  restricted settings  that by default blocks sideloaded apps from...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new Android banking trojan called Herodotus that has been observed in active campaigns targeting Italy and Brazil to conduct device takeover ( DTO ) attacks. "Herodotus is designed to perform device takeover while making first attempts to mimic human behaviour and bypass behaviour biometrics detection," ThreatFabric said in a report shared with The Hacker News. The Dutch security company said the Trojan was first advertised in underground forums on September 7, 2025, as part of the malware-as-a-service (MaaS) model, touting its ability to run on devices running Android version 9 to 16. It's assessed that while the malware is not a direct evolution of another banking malware known as Brokewell , it certainly appears to have taken certain parts of it to put together the new strain. This includes similarities in the obfuscation technique used, as well as direct mentions of Brokewell in Herodotus (e.g., "BRKWL_...

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...

Android smartphone users in India are the target of a new malware campaign that employs social engineering lures to install fraudulent apps that are capable of harvesting sensitive data. "Using social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, attackers are sending messages designed to lure users into installing a malicious app on their mobile device by impersonating legitimate organizations, such as banks, government services, and utilities," Microsoft threat intelligence researchers Abhishek Pustakala, Harshita Tripathi, and Shivang Desai  said  in a Monday analysis. The ultimate goal of the operation is to capture banking details, payment card information, account credentials, and other personal data. The attack chains involve sharing malicious APK files via social media messages sent on WhatsApp and Telegram by falsely presenting them as banking apps and inducing a sense of urgency by claiming that the targets' bank accounts will be blocked unless they update their pe...

Cybersecurity researchers have warned about a large-scale ad fraud campaign that has leveraged hundreds of malicious apps published on the Google Play Store to serve full-screen ads and conduct phishing attacks. "The apps display out-of-context ads and even try to persuade victims to give away credentials and credit card information in phishing attacks," Bitdefender said in a report shared with The Hacker News. Details of the activity were first disclosed by Integral Ad Science (IAS) earlier this month, documenting the discovery of over 180 apps that were engineered to deploy endless and intrusive full-screen interstitial video ads. The ad fraud scheme was codenamed Vapor. These apps, which have since been taken down by Google, masqueraded as legitimate apps and collectively amassed more than 56 million downloads between them, generating over 200 million bid requests daily. "Fraudsters behind the Vapor operation have created multiple developer accounts, each host...

More than 50 Android apps on the Google Play Store—most of which were designed for kids and had racked up almost 1 million downloads between them—have been caught using a new trick to secretly click on ads without the knowledge of smartphone users. Dubbed " Tekya ," the malware in the apps imitated users' actions to click ads from advertising networks such as Google's AdMob, AppLovin', Facebook, and Unity, cybersecurity firm Check Point Research noted in a report shared with The Hacker News. "Twenty four of the infected apps were aimed at children (ranging from puzzles to racing games), with the rest being utility apps (such as cooking apps, calculators, downloaders, translators, and so on)," the researchers said. While the offending apps have been removed from Google Play, the find by Check Point Research is the latest in an avalanche of ad fraud schemes that have plagued the app storefront in recent years, with malware posing as optimizer an...

Behind every security alert is a bigger story. Sometimes it's a system being tested. Sometimes it's trust being lost in quiet ways—through delays, odd behavior, or subtle gaps in control. This week, we're looking beyond the surface to spot what really matters. Whether it's poor design, hidden access, or silent misuse, knowing where to look can make all the difference. If you're responsible for protecting systems, data, or people—these updates aren't optional. They're essential. These stories reveal how attackers think—and where we're still leaving doors open. ⚡ Threat of the Week Google Releases Patches for Actively Exploited Chrome 0-Day — Google has released Google Chrome versions 137.0.7151.68/.69 for Windows and macOS, and version 137.0.7151.68 for Linux to address a high-severity out-of-bounds read and write vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine that it said has been exploited in the wild. Google credited Clement Lecigne and Benoît Sevens of Google T...

Altered versions of legitimate Android apps associated with Spotify, WhatsApp, and Minecraft have been used to deliver a new version of a known malware loader called Necro. Kaspersky said some of the malicious apps have also been found on the Google Play Store. They have been cumulatively downloaded 11 million times. They include - Wuta Camera - Nice Shot Always (com.benqu.wuta) - 10+ million downloads Max Browser-Private & Security (com.max.browser) - 1+ million downloads As of writing, Max Browser is no longer available for download from the Play Store. Wuta Camera, on the other hand, has been updated (version 6.3.7.138) to remove the malware. The latest version of the app, 6.3.8.148, was released on September 8, 2024. It's currently not clear how both the apps were compromised with the malware in the first place, although it's believed that a rogue software developer kit (SDK) for integrating advertising capabilities is the culprit. Necro (not to be confused w...

Details have emerged about a "massive ad fraud operation" that leverages hundreds of apps on the Google Play Store to perform a host of nefarious activities. The campaign has been codenamed Konfety – the Russian word for Candy – owing to its abuse of a mobile advertising software development kit (SDK) associated with a Russia-based ad network called CaramelAds . "Konfety represents a new form of fraud and obfuscation, in which threat actors operate 'evil twin' versions of 'decoy twin' apps available on major marketplaces," HUMAN's Satori Threat Intelligence Team said in a technical report shared with The Hacker News. While the decoy apps, totaling more than 250 in number, are harmless and distributed via the Google Play Store, their respective "evil twins" are disseminated through a malvertising campaign designed to facilitate ad fraud, monitor web searches, install browser extensions, and sideload APK files code onto users' d...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a previously undocumented Android banking trojan called Datzbro that can conduct device takeover ( DTO ) attacks and perform fraudulent transactions by preying on the elderly. Dutch mobile security company ThreatFabric said it discovered the campaign in August 2025 after users in Australia reported scammers managing Facebook groups promoting "active senior trips." Some of the other territories targeted by the threat actors include Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K. The campaigns, it added, specifically focused on elderly people looking for social activities, trips, in-person meetings, and similar events. These Facebook groups have been found to share artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, claiming to organize various activities for seniors. Should prospective targets express willingness to participate in these events, they are subsequently approached via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, where they are as...

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new variant of an Android banking trojan called TrickMo that comes packed with new capabilities to evade analysis and display fake login screens to capture victims' banking credentials. "The mechanisms include using malformed ZIP files in combination with JSONPacker," Cleafy security researchers Michele Roviello and Alessandro Strino said . "In addition, the application is installed through a dropper app that shares the same anti-analysis mechanisms." "These features are designed to evade detection and hinder cybersecurity professionals' efforts to analyze and mitigate the malware." TrickMo, first caught in the wild by CERT-Bund in September 2019, has a history of targeting Android devices, particularly targeting users in Germany to siphon one-time passwords (OTPs) and other two-factor authentication (2FA) codes to facilitate financial fraud. The mobile-focused malware is assessed to be the work of ...

Google has stepped in to remove several Android applications from the official Play Store following the disclosure that the apps in question were found to serve intrusive ads. The findings were  reported  by the Czech cybersecurity firm Avast on Monday, which said the 21 malicious apps (list  here ) were downloaded nearly eight million times from Google's app marketplace. The apps masqueraded as harmless gaming apps and came packed with  HiddenAds  malware, a notorious Trojan known for its capabilities to serve intrusive ads outside of the app. The group behind the operation relies on social media channels to lure users into downloading the apps. Earlier this June, Avast discovered a  similar HiddenAds campaign  involving 47 gaming apps with over 15 million downloads that were leveraged to display device-wide intrusive ads. "Developers of adware are increasingly using social media channels, like regular marketers would," Avast's Jakub Vávra said....