NewApp Digest
search bot

threat actors

Google adds ‘Advanced Flow’ for safe APK sideloading on Android
AppWizard
March 23, 2026

Google adds ‘Advanced Flow’ for safe APK sideloading on Android

Google has introduced a new mechanism called Advanced Flow within Android to facilitate the sideloading of APKs from unverified developers for power users while enhancing security. This system will launch in August and aims to balance user flexibility with protection against malware and scams, which caused losses of approximately billion last year. To install APKs from unverified developers, users must complete a one-time process that includes activating Developer Mode, confirming they are not influenced by threat actors, restarting the device, and verifying the legitimacy of modifications after a day. Once completed, users can install applications from unverified developers and choose to enable them for a week or indefinitely, with Android providing a warning about the unverified source. The Advanced Flow process is designed to prevent users from being coerced into installing malicious software during scam attempts. Google emphasizes that this system is a compromise between Android's openness and necessary user protections, leading to upcoming developer verification requirements. All Android app publishers will need to undergo identity verification by Google, with non-compliance resulting in blocked software installations on certified Android devices. This verification initiative is now set for rollout in August 2026.
New Perseus Android Banking Malware Monitors Notes Apps to Extract Sensitive Data
AppWizard
March 19, 2026

New Perseus Android Banking Malware Monitors Notes Apps to Extract Sensitive Data

Cybersecurity researchers have identified a new family of Android malware called Perseus, designed for device takeovers and financial fraud. It utilizes Accessibility-based remote sessions for real-time monitoring and interaction with infected devices, particularly targeting Turkey and Italy. Perseus monitors user notes to extract personal or financial information and is distributed through dropper applications via phishing websites. It expands on the codebase of previous malware like Phoenix and employs disguises as IPTV services to reduce user suspicion. Once operational, it performs overlay attacks and captures keystrokes to steal credentials from financial applications. The malware allows operators to issue commands through a command-and-control panel, enabling various malicious actions, including capturing note content and initiating remote visual streams. Perseus also conducts environment checks to evade detection and ensure it operates on legitimate devices.
Six Android Malware Families Target Pix Payments, Banking Apps, and Crypto Wallets
AppWizard
March 12, 2026

Six Android Malware Families Target Pix Payments, Banking Apps, and Crypto Wallets

Cybersecurity researchers have identified six new families of Android malware designed to extract sensitive data and facilitate financial fraud. Notable threats include: - PixRevolution: Targets Brazil's Pix payment platform, activates during Pix transfers, and uses real-time monitoring to intervene in transactions. Victims are tricked into installing malicious apps from counterfeit Google Play Store listings, which enable accessibility services for the malware to capture screens and overlay fake interfaces to reroute funds. - BeatBanker: Spreads through phishing attacks disguised as legitimate Google Play Store pages. It uses an inaudible audio loop for persistence, functions as a banking trojan, and includes a cryptocurrency miner. It creates deceptive overlays for platforms like Binance and Trust Wallet to divert funds and can monitor web browsers and execute remote commands. - TaxiSpy RAT: Exploits accessibility services to gather sensitive information such as SMS messages and call logs, targeting banking and cryptocurrency applications with overlays for credential theft. It employs advanced evasion techniques like native library encryption and real-time remote control. - Mirax: A private malware-as-a-service (MaaS) offering with a subscription model that provides tools for banking overlays and information gathering, including keystrokes and SMS. - Oblivion: Another Android RAT available at a competitive price, featuring capabilities to bypass security measures on various devices. - SURXRAT: Distributed through a Telegram-based MaaS ecosystem, it uses accessibility permissions for persistent control and communicates with a Firebase-based command-and-control infrastructure. Some samples incorporate a large language model component, indicating experimentation with AI by threat actors.
Attackers Use Malformed ZIP Archives to Evade Antivirus and EDR Tools
Tech Optimizer
March 11, 2026

Attackers Use Malformed ZIP Archives to Evade Antivirus and EDR Tools

Cybersecurity researchers at the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) have identified a new evasion technique, VU#976247, used by threat actors to exploit malformed ZIP archives and bypass Antivirus (AV) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems. Attackers manipulate the internal headers of ZIP files, particularly altering the compression method field, which causes security tools to fail in analyzing the malicious payload. While some security products may flag the modified files as corrupted, they often do not detect the underlying malicious code. Standard extraction tools typically trust the tampered metadata and may return errors, leaving the hidden payload undisclosed. Attackers use custom malware loaders to extract and execute the malicious data, circumventing traditional AV detection. Cisco has been confirmed as affected, while other vendors, including AhnLab, Avast, Bitdefender, and Avira, have an “Unknown” status regarding their vulnerability. To mitigate this threat, organizations should enhance archive handling processes, avoid relying solely on declared metadata, adopt aggressive detection modes, flag metadata inconsistencies, and consult with AV and EDR providers about vulnerabilities.
Hackers Abuse Windows File Explorer and WebDAV for Stealthy Malware Delivery
Winsage
March 1, 2026

Hackers Abuse Windows File Explorer and WebDAV for Stealthy Malware Delivery

Cybercriminals are exploiting a legacy feature in Windows File Explorer, specifically the WebDAV protocol, to distribute malware and bypass traditional security measures. Despite Microsoft deprecating native WebDAV support in November 2023, it remains active on many systems. Attackers use WebDAV to deceive victims into executing malicious payloads by sending links that connect File Explorer directly to remote servers, avoiding web browsers and their security warnings. They employ methods such as direct linking, URL shortcut files, and LNK shortcut files to deliver exploits. The primary objective of these campaigns, which surged in late 2024, is to deploy Remote Access Trojans (RATs), with 87% of Active Threat Reports involving multiple RATs like XWorm RAT, Async RAT, and DcRAT. These campaigns predominantly target corporate networks in Europe, with many phishing emails written in German and English. Attackers use short-lived WebDAV servers hosted on Cloudflare Tunnel demo accounts to obscure their infrastructure. Security analysts are advised to monitor unusual network activity from Windows Explorer and educate users to verify addresses in File Explorer.
Researchers Discover First Android Malware Using Generative AI for Persistence
Tech Optimizer
February 22, 2026

Researchers Discover First Android Malware Using Generative AI for Persistence

Security researchers have identified a new Android Trojan named PromptSpy that uses generative AI technology to enhance its persistence on compromised devices. Discovered by ESET researchers, PromptSpy leverages Google's Gemini AI model to analyze infected device screens and generate tailored instructions for embedding itself within recent apps lists. It includes a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) module that allows attackers full remote control over the device, enabling activities such as viewing the screen, performing actions remotely, capturing lock screen data, blocking uninstallation attempts, gathering device information, taking screenshots, and recording screen activity as video. The malware communicates with command-and-control servers using AES encryption and exploits Android Accessibility Services, making it difficult to remove. PromptSpy is distributed through a dedicated website and is financially motivated, adapting to various Android interfaces and operating system versions. ESET's analysis indicates that the malware is regionally targeted, with a focus on Argentina, and may have been developed in a Chinese-speaking environment. The same threat actor is believed to be responsible for both VNCSpy and PromptSpy.
Search