Security News
Google Play, Android's official app store, is now tagging VPN apps with an 'independent security reviews' badge if they conducted an independent security audit of their software and platform. Starting with VPN apps, which Google considers critical for user privacy and security due to handling sensitive data, the Play Store will display the "Independent security review" badge in the Data Safety Section.
Czech cybersecurity company Avast confirmed that its antivirus SDK has been flagging a Google Android app as malware on Huawei, Vivo, and Honor smartphones since Saturday. Others saw a different alert, telling them that the Google app was a trojan that could provide remote access to their device and allow attackers to install malware and steal the users' data.
Recent Flipper Zero Bluetooth spam attacks have now been ported to an Android app, allowing a much larger number of devices to implement these annoying spam alerts. Inspired by previous research on the topic and Flipper Zero applets targeting iOS devices, and later Android and Windows, software developer Simon Dankelmann developed an Android app capable of the same Bluetooth spam.
The threat actor known as Arid Viper (aka APT-C-23, Desert Falcon, or TAG-63) has been attributed as behind an Android spyware campaign targeting Arabic-speaking users with a counterfeit dating...
Several malicious Google Play Android apps installed over 2 million times push intrusive ads to users while concealing their presence on the infected devices. Dr. Web explains that once victims install these apps on their devices, they hide by replacing their icons with that of Google Chrome or using a transparent icon image to create empty space in the app drawer.
A custom Flipper Zero firmware called 'Xtreme' has added a new feature to perform Bluetooth spam attacks on Android and Windows devices. The main idea behind the spam attack is to use Flipper Zero's wireless communication capabilities to spoof advertising packets and transmit them to devices in range of pairing and connection requests.
Google has announced an update to its Play Protect with support for real-time scanning at the code level to tackle novel malicious apps prior to downloading and installing them on Android devices....
Google has announced new, real-time scanning features for Google Play Protect that make it harder for malicious apps employing polymorphism to evade detection. The problem is that authors of malicious apps promoted outside Google Play have resorted to AI and polymorphic malware that frequently alters identifiable information in a malicious program to bypass automated security platforms, making those scans ineffective.
The Android 'SpyNote' malware was observed in attacks targeting Italy using a fake 'IT-alert' public alert service that infected visitors with the information-stealing malware. The APK file installs SpyNote malware on the device, granting it permission to use Accessibility services, which enable the attackers to perform a wide range of dangerous and invasive actions on the compromised device.
Israeli Android users are targeted by a malicious version of the 'RedAlert - Rocket Alerts' app that, while it offers the promised functionality, acts as spyware in the background. RedAlert - Rocket Alerts is a legitimate open-source app used by Israeli citizens to receive notifications of incoming rockets targeting the country.