(Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images) Hackers exploit WhatsApp modification tool to snoop on texts, force paid subscriptions Getting "improved" features via modded software might come with security downgrades. Aug 24, 2021 By Tim Starks
A Uyghur is tested at a temperature checkpoint on June 29, 2020 in Kuqa, China. (Photo by David Liu/Getty Images) China-based hackers used front companies to hack Uighurs, Facebook says Facebook’s investigators traced the Android developers to Beijing Best United Technology and Dalian 9Rush Technology. Mar 24, 2021 By Sean Lyngaas
A street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Getty Images) New hacking tool targeting Bangladesh Android users blurs lines between spying and stealing The ongoing investigation hints at bustling underground market for spying kits that are difficult to trace. Feb 9, 2021 By Sean Lyngaas
Android ransomware authors have a new trick to go with an old shakedown technique The malicious code gets around security checks that Google, which owns Android, has instituted against previous ransomware kits. Oct 8, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas
A street scene in Turpan, Xinjiang. Lookout discovered Chinese efforts to surveil Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority who live in China’s Xinjiang province. (Getty Images) Chinese mobile surveillance of Uighurs more pervasive than previously thought, researchers say The spying tools have been in use for years. Jul 1, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas
(Getty) Operators of Android hacking kit impersonate postal services in US and Europe With an effective mobile malware kit written, hackers can tweak the code to target different parts of the world. Jul 1, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas
the software pulls information from Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Line, an end-to-end encrypted messaging application that’s popular in Asia. (Flickr user StevenW / CC-BY-2.0) Tool targeting Android users in Thailand looks to be work of sloppy spyware startup A remote access trojan linked with spyware firm Wolf Research is targeting Thai Android users, Cisco Talos found. May 19, 2020 By Shannon Vavra
EventBot is capable of targeting no less than 200 financial apps on the Android operating system. (Getty Images) ‘EventBot’ comes online amid flurry of regularly updated banking trojans It could only be a matter of time before the hackers begin using the malware against banking customers. Apr 30, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas
In the last month alone, hackers tied to the Syrian government have leveraged at least 71 new malicious Android applications using coronavirus lures. (Getty Images) Syrian government surveillance campaign turns to spreading malware in coronavirus apps In a long-running surveillance campaign, coronavirus is just the latest disguise for malicious spyware applications. Apr 16, 2020 By Shannon Vavra
A policeman in front of Rome’s Trevi Fountain. More than 7,500 people in Italy have died from the novel coronavirus. (Getty Images) Hackers target mobile users in Italy and Spain, taking advantage of coronavirus hot spots It's a reminder of the cruel opportunism with which many cybercriminals approach the crisis. Mar 26, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas