26 Aug, 2026

Google to flag Android apps with excessive battery use on the Play Store

Google will start taking action on Android apps in the official Google Play store that have high background activity and cause excessive battery draining. Apps that exceed a “bad behavior threshold” may be flagged on Google Play for negatively impacting battery performance and may affect their visibility in the Android ecosystem. Developers have until March 1, 2026, […]

3 mins read

Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules

Google is backpedaling on its decision to introduce new identity verification rules for all developers, stating that it will also introduce accounts for limited app distribution and will allow users to install apps from unverified devs. As announced in August, Google was planning to introduce what it called “Developer Verification” starting in 2026 to block malware […]

2 mins read

Google to verify all Android devs to block malware on Google Play

Google is introducing a new defense for Android called ‘Developer Verification’ to block malware installations from sideloaded apps sourced from outside the official Google Play app store. For apps on Google Play, there was already a requirement for publishers to provide a D-U-N-S (Data Universal Numbering System) number, introduced on August 31, 2023. Google says this has had a notable […]

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ERMAC Android malware source code leak exposes banking trojan infrastructure

The source code for version 3 of the ERMAC Android banking trojan has been leaked online, exposing the internals of the malware-as-a-service platform and the operator’s infrastructure. The code base was discovered in an open directory by Hunt.io researchers while scanning for exposed resources in March 2024. They located an archive named Ermac 3.0.zip, which contained the malware’s code, including backend, […]

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Microsoft will kill the Lens PDF scanner app for iOS, Android

Microsoft announced that it will phase out the Microsoft Lens PDF scanner app for Android and iOS devices starting in September. Microsoft Lens (formerly known as Office Lens) can convert images into PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, and it is capable of scanning both printed and handwritten text. Currently, the app has been downloaded 50 million […]

2 mins read

Android malware Konfety uses malformed APKs to evade detection

A new variant of the Konfety Android malware emerged with a malformed ZIP structure along with other obfuscation methods that allow it to evade analysis and detection. Konfety poses as a legitimate app, mimicking innocuous products available on Google Play, but features none of the promised functionality.  The capabilities of the malware include redirecting users to […]

3 mins read

Google reveals details on Android’s Advanced Protection for Chrome

Google is sharing more information on how Chrome operates when Android mobile users enable Advanced Protection, highlighting strong security improvements. The tech giant recently extended its Advanced Protection Program to the device level with the release of Android 16, aimed at offering a robust, holistic security posture for high-risk individuals likely to be targeted by sophisticated spyware […]

2 mins read

New Android TapTrap attack fools users with invisible UI trick

A novel tapjacking technique can exploit user interface animations to bypass Android’s permission system and allow access to sensitive data or trick users into performing destructive actions, such as wiping the device. Unlike traditional, overlay-based tapjacking, TapTrap attacks work even with zero-permission apps to launch a harmless transparent activity on top of a malicious one, a behavior […]

4 mins read

Android malware Anatsa infiltrates Google Play to target US banks

The Anatsa banking trojan has sneaked into Google Play once more via an app posing as a PDF viewer that counted more than 50,000 downloads. The malware becomes active on the device immediately after installing the app, tracking users launching North American banking apps and serving them an overlay that allows accessing the account, keylogging, or automating transactions. According […]

3 mins read

Godfather Android malware now uses virtualization to hijack banking apps

A new version of the Android malware “Godfather” creates isolated virtual environments on mobile devices to steal account data and transactions from legitimate banking apps. These malicious apps are executed inside a controlled virtual environment on the device, enabling real-time spying, credential theft, and transaction manipulation while maintaining perfect visual deception. The tactic resembles that seen in […]

3 mins read