ToxicPanda 2.0 and GoldDigger Expand Android Banking Attacks with On
Zimperium and IBM Trusteer report expanded ToxicPanda 2.0 and GoldDigger Android banking trojan campaigns now targeting 349 financial institutions across 16 countries.
Zimperium zLabs reports ToxicPanda 2.0 (TgToxic) now carries 167 remote commands, targets 349 financial institutions across 16 countries via more than 140 banking and cryptocurrency apps, and abuses Android Wireless Debugging via ADB for privilege escalation and shell access. It harvests lock screen PINs with fake overlays, steals UI elements via accessibility services, sets Device Administrator privileges, and is distributed through Amazon AWS-hosted buckets. IBM Trusteer documents a GoldDigger campaign impersonating airline companies and shopping retailers, causing massive infections in South Africa and the U.K., obfuscated with the dpt-shell packer that detects Frida and resists debugging. GoldDigger performs on-device fraud by injecting input into banking apps and is attributed to the Chinese-speaking GoldFactory actor.
Manic Android Malware Exfiltrates Data From Offline Phones via Nearby Infected Devices
ThreatFabric identified Manic, an Android banking malware and spyware targeting Ukrainian and European financial apps with novel offline Wi-Fi mesh data exfiltration via nearby infected devices.
ThreatFabric reported a new Android malware family called Manic combining banking fraud and surveillance capabilities, targeting 169 package IDs across Ukrainian banks, government and identity services, messaging apps, and Russian and European financial institutions. The malware uses phishing sites and dropper apps impersonating utilities for distribution and relies on accessibility services and notification permissions for keylogging, overlays, and remote control. It introduces a store-and-forward relay mechanism that stages encrypted data locally and relays it through nearby infected devices via Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth RFCOMM, or BLE GATT, supporting up to four hops when the primary device lacks internet access. Activity dates back to February 2026, with active development through late July.
Iranian Hackers Use Telegram-Controlled Malware to Spy on Dissidents and Journalists
FBI, NCSC, and AIVD detail Iran MOIS spyware CHOSEN BRICK/HEAVYGRAM, Telegram-controlled Windows malware spying on dissidents since 2023.
A September 15 joint advisory from the FBI, UK NCSC, and Dutch AIVD attributes the Windows spyware HEAVYGRAM (NCSC name CHOSEN BRICK) to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, with the campaign dating to autumn 2023 and targeting dissidents, journalists, and activists in the UK, US, Netherlands, and worldwide. Delivered via messages impersonating known contacts or tech support, the malware assigns each victim a dedicated Telegram bot for command-and-control and exfiltration, and can take screenshots, record microphone audio, steal Telegram/WhatsApp data, saved passwords, and emails, download more malware, and wipe the computer. Persistence uses a registry Run key (SMQDService or winappx) plus Microsoft Defender exclusions, with stolen data exiting via Telegram and cloud storage services like Vultr and Storj. The US Justice Department seized four pro-Iranian leak sites in March that had published stolen victim data.
Hackers Disguise CHOSEN BRICK Malware as AI Apps, Antivirus Software and MRI Results
NCSC, FBI, and AIVD warn Iranian state-linked actors deliver CHOSEN BRICK Windows spyware via fake AI apps, antivirus installers, and MRI-result lures.
A joint advisory from the UK NCSC, FBI, and Dutch AIVD details CHOSEN BRICK (FBI tracking name: HEAVYGRAM), Iranian state-linked Windows spyware targeting dissidents, activists, and journalists worldwide since at least 2025. Lures impersonate Pictory, RunwayML, Norton Antivirus, Telegram, Adobe Flash Player, and KeePass, and operators pivot conversations from corporate to personal devices to bypass enterprise controls. The spyware persists via Registry Run keys, adds Microsoft Defender exclusions, uses per-victim Telegram bots for command-and-control, and exfiltrates screenshots, audio, email, and chat data via Telegram and cloud services, with some victim data appearing on pro-Iranian leak sites.
Manic: The Android Malware That Exfiltrates Data Even When the Phone Is Offline
ThreatFabric identifies Manic, an Android banking fraud and spyware platform targeting Ukraine with offline Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct mesh exfiltration and device takeover.
ThreatFabric's Mobile Threat Intelligence team identified Manic, an Android malware active in the wild since at least February 2026 that combines banking fraud with surveillance and device-control capabilities. It monitors 169 Android apps including Ukrainian banks, government and eID services, messaging apps, crypto exchanges, and 2FA tools, using the Accessibility service as a classified UI keylogger and WebRTC for live screen viewing and remote control. A distinctive store-and-forward relay exfiltrates AES-GCM-encrypted data through nearby infected devices over Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth RFCOMM, or BLE GATT, supporting chains of up to four hops when direct C2 is unavailable. A July update added stronger anti-analysis, in-memory DEX loading, lock-secret phishing to extract device PINs, and hiding from the app launcher.
KREMLIN Banking Malware Bypasses Chrome Security to Steal Banking Sessions
Elastic Security Labs details KREMLIN, a Brazilian banking malware that implants malicious Chrome and Edge extensions by forging Chromium integrity values to steal banking sessions.
Elastic Security Labs tracks the KREMLIN banking malware operation as REF9334, active since at least May 2025 across seven campaigns primarily targeting 12 Brazilian banks. The malware is installed by a victim-run JavaScript loader, achieves scheduled-task persistence, and side-loads a malicious DLL via SentinelOne's SentinelMemoryScanner.exe. It modifies Chrome and Edge Secure Preferences files, enables developer mode, and regenerates Chromium MAC values to silently install extensions, while extracting browser encryption material including the newer App-Bound OSCrypt key. An Ethereum smart contract serves as a dead-drop resolver for C2 config; Elastic disrupted over 1,500 infections via a canary domain.