Google Play Early Access Abused to Push Thousands of Deceptive Android Apps
Bitdefender found abuse of Google Play's review-free Early Access program to push thousands of deceptive casino and reward apps promoted with AI deepfake ads.
Bitdefender reports threat actors are abusing Google Play's Early Access program, which blocks public reviews and ratings, to distribute thousands of deceptive casino, reward, and utility apps. A GTA imitator, 'Vice Streets: Open World,' surpassed 1 million downloads before disappearing, with apps promoted via AI celebrity deepfake ads on TikTok and Facebook and monetized through endless ad serving and payouts that never arrive. The report coincides with disclosures on Android malware families Hagaseca, Mantax Otax, StreamRat, and GoldFactory's Gigabud banking trojan with its Vwork companion app used for cloned-app financial fraud.
WeWorm – First 0-Click Worm Spreading Through WeChat Calls Across iOS and Android
Researchers demonstrated WeWorm, a zero-click worm exploiting a memory-corruption flaw in WeChat's VoIP stack to spread via calls across iOS and Android.
Security firm Calif published WeWorm, a proof-of-concept zero-click worm exploiting a memory-corruption bug in WeChat's VoIP stack to spread through voice calls on iOS and Android without the victim answering. The demo chained a Pixel 10a, an iPhone 17e, and a second Pixel 10a, compromising each device while the call was still ringing and giving full control of the WeChat account. The attacker must already be on the victim's friend list, but compromised contacts become the propagation layer across a platform with over 1.4 billion monthly users. Calif reported the bug to Tencent in July 2026, and Tencent has since mitigated it; full technical details are withheld for a later conference presentation.
Android Car Malware Spreads Through Built
Kaspersky found MoYu Group malware infecting DoFun Android car head units via firmware updaters, enabling ad fraud and proxy botnet operations.
Kaspersky discovered in June 2026 the first documented malware specifically infecting Android-based car head units, spread through the built-in updater (TWCore) of DoFun head unit firmware via a dropper dubbed JarService. The multi-stage implant supports nine commands enabling unwanted ads, ad fraud, and additional module downloads, and installs the zhima reverse proxy module. The campaign is attributed with high confidence to the MoYu Group behind the BADBOX ad fraud and residential proxy scheme; the distribution issue was fixed after responsible disclosure.
Hackers infecting Android car systems to build proxy botnet
Kaspersky reports MoYu Group-linked malware infecting DoFun Android car head units, enrolling them in a BadBox-linked proxy botnet for ad fraud and traffic routing.
Kaspersky discovered malware on Android-based head units made by Chinese automotive supplier DoFun, the first documented case of a car head unit being infected through an attack purpose-built for such devices. Attackers abused TWCore, a legitimate DoFun system application that handles updates and can install new apps, to silently push a malicious app called JarService that displays ads, generates fraudulent ad clicks and downloads additional malware. One malware module turns infected head units into reverse proxies so other users' internet traffic can be routed through the car's connection. Kaspersky attributes the campaign with high confidence to MoYu Group, linked to the BadBox operation, which previously infected over 70,000 Android devices and resurfaced as BadBox 2.0 after German authorities disrupted the original botnet in December 2024.