Gigabud Creates Android Work Profiles to Hide From Banking App Malware Checks
Group-IB reports the Gigabud Android banking trojan uses a cloned work profile to hide from banking app malware checks, with infections confirmed in Indonesia.
Group-IB says Gigabud installs a helper app called Vwork, derived from the open-source Shelter tool, which creates an Android work profile and drops a tampered banking app inside it, hiding the trojan from banking apps' malware scans. Gigabud, active since 2022 and linked by Group-IB to the GoldFactory group, abuses Accessibility access and overlay screens to steal credentials and run fraudulent payments while a black screen conceals the operator's actions. Group-IB confirmed the full attack chain on infected devices in Indonesia, counting about 1,469 compromised devices and estimated losses of roughly $960,000 between February and July 2026. Vwork-compatible Gigabud samples have been found targeting 11 countries including Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, and Türkiye, though only the Indonesian chain is confirmed.
Hackers Clone Banking Apps Into Hidden Android Work Profiles to Evade Fraud Detection
GoldFactory-linked Gigabud and Vwork malware clone banking apps into hidden Android work profiles to evade fraud detection across 11+ countries.
Group-IB links Vwork, a modified version of the open-source Shelter app cloner, to the GoldFactory group and its Gigabud Android RAT, which clones victim banking apps into an isolated work profile so fraud sessions look clean to banks. From February through July 2026, researchers observed about 1,469 compromised devices and 1,281 potentially compromised logins in Indonesia, with estimated losses near $960,939. Targets span Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Thailand, Türkiye, Laos, and a GCC state; delivery uses fake airline, tax, government, and banking apps pushed via phishing sites, messaging apps, and social media.
GoldFactory Weaponizes Open-Source Vwork App Cloner in Gigabud Banking Malware Attacks
Group-IB says GoldFactory's Gigabud Android trojan uses Vwork, a weaponized Shelter fork, to clone banking apps into isolated Work Profiles and evade bank-side detection.
Group-IB's 'Hook for Gold' investigation found GoldFactory ships Vwork, a modified fork of the open-source Shelter app, alongside its Gigabud Android banking trojan, active since 2022. Vwork abuses Android Work Profile provisioning to clone banking apps into an isolated environment, weakening the link between detected malware signals and fraudulent transactions. Gigabud has targeted victims in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond via fake airline, tax, and government apps requesting Accessibility and overlay permissions. In Indonesia, telemetry recorded about 1,469 compromised devices and roughly $960,939 in estimated losses between February and July 2026.
Gigabud Uses Android App Cloning to Evade Fraud Detection
Group-IB reports the Gigabud Android banking trojan clones bank apps into isolated work profiles via the Vwork tool to evade fraud detection, with roughly $960,000 in losses in Indonesia.
Group-IB found Gigabud now ships dedicated code to work with Vwork, a weaponized fork of the open-source Android cloning app Shelter it attributes to GoldFactory, exposing cloning functions so any installed app can call them. After installing via phishing sites and messengers posing as airline, tax and government apps, operators request accessibility and overlay permissions, then clone the victim's banking app into a new work profile where it is invisible to signature-based detection in the personal profile. Fake login screens and overlays capture credentials while cloned-app transactions appear to banks as coming from an unrecognized, malware-free device. Between February and July 2026 in Indonesia, Group-IB observed about 1,469 compromised devices, 1,281 potentially compromised logins and estimated losses of roughly $960,939, with Vwork-enabled samples targeting 11 countries including Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and Thailand.
Meta AI builds detailed profiles of children from years of family posts
Meta AI suggested questions about a child and assembled detailed family profiles from years of Facebook posts, including a photo deleted years ago.
A mother reported that Meta AI on Facebook suggested the question 'Who is the child passenger?' and then aggregated her children's names, birth dates, videos, and a photo she had deleted years ago. The assistant also pieced together old posts to pinpoint her home location when prompted with 'Where does Kalie Robins live?'. Meta admitted the prompt 'never should have' appeared and said it fixed the suggestion issue, while noting the data came from posts the asker could already access. The article situates this among prior Meta AI privacy failures, including publicly shared chats and a bug exposing private conversations via guessable IDs.
GoCaracal Malware Uses Ethereum Smart Contract to Fetch Replacement C2 Address
Arctic Wolf links new Go-based GoCaracal malware with Ethereum smart-contract C2 fallback to Dark Caracal, targeting a Venezuelan communications organization.
Arctic Wolf assessed with medium confidence that a June 2026 intrusion at an unnamed Venezuelan communications organization used GoCaracal, a previously undocumented Go-based malware framework linked to Dark Caracal. The lightweight profile provides encrypted C2, interactive shell access, and shellcode injection; the extended profile adds browser data theft, keylogging, WebRTC remote desktop, and SOCKS5 proxying. When the primary C2 server is unreachable, the malware queries an Ethereum smart contract via eth_getStorageAt at public JSON-RPC endpoints to fetch a replacement C2 address. Bandook was deployed in parallel, and Arctic Wolf published a YARA rule and indicators of compromise.