All news with #spyware tag

Apple Raises Zero-Click Bug Bounty to $2M in Program

🔒 Apple has expanded and redesigned its bug bounty program, doubling the top reward to $2 million for zero-click remote compromise reports and enabling bonus payouts that can push awards above $5 million. The new payout tiers raise rewards across multiple attack categories and add a $1,000 encouragement award for low-impact findings. Apple broadened the wireless-proximity category to include C1/C1X and N1 chips and plans to distribute 1,000 secured iPhone 17 devices in 2026.

ClayRat Android spyware mimics popular apps to spread

📱 A new Android spyware campaign called ClayRat is tricking users by posing as well-known apps and services such as WhatsApp, Google Photos, TikTok, and YouTube and distributing APKs via Telegram channels and fraudulent websites. Researchers at Zimperium say they documented over 600 samples and 50 distinct droppers in three months, noting that some use a session-based installation and encrypted payloads to bypass Android defenses. Once installed, ClayRat can assume the default SMS handler, exfiltrate SMS and call logs, capture notifications and front-camera photos, make calls, send mass SMS for propagation, and communicate with C2 servers (recent versions use AES-GCM); Play Protect now blocks known variants.

ClayRat Android Spyware Uses Fake Apps to Spread in Russia

📱 A new Android spyware campaign known as ClayRat has been observed targeting users in Russia through fake app installers and Telegram channels. Operators impersonate popular apps such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Google Photos, and YouTube to trick victims into sideloading APKs or running lightweight droppers that reveal hidden encrypted payloads. Once active, the malware requests default SMS status and can exfiltrate SMS, call logs, notifications, device details, take photos, and even send messages or place calls while automatically propagating to contacts. Zimperium reports roughly 600 samples and 50 droppers detected in the last 90 days, with continuous obfuscation to evade defenses.

Android spyware campaigns impersonate Signal and ToTok

🔒 Two newly identified Android spyware campaigns, dubbed ProSpy and ToSpy, impersonate Signal and ToTok to trick users into installing malicious APKs masquerading as a Signal encryption plugin or a Pro ToTok build. The malware requests standard messenger permissions and exfiltrates contacts, SMS, media, app lists and ToTok backups. ESET found distribution via cloned websites and noted persistence techniques to survive reboots. Users in the UAE appear to be targeted; download apps only from official stores or publishers and keep Play Protect enabled.

Android Spyware Posing as Signal Plugin and ToTok Pro

⚠️ Researchers at ESET have uncovered two Android spyware campaigns, ProSpy and ToSpy, that masquerade as a Signal encryption plugin and a ToTok Pro upgrade to target users in the U.A.E. Distributed via fake websites and social engineering, these apps require manual installation and request extensive permissions to persist and exfiltrate contacts, messages, media and device data. Users are advised to avoid installing apps from unofficial sources and to disable installations from unknown origins.

Surveying the Global Spyware Market: 2024 Investment Shifts

🔍 The Atlantic Council’s second annual report, Mythical Beasts, maps the global spyware market and documents a substantial uptick in US-based investors in 2024, which made the United States the largest investor in this sampled dataset despite ongoing policy actions. The authors also emphasize the opaque, central role of resellers and brokers, whose intermediary activity obscures vendor–buyer ties and complicates oversight. Overall, the report highlights a clear enforcement and transparency gap and urges targeted research and coordinated policy responses.

Apple Alerts French Users to Fourth 2025 Spyware Campaign

🔔 Apple has notified users in France that devices linked to some iCloud accounts may have been compromised in a fourth spyware campaign this year, CERT-FR confirmed on September 3, 2025. The agency said the alerts target high-profile individuals — journalists, lawyers, activists, politicians and senior officials — and follow prior notices on March 5, April 29 and June 25. Recent disclosures also link WhatsApp and iOS vulnerabilities exploited in zero-click chains, while Apple’s Memory Integrity Enforcement aims to harden new iPhones against such memory-corruption attacks.

Apple warns customers targeted by recent spyware attacks

🔔 Apple warned customers that their accounts were targeted in a series of mercenary spyware attacks, according to France's CERT‑FR. Notifications were issued on March 5, April 29, June 25 and September 3 and appear at the top of account.apple.com and via the email or phone linked to users' Apple IDs. The alerts indicate highly sophisticated campaigns often using zero‑day and zero‑click techniques, meaning at least one device tied to the account may be compromised. Apple recommends enabling Lockdown Mode and seeking rapid-response assistance through Access Now.

Android droppers now pushing SMS stealers and spyware

🛡️ Security researchers warn that Android dropper apps are increasingly used to deliver not only banking trojans but also SMS stealers, spyware and lightweight payloads. According to ThreatFabric, attackers in India and parts of Asia are packaging payloads behind benign "update" screens to evade targeted Play Protect Pilot Program checks, fetching and installing the real payload only after user interaction. Google says it found no such apps on Play and continues to expand protections, while Bitdefender links malvertising campaigns to Brokewell distribution.

Is Your Phone Spying on You? Inside Modern Spyware

🔍 In this Unlocked 403 episode host Becks speaks with ESET malware researcher Lukas Stefanko to explain how modern spyware operates and why commonplace apps can become surveillance tools. They examine ESET’s discovery of BadBazaar, describe common infection vectors, persistence techniques and permissions abuse, and note that some tools can compromise devices without any user interaction. Lukas outlines practical detection signals and step‑by‑step removal advice. The conversation also points listeners to a prior episode for deeper Android threat analysis.