Millions Of Phones Are At Risk: New Android Malware Can Steal Your Passwords, Phone PIN

A new report has claimed that Android users are at risk from a fresh malware attack as hackers are using a trusted AI platform to spread harmful apps. According to BleepingComputer, cybersecurity experts found that thousands of Android malware files are being hosted on a popular website that usually looks safe which makes the attack harder to detect and block.A new Android malware attack has been found where hackers are using Hugging Face, a trusted AI platform to spread dangerous apps. The malware steals login details of banking, payment and financial apps.As per the report, the campaign was discovered by researchers at Romanian cybersecurity firm Bitdefender, who found that attackers are misusing Hugging Face’s infrastructure to host and deliver

malicious Android APK files. Since Hugging Face is generally considered safe, many security tools may not immediately flag downloads from the platform.How To Check Which Websites Share Your Data With Instagram And Facebook: Check This Simple Step-By-Step Guide

The report revealed that the attack starts when users are tricked into installing a fake app called TrustBastion. The app pretends to be a security tool and shows scary warnings claiming that the phone is infected with malware, scam messages or phishing threats. Soon after installation, it forces users to install a 'mandatory update' that looks like it is coming from Google Play.Instead of downloading the update directly, the app connects to a server and then redirects users to a Hugging Face dataset, from where the real malware is downloaded using the platform’s content delivery network (CDN).To avoid detection, the hackers use a technique called polymorphism, which creates a new version of the malware every 15 minutes. The malware abuses Android’s Accessibility Services by asking for permissions in the name of security. Once allowed, it can record the screen, show fake banking login pages, steal passwords, capture lock screen PINs and even block app removal.Speaking to BleepingComputer, Google said that no such apps were found on the Play Store and that Google Play Protect can block known versions of this malware. Android users are advised to avoid third-party app stores and carefully check app permissions.